HOUSE, AREA, AOT? WINBOW GARDENING. 



291 



inconspicuons; but then tke little tults of rough- 

 pointed leaves are very pretty, and look like diminu- 

 tive Aloes. They all flower in the summer. (See 

 further Green-house and Hot-hotjse Plants.) 



Annuals, in very great variety, may be grown 

 from seed, and prove a source of much pleasure. 

 The pots should have plenty of drainage, and a 

 little piece of moss .over the drainage to prevent the 

 earth being washed down amongst the crocks, which 

 might stop the surplus water from running away, 

 and thus destroy the object for which the drainage 

 was put there. The soil should be good loam, with 

 a little leaf -mould and silver sand in it, and this 

 should be pressed into the pots firmlj"-, but not too 

 hard. Having thus fiUed the pots three-parts fuU, 

 lay on the top a few seeds, about twice as many 

 as you intend to gxow in the pot, taking care that 

 two seeds do not lie side by side, or close together. 

 Dust gently over the seeds enough sandy mould to 

 ■ just hide them, and then, should the soil be very 

 dry (otherwise the seeds are better without it), water 

 with spray from a brush. "When the seedlings 

 begin to grow half of them must be pulled up, 

 leaving, of course, the strongest to grow on. 



The following list contains a good in-door selec- 

 tion of dwarf Annuals, of many of which there are 

 numerous beautiful varieties that will .riphly reward 

 the patient and careful cultivator : — 



Selected Annuals, Dwakt and Erect. 



Acrocliniuia roseum. 



Bartonia aurea. 



Calendula pluvialis (Cape 

 l^l^Lrigold. 



CalliopsiB bicolor. 



Oentanrea Cyanus (Corn- 

 flower). 



Clarkia pulcliella. 



Chrysanthemum carinatum. 



Cbllmsia bicolor. 



Convolvulus minor. 



Delphinium Ajacis (Lark- 

 spur). 



Dianthus chinensis (Indian 

 Pink). 



Eschscholtzia califomica. 



Gaillardia picta. 



Gilia tricolor. 



Godetia grandiflora. 



Kaulfussia amelloides, or 

 more correctly, Charieis 

 heterophylla. 



Leptosiphon androsaceus. 



Lupinus Cruikshankii. 



Nemophila insignis. 



Papaver rhseas. 



Phlox Drummondi. [etteX 



Beseda odorata (Mignon- 



Bhodanthe Manglesii. 



Salpiglossis sinuata. 



Saponaria Calahrica. 



Schizanthus pinnatus. 



Sphenogyne speciosa. 



Tropseolum minor. (Nastur- 

 tium). 



Viscaria oculata. 



If it be wished to grow tall climbing Annuals, 

 there are none better, or more easily grown, than the 

 following : — 



Climbing Annuals. 



Convolvulus major. 

 Eathyrus odoratus (Sweet 

 Pea). 



Tropseolum aduncum (cana- 



rieusis). 

 T. majus (Nasturtium), 



These must be provided with strings, wires, sticks, 

 or boughs to climb up, if we would see them in their 

 greatest beauty. 



ChrysantliemuniB are excellent plants for 

 Bultivation in pots, and are most useful on account 



of their coming into blossom late in the autumn, 

 when few other hardy flowers are to be had. Frost 

 spoils their blooms, and wiud and rain bruise them ; 

 but if brought in-doors, before bad weather has 

 injured them, they will keep in flower for a long 

 time, and last well into the new year. Cuttings 

 struck in October are said to make the best plants for 

 the following year; but it is much less trouble to 

 break up an old plant in March, and then to pot 

 rooted pieces, which will make fine plants by the 

 middle of summer. In order to get plenty of 

 flowers, the points of the shoots should be pinched 

 oflr as they grow, but this pinching must not be 

 continued after the end of July. Cuttings should 

 be struck in sandy loam and leaf-mould. Rooted 

 cuttings and divisions of the roots should be planted 

 in stifl: loam mixed with well-rotted manure. Potted 

 plants should be well watered all through the 

 summer, and liquid manure may be given occasion- 

 ally until the flower-buds begin to show their colour, 

 after which no more manure- water must be given. 

 Syringing over the leaves night and morning 

 during hot weather is of great assistance to the 

 plants. If the roots are once allowed to become 

 quite dry it wiR materially affect their blooming. 



There are two kinds of large-flowered Chrys- 

 anthemums, the Chinese and the Japanese, the 

 former flowers being very regular and symmetrical 

 in form, while the latter are ragged and irregular, 

 though of brilliant and attractive colours. The 

 smaU-flowered Chrysanthemums are called Pompones, 

 and grow two or three feet high. They are, there- 

 fore, more suitable for window-sills and other ex- 

 posed situations than the large-flowered sorts, which, 

 from their habit of growing much taller, axe more 

 liable to be injured and blown down by high winds. 



There are now to be had a great many named 

 varieties of each of these three sections. It will be 

 better, however, if house and window gardeners 

 confine their attentions to a few good sorts which 

 are known to be free bloomers; of each of these 

 they can propagate as many plants as they choose. 



Amongst Pompones there are none to beat the 

 following : — Adele Frizette, fringed Klac ; St. Michael, 

 yellow; Marabout, fringed white; MdUe. Marthe, 

 white ; Bob, dark brown ; Cedo nulli, white, with 

 brown tips ; Miss Julia, dark chestnut ; Louise, 

 crimson ; Adonis, rosy-purple ; Mr. Astie, yellow. 



A small selection of large Chinese sorts may be 

 taken from the following Hst: — George Glenny, 

 goldon-amber ; Mrs. Eundle, white; John Salter, 

 red-ciimamon ; Julia Lagravere, deep crimson; Virgin 

 Queen, white ; Lady TaUourd, rosy-hlac ; Jardin des 

 Plantes, golden-orange ; Venus, rosy -lilac peach. 



The following are among the best of the Japanese 

 sorts: — Elaine, white; James Salter, clear lilac; 



