The China Aster is an ex¬ 
cellent plant for a reserve 
bed from which to fill 
gaps 
W HILE the va¬ 
rious flowers 
available for use in 
the flower garden are 
classified botanically 
as annuals, biennials 
and perennials—har¬ 
dy, half-hardy and 
tender; for cultural 
purposes they are sep¬ 
arated into quite dif¬ 
ferent groups. Some 
are started each year 
from seeds, flower¬ 
ing the same season ; 
others are started 
(usually cjuite early 
in the fall) each year 
to flower the follow¬ 
ing year; others, the 
hardy perennials and 
some self-sowing an¬ 
nuals, bloom year af¬ 
ter year; and still 
others, as the ordi¬ 
nary bedding - plants 
.a n d the summer¬ 
flowering bulbs, are 
•carried over winter in 
a growing or a dor¬ 
mant state, to be set 
•out in spring, and are 
propagated from seed 
only when a new sup¬ 
ply is wanted. All of 
these classes of plants 
should be represented 
in the well-rounded garden. 
Flowers to be sown from seed include the 
annuals, several biennials and a few perennials. 
One of the main differences between the flowers 
of this class and the regular hardy perennials 
is that while the former have to be started again 
each year, their seasons of bloom are much 
longer. They are, therefore, especially valuable 
for borders or for masses of color which are 
wanted to last the season through. Also there 
are some places about the grounds and some of 
the parts of the flower garden which one may 
prefer to change from year to year: and for 
use in such places the flowers which may be 
started from seed are especially valuable. 
The annuals, too, 
are, on the average, 
much more dwarf in 
growth and lend 
themselves readily for 
edging and fore¬ 
ground planting in 
front of taller things. 
A combination border 
with hardy peren¬ 
nials in the back¬ 
ground and with bed¬ 
ding plants and an¬ 
nuals in the fore¬ 
makes a con- 
and effective 
arranging the 
particularly 
small place, 
it is advis- 
avoicl the 
ground 
venient 
way of 
garden, 
on the 
where 
able to 
Because of the long season of bloom and ease of culture, nothing is better for edging than Sweet Alyssum 
MAKING OUT THE SEED ORDER—THE FLOWERS TO START 
FROM SEED—WHERE TO PLACE THEM IN THE GARDF.N- 
TO HANDLE THE SEEDS BEFORE PLANTING 
F. F. Rockwell 
Photographs by N. R. Graves 
NOW 
-HOW 
' u 
“chopped-up” appear¬ 
ance resulting from 
making too many 
flower beds, crowded, 
for want of room, too 
close together. 
There are several 
methods of starting 
the plants, depending 
upon the use to which 
they are to be put 
and also upon the va¬ 
riety. Some of them, 
being introductions 
from warmer cli¬ 
mates, take such a 
long season to mature that they must be started 
indoors early in the season. Others which do 
not take kindly to transplanting and come into 
flower quickly are better sown where they are 
wanted to bloom. Still others which would 
bloom if sown outdoors and may be handled in 
that way, give much quicker results if started 
growth 
is 
Though it has a tendency to weedishness 
and garish colors, the petunia is of easy 
culture and profuse bloom 
early so that a good part of their 
made by the time they are set into the flower 
bed or border in which it is intended to have 
them mature. These methods may be described 
briefly as “Sowing in Heat,” “Sowing in the 
Seed Border,” and “Sowing Where They Are 
to Bloom.” 
The first method, of course, involves more 
A garden lingerer, the cos¬ 
mos is unequalled among 
the tall annuals for late 
summer 
160 
