ON ANNUALS AND BIENNIALS. 



229 



Helichrysums (Everlastings) are splendid border .plants, 

 producing an abundance of flowers, which are very valuable 

 for the winter decoration of vases. They should be sown inside 

 during the autumn, and planted out in April, or else sown very 

 early in the year (about February) under glass, and planted 

 out during favourable weather in April, so that they may 

 have a chance of making plenty of flowers before the autumn 

 frosts cut them down. They are sometimes sown rather late in 

 the open border, and are conse- 

 quently just- approaching their best 

 when they are spoiled by the early 

 frosts in the autumn. H. bradeatum 

 (Fig. 123) is the one generally grown. 

 It reaches a height of 3ft., and 

 produces its pale yellowish flowers 

 in August and September. The 

 variety compositum is a grand double 

 form, with various coloured flower- 

 heads. There are now numerous 

 forms of H. bracteatum in cultivation, 

 the following being amongst the best : 

 Golden King, with large golden- 

 yellow flowers, having orange centres ; 

 2 ft. high. Silver Queen ; this has 

 large handsome snowy-white flowers, 

 with centre of orange. Fireball has 

 double fiery crimson flowers ; grows 

 15m. high. Mixed seed can also be 

 obtained producing plants of various 

 colours, viz., white, yellow, orange- 

 scarlet, dark maroon, salmon, purple- 

 rose, &c. 



HlERACIUM AURANTIACUM (Hawk- 



weed) is a common plant, succeeding 

 in any soil, and growing from i2in. 

 to i8in. high, producing eight to ten 

 flowers in each corymb. It begins 

 to flower about June, and keeps up a 

 continuous display for several weeks. 

 For naturalising in the wild garden 



it is well adapted, and when grown in a large batch proves 

 very effective. There are now several forms of it — one with 

 ■bright rose-coloured semi-double flowers, another with pure white 

 semi-double flowers, and another with light yellow single flowers 

 with a crimson-brown centre, all of them about ift. in height. 



Humulus japonicus (Japanese Hop) is a quick-growing twiner, 

 12ft. high, and bears yellowish flowers in July. It is very 



Fig. 



123. — Helichrysum 

 bracteatum. 



