ANNUALS 245 



H. ANNUALS FOR DESIGN BEDDING. Oftentimes in the develop- 

 ment of the flower garden the owner wishes for a massing of annual 

 flowering plants to produce certain definite outlines. The amateur 

 in selecting types for such effects will not be successful if he uses 

 plants with habits of growth not adapted to the refinement of detail 

 in the design being produced. Some annuals, like the dwarf snap- 

 dragon, French marigold, annual phlox, and dwarf zinnia, will 

 develop within small spaces to produce complicated designs. Others 

 like late asters, tall snapdragons, tall zinnias, and African marigolds 

 lend themselves successfully only to simple bedding effects with larger 

 and less complicated units. 



The incorrect selection of annuals results in the following errors: 

 (i) Loss of all trace of the original design because growth of plants 

 used is out of scale with intent of the design (loose-growing, tall 

 plants cannot maintain neat lines of a compact design); (2) Irregular 

 and spotted flowering effect, because definite masses of plants do not 

 bloom at the same time (e. g., early-flowering asters and late-flowering 

 calendulas do not bloom at the same time). 



The best rule to adopt is to become thoroughly familiar with the 

 flowering period and with the normal height to which the different 

 types of annuals will grow. No other way is so good as to buy packets 

 of seed and grow some of the different sorts for a season. The woody 

 and herbaceous perennial plants are as a rule sold as named varieties 

 which are thoroughly understood the world over; but no such uni- 

 formity exists in regard to the seedsman's names for annual plants. 

 It is not uncommon for seedsmen to sell identical seeds under different 

 trade names or to give the same name to entirely different strains of 

 seed. Therefore seeds of annuals should be bought of a reliable 

 seedsman, preferably one who grows the seed, and one should not 

 utilize novelties or unknown strains of seed in bedding work. By 

 sticking to the best seedsmen and their established strains of seed 

 excellent results will follow. 



a. Low-growing sorts, growing twelve to twenty-four inches: 



Antirrhinum majus nanum (in variety) Callistephus chinensis Queen of the 



Half-dwarf Snapdragon Market 



Calendula officinalis (in variety) E ar l y Half-dwarf China Aster 



Pot Marigold 



Callistephus chinensis King type Centaurea cyanus 



Quilled China Aster Old-fashioned Cornflower 



