HARDY AND HALF-HARDY ANNUALS. 



395 



Malope trifida, a native of Southern Spain, is one of 

 the most showy hardy annuals, with large crimson flowers. 

 There are rose, white, and striped forms of it, all very 

 ornamental, and growing freely from seeds. The average 

 height is about 15 inches. 



Matthiola (Stock). — A popular genus which in some 

 form or other can be found in every garden, and in cottage 



Fig. 497.— Matthiola annua. 



gardens superior strains of the Brompton Stock often form 

 the chief ornament. The various forms of Ten - week 

 Stocks (fig. 496) are from M. annua, which was introduced 

 from Southern Europe in 1731. The Wallflower Stock 

 (fig. 497), the Brompton and Queen strains, treated as 

 biennials, are said to be from M. incana, also a native of 

 Southern Europe. The Wallflower - leaved Stocks have 

 shining green smooth leaves, the others have soft and 

 downy leaves of a glaucous tint. But the Wallflower foliage 

 will appear among seedlings from downy-leaved strains. 

 There are several other sections, viz. the Common Ten- 

 week, which includes the Large-flowered, the Pyramidal, 

 and the Giant Perfection. In Germany especially, our 

 Ten-week Stocks have become greatly improved, espe- 

 cially in the matter of white varieties. The Intermediate 

 Stocks, scarlet, white, and purple, which are treated as 

 biennials, are thought to be forms of the Ten -week, 

 changed somewhat by culture. The East Lothian Inter- 

 mediate Stocks represent a very fine Scotch strain, 

 modified by climate. These are largely employed for 

 garden decoration in summer. The Brompton and the 

 Queen types are distinguished by differences in the 

 foliage, and the colour of their seeds. Large double- 

 flowered crimson, purple, and white forms of the 

 Brompton type are also grown, but they do not readily 

 breed true from seeds. A few years ago a particularly 

 fine strain of the Giant White was grown about London, 

 but it appears to have become entirely lost. 



Seeds of Stocks germinate freely when new and good ; 

 the best seed-beds are pans or shallow boxes, filled with 

 a sandy compost, sowing the seeds thinly. Light and air 

 are essential to a robust growth. When large enough 

 the seedlings may be pricked off into a bed prepared in 

 a cold frame kept a little close and shaded for a time, and 

 then assisted to develop as lustily as possible. Incautious 

 watering will sometimes cause the seedlings to damp off 



close to the soil. They are impatient of watering over- 

 head. To do Stocks full justice they should be planted 

 out in rich soil, to encourage them to develop not only 

 their main stem, but also their side branches to the best 

 advantage. 



Mesembkyanthemum (Fig-Marigoldj. — A very larye 

 genus of herbaceous plants, chiefly South African. Several 

 of them are annuals which thrive in the open air in summer 

 in this country. The best is M. tricolor (fig. &9&), which 

 forms neat compact tufts 6 inches high, spreading freely 

 over the ground and flowering profusely in sunny weather, 

 the flowers being Daisy-like, purple, rose, and white. M. 

 pomeridianum has large fleshy leaves and Marigold-like 

 yellow flowers 3 inches across. M. eordifolium is repre- 

 sented by a variegated form which is sometimes grown 

 for summer bedding. M. crystallinum, the Ice Plant, 

 deserves a place because of the interesting character of 

 its leaves, which are covered with crystal-like pustules of 

 ice-like appearance. The seeds of these should be sown 

 in a frame or boxes in March, the plants to be transferred 

 to the open border in the bedding season. They must 

 have a sunny position, and if fairly dry so much the 

 better. 



Mimulus (Monkey Flower). — During the past twenty 

 years the Mimulus has been improved by crossing M. 

 luteus and M. cupreus, the hybrids being called M. tnaeu- 

 losus, with flowers mostly pale -yellow, heavily srjotted 

 and blotched with various tints. The seeds should be 

 sown thinly in March in a pan of very finery-sifted soil 

 As soon as the little plants will bear it they should be 

 transplanted into pans or boxes and grown on until they 

 are ready to be planted outside. They may also be culti- 

 vated in pots, in a frame, as they make a show}- display 

 and bloom freely and continuously. They seed freely, 

 and the varieties come fairly true from seed. As the 

 root-stock is perennial, they may be propagated by di- 

 vision, but seedlings produce the finest blossoms. 



Mirabilis jalapa (Marvel of Peru) is a perennial, 

 though generally grown as an annual. The seeds are 





Fig. 498. — Mesembryanthemum tricolor. 



sown in warmth in spring, and the seedlings planted 

 out early in June, when they bloom profusely until late 

 in the autumn. M. longiflora, the long-tubed Marvel of 



