BARR & SUGDENS SPRING SEED CATALOGUE, 



ANNUALS, 



Sil OWING 



HOW THEY CAN BE MADE TO ENRICH THE GARDEN WITH FLORAL BEAUTY 

 FROM APRIL TO NOVEMBER. 



That a rich and raried floral display may be maintained with annuals, from April to November, 

 is, year after year, demonstrated at the various seed farms in this country and on tlie Continent, and 

 1 ihougli " bedding plants," such as Geraniums, Verbenas, Calceolarias, &c., have very largely sup- 

 I planted these gay and elegant flowers, we have no hesitation in affirming that, witii good cultivation, 

 j very many annuals could be made to vie in duration with the present occupants of the parterre, while 

 I they would in most instances surpass them for elegance of growth, richness of colour, and profusion 



of bloom. A judicious selection of varieties is, of course, necessary. 

 I For the assistance of those who may not have the accommodation necessary for raising Verbenas, 

 Geraniums, &c., as well as for those Avho may desire to add to the variety and eflfect of their flower 

 beds and borders, or really give a i)reference to annuals, we offer the following hhits : — 



Preparation of the ^Ground for Annuals. — Dig or trench the land to a depth of eighteen 

 inches at least ; for slender growing kinds, in wann dry localities, the soil can hardly be made too 

 rich ; a liberal allowance of rich well-decayed manure should, therefore, be well incorporated with it ; 

 in cold and wet situations, however, a dressing of leaf-soil will be more suitable, especially for strong- 

 growing varieties, as much care being necessary to grow these to peifpction as is required for" bedding 

 plants." Annuals, like all quick-growing plants, require a deep soil, and an o})en situation, being 

 unable to bear checks in their growth ; the ground should therefore be well prepared ; the time and 

 troul le will be amply repaid by the increased duration and beauty of the flowers. 



Time and Manner of Sowing Annuals. — The proper time for sowing hardy Annuals depends 

 entirely upon the period at which it is desired that they should bloom. For a spring display, sow 

 early in September (a fortnight earlier or later according to soil and locality), in beds four leet wide, 

 with an alley one foot wide between the beds, in rows nine inches a])art, and if the weather is diy 

 well water the drills before sowing, and cover the seed very lightly with fine soil. Before winter, the 

 plants, if too thick, must be slightly thinned out, and early in March carefully lifted in patches con- 

 taining three or four plants, and planted where they are intended to bloom, regulating the distance 

 between the patches by the known habit of the plants ; but as this sowing is expected to produce an 

 early and effective display, rather than a long continuance of beauty, they may be planted rather 

 thickly. To furnish a succession, a piece of ground proportioned to the quantity of plants required 

 should be set apart in an open situation, and laid out in beds four feet wide, with alleys of eighteen 

 inches between ; the soil should be prepared Avith a dressing of decayed leaves, and if stilF, s .'me sharp 

 sand should be added ; manure had better be avoided, except in light soil, where a moderate dressing 

 of thoroughly decayed manure would be most suitable. On this ground successive sowings of the 

 best kinds should be made at short intervals, kec])ing the ground always occupied, and a good stock 

 of plants ready for transplanting when requued ; thus a supply will always be at hand for removal 

 into the beds or borders, to fill up vacancies occasioned by the removal of bulbs or autumn-sown 

 annuals. Many of the spring-sown annuals, if properly attended to, will continue in bloom through- 

 out the season, or as long as almost any other plants. Those intended for the principal summer 

 display should be sown from March to May, either where intended to bloom, or in the reserved 

 ground ; by adopting the system of raising the plants in the reserve beds and transplanting, the beds 

 and borders of the flower garden can be kept filled with plants in full beauty. 



Half-hardy .Annuals are less liable to suffer from drought than the hardy varieties; they do not 

 arrive at maturity so quickly, therefore witii these, successive sowings cannot be practised with any 

 advantage. ' SoAy early in May where intended to bloom, or early in April on a hotbed or on nicely 

 prepared soil in a frame, or under a hand-glass, and transplant them when sufficiently strong and 

 tRe *v^"ther is favourable. 

 , * Transplanting and after Management of Annuals. — The plants should be carefully taken 

 u^, so as not to injure the roots, retaining as much soil about them as possible, and the roots 

 should not be exposed to the air longer than necessaiy. If the ground is dry at the time of trans- 

 planting, the bed in which the plants are growing should have a good soaking of water at least 

 twenty-four hotirs before taking up the plants ; they must also be liberally watered as soon as planted, 

 and in dry hot weather this must be repeated as often as necessary to keep the ground moist ; the 

 plants indeed should be m^oistened overhead every evening until they get established. Those 

 trans])lanted early in spring will seldom require water, but if it is necessary it should be given in the 

 morning. In transplanting for summer blooming, the plants must be allowed sufficient space to 

 develope their natural size ; if closely planted they will not throw out the side branches, which furnish 

 a succession of bloom, Some plants will require four or six inches, others three or four times that 

 distance IVoiSL^lantio plant ; this must be regulated by the habit of the plant and to some extent by 

 the nature of mc soil, and locality ; but it is better in all cases to have the plants too far apart than 

 too close. In dry weather watering will be indispensable, to keep the plants, whether of hardy or 

 half-hardy annuals, in vigour and secure a continuous bloom ; when necessary to water in summer 

 the soil should be thoroughly satunited, and as soon as the surface is diy it should be slightly stirred 

 between the plants. Occasional waterings of weak guano water will heighten the colour of the flowers, 

 and increase the vigour of the plants. 



^ ^ ^ ALPHA. 



