5 86 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
September 12, 1908. 
A SHOWY RHHUALl salpio s l S 
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6dito»iol. 
"Weeds. 
The abundant rain which has fallen 
has given a fresh impetus to weeds of all 
classes, and the owners of gardens should 
not be remiss in pulling them up or hoe¬ 
ing them down and raking them off the 
ground. In any case, they should not 
be allowed to seed, bearing in mind the 
garden proverb, “ One year’s seed, seven 
years’ weed.” 
One of the simplest of all weeds, Poa 
annua, is one of the most difficult to 
eradicate, even in town gardens, Where 
it seems to be more at home than any 
other grass. This is explained, perhaps, 
by the short time necessary for the plant 
to reach the seeding stage from the time 
it germinates. Other plants which 
quickly run to seed are Groundsel, 
Chickweed, annual Veronicas, Bitter 
Cress, and some others of that class. 
Several exotic weeds or aliens seem to 
come, one knows not from whence, but 
when once they get established in the 
garden and are allowed to seed it takes 
vears to get rid of them again. In cer¬ 
tain districts these are more obnoxious 
than in others. We refer to Erigeron 
canadensis from Canada, Impatiens 
parviflora from Russia, and Galinsoga 
parviflora from Peru. 
Besides these, there are certain weeds 
of a more noble character, because al¬ 
though they are garden plants they seed 
freely and scatter themselves over the 
garden if no care is taken to remove the 
fruiting spikes after the flowers have 
dropped. These are Evening Primroses, 
Annual Peas, Nasturtiums, Antirrhi¬ 
nums, Hollyhocks, Impatiens Roylei and 
some others. They are all easily des¬ 
troyed, but the precaution can be taken 
lo prevent them from seeding if thought 
desirable. 
Amongst the whole race of garden 
annuals there are few, perhaps, which 
are more showy when in bloom than the 
modern strains of Salpiglossis. The 
flowers are of various shades of colour, 
but are greatly enhanced by being netted 
and marked with lines of some darker 
shade upon the lighter ground. Not¬ 
withstanding these facts, they are not so 
widely cultivated as one would expect. 
Various reasons may be adduced for this. 
In the first place, the plants like an open, 
sunny situation, and if the soil is of a 
light and friable nature, so much the 
better. In small gardens one of the 
chief difficulties with them would be the 
want of direct light, owing to the vicinity 
of houses, hedges, garden walls, etc. 
The plant is a native of Chili and for 
that reason delights in plenty of sun¬ 
shine, but where Petunias can be grown 
with satisfaction, so should the Salpi¬ 
glossis. It would be an excellent plant 
for cut flowers were it not on account of 
the clammy nature of the stems and 
flowers, which make them disagreeable 
to handle. This same objection, how¬ 
ever, applies to the Petunia, which has 
fewer colours or they are of quite a dif¬ 
ferent kind. Those who would succeed 
with either of these should select a sunny 
border for growing them, and the soil, 
if on the light side, so much the better, 
though it will not disdain to grow well 
in heavy soil, provided the exposure is 
good. 
To get the best results in our relatively 
short season the seeds should be sown in 
a temperature of 50 degs. to 60 degs. 
until the seeds have germinated. A 
little warmth in the early part of the 
season would also hurry them along, jus’ 
as in the case of Petunias, which have 
small seeds and rather How growing 
seedlings in the early stage. As soor 
as the seedlings are well up a much 
lower temperature will be sufficient, ant 
light, above all things, is of paramoun 
importance at this stage. The seed pot 
or pans should therefore be removed tt 
a light and airy shelf in the greenhousi 
or close to the glass. 
When they have made a rough leaf o: 
two they should be transplanted intc 
boxes 15 inches apart each way, or t\v< 
inches if space can be spared. As tb 
temperature outside rises the boxes coul 
be transferred to a cold frame after tb 
seedlings have commenced to grow in tb 
fresh soil. Just sufficient ventilatio 
should be given to keep the leaves firn 
but if other seedlings are being grow 
in the same frame the Salpiglossis wi 
take no hurt by receiving the same trea 
ment. By the end of May they should! 
ready to transfer to a bed or border < 
well prepared and finely broken up soi 
Unless great vigour is desired, muc 
manure is unnecessary for this class • 
plants, as it encourages growth at the e 1 
pense of flowering. The plants do n 
require any watering after they are e| 
tablished in a well-tilled soil any mo 
than Petunias. Both of them beii 
covered with clammy hairs, they ha 
the power of absorbing the dew durir 
the night and by that means they r 
cuperate during the nigflit, where vario' 
other garden plants would succumb < 
account of the drought. Indeed, rath 
dry conditions encourage flowering to i 
much greater extent than rich soils ail 
a wet season. 
Salpiglossis sinuata. 
