244 MANUAL OF GARDENING 
board. This promoces capillarity, by which the surface of the 
soil is better supplied with moisture from below. Always mark 
with a label the kind and position of all seed sown. 
If the flowers are to be grown about the edges of the lawn, 
make sure that the grass roots do not run underneath them and 
rob them of food and moisture. It is well to run a sharp spade 
deep into the ground about the edges of the bed every two or 
three weeks for the purpose of cutting off any grass roots that 
may have run into the bed. If beds are made in the turf, see 
that they are 3 ft. or more wide, so that the grass roots will not 
undermine them. Against the shrub borders, this precaution 
may not be necessary. In fact, it is desirable that the flowers 
fill all the space between the overhanging branches and the sod. 
It is surprising how few of the uncommon or little known 
annuals really have great merit for general purposes. There is 
nothing yet to take the place of the old-time groups, such as 
amaranths, zinnias, calendulas, daturas, balsams, annual pinks, 
candytufts, bachelor’s buttons, wallflowers, larkspurs, petu- 
nias, gaillardias, snapdragons, coxcombs, lobelias, coreopsis or 
calliopsis, California poppies, four-o’clocks, sweet sultans, 
phloxes, mignonettes, scabiosas, nasturtiums, marigolds, China 
asters, salpiglossis, nicotianas, pansies, portulacas, castor beans, 
poppies, sunflowers, verbenas, stocks, alyssums, and such good 
old running plants as scarlet runners, sweet peas, convolvuluses, 
ipomeas, tall nasturtiums, balloon vines, cobeas. Of the annual 
vines of recent ‘ntroduction, the Japanese hop has at once taken 
a prominent place for the covering of fences and arbors, although 
it has no floral beauty to recommend it. 
For bold mass-displays of color in the rear parts of the grounds 
or along the borders, some of the coarser species are desirable. 
Good plants for such use are: sunflower and castor bean for the 
back rows; zinnias for bright effects in the scarlets and lilacs; 
African marigolds for brilliant yellows; nicotianas for whites. 
Unfortunately, we have no robust-growing annuals with good 
