232 THE NURSERY-MANUAL 



raised from seeds sown directly in the open ground, but if earlier 

 bloom and a longer season are desired the seeds may be started in 

 the dwelling house, window-garden, hotbed or greenhouse, and the 

 small seedlings transplanted to the garden. Whether the seeds 

 should be started indoors depends on the region, the hardiness of 

 the species, the season in which bloom is desired. Small and deli- 

 cate seeds should be started under cover for protection from beat- 

 ing rains and winds, whatever the region, north or south. The 

 young plants of some species are so delicate and tender as to 

 demand protection from wind, hot sun and dryness. All these 

 details the gardener learns by experience. Hints on them are 

 likely to be found in seed catalogues. 



Sometimes annuals are classed as hardy, half-hardy and tender, 

 having reference to frost and in practice applied to time of sowing. 

 So wide are the latitudes in North America, however, within the 

 limits of a single country, that these distinctions are largely given up 

 here. A hardy annual may be sown even before " settled weather " 

 and when frosts are still expected, as sweet pea, abronia, sweet 

 alyssum ; these plants are usually sown directly in the open ground, 

 sometimes even in autumn. The half-hardy annuals, as phlox, 

 alonsoa, petunia, withstand considerable hardship and may be 

 started indoors or sown in the open before the weather becomes 

 very hot. Tender annuals are sown late and are impatient of cold, 

 and are sometimes protected under glass or elsewhere all summer ; 

 examples are many ipomceas and cucurbits, maurandia, torenia. 



Very few annuals bloom continuously from early to late. When 

 seeds begin to form, the blooming usually halts. The best results 

 are obtained by repeated sowings at intervals, one crop being re- 

 moved from the beds when it begins to fail and a fresh crop of the 

 same or another species put in its place. The seedlings should be 

 transplanted before they crowd in the pots or boxes, and care 

 should be taken that they do not become " drawn." Annuals are 

 adaptable, and they give much satisfaction when one is willing to 

 take sufficient pains in propagation. 



It is sometimes desirable to propagate annuals by other means 

 than seeds in order to perpetuate particular strains or forms. 

 For this purpose cuttings of vigorous young shoots may be taken 

 late in the season and the new plants carried over winter in the 

 window-garden or under glass. Probably not all the annuals can 

 be handled satisfactorily by this method. The perennials that are 

 commonly treated as annuals, as verbena, are readily propagated 



