The Cultivation of Flowers 
>55 
Flowers may be divided into three great classes — 
annuals, biennials, and perennials. 
ANNUALS 
Annuals are those the seed of which is sown in spring, 
and that make their full growth, flower, and produce seed, 
and then die down entirely in the one year. 
The cultivation of such plants is extremely easy if due 
attention is given to the time and method of sowing the 
seed, as advised in chapter III; the smaller the seeds the 
shallower they should be sown. 
After the soil has been properly prepared, the seeds 
should be sown thinly. April will be the best time to sow 
hardy annuals in the place where they are to flower; the 
hardier kinds earlier in the month, while the more tender 
ones may be sown later. When the seedlings appear, they 
should be thinned out before the plants have time to spoil 
each other, and thus prevent the beauty of the individual 
plants from being seen. If the plants have room to grow, 
the flowers will be larger than when crowded. Should the 
o 
season be dry, thorough soakings of water must be given, 
especially in the early stages of the plants’ growth. 
Candytuft. — This is one of the annuals that is met 
with in most gardens. It is very hardy, and, as the seed 
is large, there should not be any fear of sowing too thickly 
or too deeply. If sown about i in. in depth, during the 
first week in April, and thinned out as soon as the seed- 
lings are large enough, and have formed the first rough 
leaves, they will give a splendid display of bloom early in 
July. Candytuft may be had in various colours. The 
