228 



THE BOOK OF GARDENING. 



Sunflower) grows 6ft. high, and produces its large yellowish 

 flowers in July. The seed should be sown in a slight hot-bed 

 or in pots in February, transplanting into the open ground when 

 large enough; it may also be sown outside in March. It likes 

 a strong, rich soil, with a quantity of old cow-manure added,. and 

 in this compost it will often produce flowers a foot across. 

 There are numerous varieties now in cultivation, one of the best 

 being H. a. globosus fistulosus (Fig. 121), with large handsome double 

 yellow flowers, which; when fully developed, assume a globular 



form.. Helianthus argo- 

 phyllus (Fig. -122) is a 

 charming plant for mixed 

 borders, wild gardens, &c. ; 

 the whole plant is covered 

 with a soft, silky, silvery 

 down ; the flowers are 

 medium-sized, yellow with 

 a dark centre, the ray 

 florets being very broad. 

 It grows to a height of 

 5ft., and flowers in au- 

 tumn. There is really 

 not much difference be- 

 tween this and H. annuus. 

 H. cucumerifolius (Minia- 

 ture-flowered Sunflower) 

 produces an abundance 

 of small rich yellow 

 flowers, set off with 

 a brownish - black 

 centre; about 3m. 

 across ; the plant 

 grows about 3ft. 

 high, and the stem is 

 much branched and 

 often marked with 

 purplish spots; the 

 leaves are thin and bright green. The form known as Stella 

 is new ; it bears an abundance of golden-yellow dark-centred 

 flowers, about 4m. across, the petals of which are elegantly 

 twisted. Henry Wilde is a distinct variety, bearing branching 

 heads of single flowers, 5m. across, golden-yellow, with dark 

 centres; height 6ft. H. a. californieus has heads of large 

 handsome double flowers of a rich yellow; it is more robust 

 in habit than the typical H. annuus, and the flowers are darker 

 coloured. The form of this known as plenissimus is one of the 

 best of the annual Sunflowers, and ought to find a place in 

 every mixed border of any pretensions. 



Fjg. 122. — Helianthus argophyllus. 



