ON ANNUALS AND BIENNIALS. 



231 



growing only ift. high; the double Stock-flowered, mixed, 2ft. 

 high ; the dwarf Hyacinth-flowered — the very compact growth 

 of which renders it the best adapted for summer bedding — may 

 also be obtained in various colours. In this latter group the 

 flowers are set on a more tapering spike, and are farther apart 

 than in the Ranunculus- and Stock-flowered. 



The branching-stemmed kinds may be obtained in colours of 

 white, carmine, deep blue, &:c., the plants growing to a height 

 of 2ft. or 2^ft. They have originated from D. consoiidian, a 

 species with branching stems and deep blue flowers. It is a 

 native of Britain, growing i^ft. to 2fi;. high, and producing its 

 flowers from April onwards throughout the summer. There is a 

 form of this, known as candelabrum^ which bears pyramidal 

 spikes of variously-coloured flowers, and is especially worthy of 

 extended cultivation. 



The Common Larkspur (^Delphinium Ajacis) is one of the 

 species which is responsible for the large number of beautiful 

 forms now in cultivation. It has showy blue flowers, 

 sometimes red or white, borne in long, loose racemes. It is an 

 erect, hairy annual, growing from ift. to i^ft. high, and pro- 

 ducing its flowers about June. 



Lasthenia californica, a small form of L. glabrata, is a 

 composite plant, and valuable for beds, borders, (S:c., when grown 

 in broad tufts. If sown in September and October, it produces 

 a sheet of rich deep golden flowers in spring, just when the 

 Candytufts and early Phloxes are at their best ; whilst if sown 

 in April, it is very effective in June and July. It grows from 

 gin. to i8in. high. 



Lathyrus odoratus (Sweet Pea) is a hardy annual climber, 

 growing to the height of 5ft. or 6ft., and is such a universal 

 favourite that its merits scarcely need description. It is certainly 

 one of the very best of our hardy annuals, and whether grown 

 as a floral screen to shut out unsightly objects, as an ornamental 

 plant in the mixed border, or as a source for yielding cut flowers, 

 its position is simply invaluable. Many people grow a hedge of 

 Sweet Peas entirely for this latter purpose, and, at the same 

 time, the hedge forms a very attractive object in the garden. 

 A common practice is that of sowing small patches of seed of 

 mixed varieties towards the back of the herbaceous border, and 

 placing tall, stout bushy stakes around them, so that the Peas 

 may climb up, and in this way form objects of great beauty. 

 When they reach the top of the supports, the points of the 

 stems should be pinched out. 



The best time for sowing is in the early spring — March or 

 beginning of April — in soil which has been deeply dug and 

 plentifully manured. Some gardeners make another sowing 

 about the end of May for late autumn work, but this is 



