ANNUAL FLOWERS— HARDY KINDS. 



17 



ANNUAL LUPINE. 



Lupines, Annual. — A useful race of garden flowers, 

 brightening shrubbery borders, and creating pretty, 

 graceful groups in the wild 

 garden. There aiv blue, 

 white, yellow, rose, and 

 other shades, all clear and 

 pleasing. Of named kinds, 

 Hartwegi, blue and white, 

 and its white form ; Hybridus 

 atrucoccineum, scarlet tipped 

 \ nW with white ; Mutabilis, white, 



\ v ' . m, \ and blue of various shades ; 



^^Bf Yj the dwarf Nanus, blue, 



useful for bedding ; Nanus 

 albo-coccineus, crimson and 

 white ; and the rich blue 

 Subcarnosus. They are all 

 very easily raised from seed 

 sown in April in any soil. 

 It must be a poor garden 

 that will not grow Lupines. 

 The perennial species are 

 described under the heading 

 of "Hardy and Bulbous 

 Flowers." 

 Marigolds. — There are 

 three distinct groups, the 

 > common, the French, and 

 the African. The most 

 familiar is the brilliant 

 orange-yellow flower that 

 seems happy anywhere. This 

 is Calendula officinalis and 

 its varieties, which are not 

 made sufficient use of in 

 gardens. They will grow 

 freely in rough places, and 

 beautify spots where few 

 things will succeed. The flowers vary in colour and size. 

 Orange King has immense flowers of handsome form and 

 perfectly double, whilst there are soft, lemon-coloured 

 kinds, known in various catalogues under distinctive names, 

 as Lemon Queen, Prince of Orange, Meteor, and others. 

 The Cape Marigold (C. pluvialis) is a charming flower of 

 delicate white and purple colour, and is very pretty used 

 near the margins of borders. The African Marigolds are 

 tall, quite 3ft. high in good soils, and bear very large flowers 

 like balls, in one case deep orange, in another soft lemon. 

 When massed by themselves in beds, or clumps made of 

 them in the border, they are very effective in autumn, when 

 they attain full beaut} - ; do not crowd them. As they are 

 rather tender, do not sow seed until May, when fear of frost 

 isover ; but, if it is wished, sow earlyunder glass, and trans- 

 plantwhen early summer comes. TheFrench Marigolds are 

 quitedwarf as a rule, though some are taller, about2fr. high. 

 In this section the flowers are striped or blotched. Legion 

 of Honour is a kind in great favour, but its yellow and 

 brown flowers are not effective, being too striped. It is, 

 however, very bright, only 9m. high, and good for edgings. 

 Malope grandiflora. — A well-known kind, with white, 

 rose, and red flowers, of bold form. It grows to a height 

 of 2ft. 



Matthiola bieomiS.— This is the well-known night- 

 scented Stock. It is scarcely pretty in the full sun, as the 

 lilac floweis close, but they open in the eveningand exhale a 

 gratelul per ume. An annual to sow near the house, and 

 as it is only lit. high, it may be well used as an edging. 



Mignonette. — This fragrant annual, at least it is an annual 

 in the open air in this country, has branched off into 

 many vaiieties, but for ordinary use only two, or at the 

 most three, need be grown, and the majority of flower 

 gardi-ners are satisfied with one kind. Sow the seed in 

 March, thinly, and the seedlings should be thinned to 

 from 9in. to I ft. apart. The soil should be good and 

 well worked, but Mignonette is most happy in fine 

 ground. The Giant Crimson or Pyramidal Miles" Spiral 

 is an excellent variety for the garden, and bears long spikes 

 for cutting. The common sweet-scented variety is best 



for scattering amongst Roses, shrubs, etc., to fill the 

 garden with fragrance all the summer. For pot culture 

 in the greenhouse the Red and Gulden Machet are most 

 suitable, and very useful, too, in 50. and 6in. pots. The 

 seed may be sown either thinly in the pots in which the 

 plants are to flower, or in 3m. pots, and moved 

 later. Sowings should be made at intervals from the end 

 of June until February or March where a succession is 

 required. The early sowings may be outside, but winter 

 sowings should, of course, take place in a warm greenhouse 

 near the glass. In no case should the plants be ciowded, 

 five good seedlings being sufficient for each 5m. or 6in. 

 pot, or if well grown when started in small pots a single 

 plant will suffice. The soil must be good, especially the 

 loam which forms the bulk of the compost. Old cow- 

 dung, leaf-mould, a little soot, and a small quantity of 

 old plaster may constitute a third of the whole soil, the 

 remainder being loam. Make the soil very fine before 

 sowing the seed. This is important. 

 Nasturtium. — See TropEeolum. 



Nemophila. — Who does not know the blue Nemophila, 

 most precious of annuals, and quite dwarf. Insignis is 

 the kind we know so well, but there are varieties of it, 

 such as alba, rosea, and grandiflora, the names indicating 

 their distinctive characters. Then one can have a'omaria, 

 white with black dots ; the rich blue variety, atro-crerulea ; 

 discoidalis, intense purple, edged with while ; and maculata 

 grandiflora, white with violet spots. 



Nigella (Love-in-a-Mist). — This gets its name fom the 

 flowers being hidden in a veil of green. N. hispanica is 

 its botanical name, and the flowers of the type are light 

 blue, those of the variety alha white. There is a double 

 kind, but many prefer the single, which is less stiff. 

 Many flowers are spoilt by doubling, although there are 

 some striking exceptions, the Rose as an example. 



Peas, Sweet. — Few words are necessary to introduce this 

 charming annual, queen, indeed, of annual flowers, as sweet 

 in colour as in fragrance, hardy, free, and invaluable to 

 cut for the house. They may be used in many ways — to 

 ramble over twiggy sticks and form a flowery screen to 

 hide some unsightly object, as a hedge, or in rows to 

 give flowers for cutting. Wherever they are placed, few 

 flowers are more welcome for their fragrance and beauty. 

 Of late years much good work has been accomplished in 

 extending the list of varieties, and those we give the 

 names of are certainly the finest of the race. Sweet Peas 

 must, however, be well grown to give satisfaction. 

 Prepare the soil by digging it thoroughly and incorpo- 

 rating plenty of well-decayed manure, and sow the seed 

 either in the autumn, from late August to October, or 

 even November in some years, and also in the spring. 

 If Sweet Peas are in large demand, make more than one 



SWEET PEA. 



