A YEAR'S GARDENING 



worthy of cultivation, and though none are hardy they are of such 

 rapid growth that they succeed well when treated as half-hardy 

 annuals. Among the best are D. ceratocaula, growing from 2 to 3 

 feet high, with large trumpet-shaped flowers (often called Angels' 

 Trumpets), coloured white and pink, or white tinged with purple, 

 and giving out a delightful perfume. D. fasluosa is also very hand- 

 some and comprises two varieties, one bearing comparatively small 

 white blossoms, and the other a " double " violet flower. D. mete- 

 loides, usually known as Wright's Datura, with its spreading branches 

 and large white flowers touched with mauve, should also be men- 

 tioned, but its leaves emit an unpleasant smell. The culture required is 

 that usual for the half-hardy annual; seed should be sown in heat in 

 early spring and the seedlings duly potted off and subjected to a 

 hardening treatment before being planted in the open, where, of 

 course, a warm and sheltered position is desirable. 



DELPHINIUM {Larkspur). A most valuable plant for the 

 garden, both for its beauty of form and fine spikes of bloom. There 

 are many species, both annual and perennial, but the perennials, 

 with their great range of colour and magnificent growth— from i 

 foot high to 6 or 7 feet or more — are the most esteemed. Nearly 

 all may be raised from seed, and this method is certainly the best 

 where large masses of bloom^ are required — a most effective way of 

 growing Delphiniums. Seed should be sown in May, the seedlings 

 thinned out early and transferred to the border where they are to 

 flower as soon as they will bear removal, in readiness for early bloom 

 in the following summer. They will succeed in almost any soil or 

 situation, but a deep friable soil, well manured, is that in which they 

 thrive best. Every two or three seasons they should be raised, 

 divided, and re-planted, early spring — as soon as they begin to 

 renew their growth — being the most suitable time. A long con- 

 tinuance of bloom may be obtained by cutting off the spikes as soon 

 as they have done flowering, before the seeds are formed; or, as an 

 alternative, by cutting down the entire plant immediately it has 

 ceased to bloom, when, in a few weeks' time, it will renew its growth 

 and bloom again. In the latter plan, however, it is necessary to 

 give the plant a top-dressing of manure to ensure a vigorous renewal 

 of growth. 



DIANTHUS. Under this name are included some of our most 

 beautiful hardy flowers — the Carnation, the Pink, the Sweetwilliam 

 — and many charming Alpine and Rock Garden plants. The Dianthus 

 is easily raised from seed and may advEmtageousIy be treated as a 



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