ON ANNUALS AND BIENNIALS. 235 



with advantage be sown on dry banks, the margins of gravel- 

 paths, and in any dry, sunny situations, as although the plants 

 do not grow so freely, the fragrance of the flowers is more 

 powerful. They are suitable for either border or pot-culture, 

 and the flowers are much prized for cutting, as they emit such 

 a delightful perfume, and last so long in water. Numerous 

 varieties are now offered by the trade. 



Nemophilas are charming little annuals, very uniform in 

 height, comprising colours of strong contrast ; they are of the 

 easiest culture in any ordinary garden soil, and are very useful 

 for the adornment of rockeries, small beds, or. for ribbon borders 

 and edgings. Some pretty combinations may be produced by 

 arranging masses of them in harmonising colours. For a spring 

 display seed should be sown early in August, preferably where 

 the plants are intended to flower, and for summer-flowering the 

 best time to sow is in April. Nemophila insignis (Fig. 125) has 

 bright blue flowers with white eyes ; it grows to a height of 

 I Sin. Several fine varieties have originated from it, viz., graiidi- 

 flora, with large clear light blue flowers having white centres, 

 more than an inch across ; it grows only 9in. high, and for 

 beds, borders, and ribbons is very effective. A^ insignis alba 

 has pure white flowers, and forms a charming companion to 

 grandiflora. N. i. niarginata has blue flowers with a white 

 edge. JV. 77iaculata is a species growing 6in. high, and is to be 

 seen at its best about June. It is a hairy plant, and bears large 

 handsome white flowers, with a violet blotch on each lobe of 

 the corolla. N. atomaria {Menziesii) has white flowers with 

 purple spots. 



NiGELLAS are graceful border 

 plants, with Larkspur-like foliage, the 

 flowers being partially hidden by the 

 curious fine feathery green bracts. 

 The seed should be sown towards 

 the end of March or in April, in 

 light warm soil in the open border, 

 and the seedlings thinned out to 6in. 

 apart. jV. daniascena (Love-in-a-Mist) 

 is the one most generally grown ; it 

 has bright-green finely-cut foliage, and 

 bears large white or blue flowers sur- 

 rounded by mossy bracts. It attains 

 a height of from i2in. to i8in., and 

 flowers in July. The double-flowered 

 variety, flore-pleno (Fig. 126), is very good. N. hispanica (Devil- 

 in-a-Bush) has showy blue flowers, with blood-coloured stamens ; 

 the varieties alba and atropurpuna, with white and purple-violet 

 flowers respectively, are worth growing. 



Fig. 126. — NiGELLA dama- 



SCEXA FLORE-PLExb. 



