HOUSE AND GARDEN 
April, ign 
Salpiglossis, or “painted tongue,” 
is attractive particularly on 
account of its veining 
paneled and 
dried by hang¬ 
ing, heads down, 
on a line of 
string. 
One of the 
most precious of 
the newer an¬ 
nuals that is 
making woeful¬ 
ly slow progress 
is the African 
daisy (Arctotis 
grandis ). There 
cannot be too 
many stars in 
the garden, and 
this flower sup¬ 
plies some that 
are novel as well 
as beautiful. The 
blossoms, which 
rise on long- 
branched stems from a clump 
of handsome, silvery foliage, 
are white with a centre of soft 
blue, which shade reappears on 
the underside of the petals. 
This is a true “day’s eye,” the 
blossoms closing at night and 
in cloudy or rainy weather. It 
is a profuse bloomer all sum¬ 
mer long, surviving even the 
early frosts, and is fine for cut¬ 
ting, as it lasts a long time in water. Give it a sunny spot. The 
seed may be sown in the open ground, but I find it is far pref¬ 
erable to use a coldframe. There is also a rich orange African 
daisy waiting expectantly. This is Dimorphotheca aurantica, 
which is a very showy low bedding plant. 
One of my delightful flower memories of Paris in early sum¬ 
mer is a small pansy that was used in prodigal quantities to edge 
borders and walks with a solid color. For years this tufted pansy, 
for such it was, 
has been a prime 
favorite in Europe, 
but over here the 
general run of 
flower-lovers ap¬ 
pears to think that 
the only pansy is 
the one that spends 
its beauty as a rule 
before the hot 
weather comes. 
Here is a deplora¬ 
ble omission from 
the home garden. 
While the blossoms 
are smaller, the 
tufted pansy is su¬ 
perior to the com¬ 
mon type for color 
effect, as the plants, 
if well cared for, 
are a compact mass 
of bloom. Fur¬ 
thermore, they are 
There is no daintier garden annual than 
schizanthus with its orchid-like flowers 
The old-time “mourning bride,” or scabiosa, 
is one of the best annuals for cutting 
invaluable for a 
pansy succession, 
since they are at 
their best after the 
others begin to 
peter out, and they 
bloom through the 
entire sum m e r . 
There are admira¬ 
ble yellow, lilac, 
purple and white 
varieties. Any one 
of them is better 
than a mixture, for 
garden color notes, 
but an expenditure 
of forty cents for 
all four will be 
money well laid 
out. For June 
bloom sow the seed 
in April unde r 
glass. Usually this 
flower is called the 
viola, but that is a 
wretched name; all of the pansy and violet tribe are violas. 
Lately the old-fashioned sweet sultan ( Centaurea imperialis ) 
has had a place among the elect in the windows of the Fifth 
Avenue flower-shops in New York. But who knows it in the 
garden? Not many. Nevertheless it is among the very choicest 
of annuals, and so easy to grow that it is only essential to remem¬ 
ber that the plant has a marked peculiarity; it so dislikes the “dog 
days” that the seed must be sown early — say April, under glass—- 
in order to secure perfect bloom before the weather gets too hot. 
You may have it in purple, rose, lilac, lavender or pure white; 
and again, any one of these varieties is better than a mixture. 
The handsome yellow sweet sultan, also known as Grecian corn¬ 
flower, is Centaurea suaveolens. It is very fragrant and, like the 
other kinds, is excellent for cutting. Another Centaurea that 
should be better known is the basket flower (C. Americana). 
This is a glorified “ragged sailor,” three feet high, but the blos¬ 
soms, which are sometimes four inches across, are more like the 
thistle in form. 
It is extremely 
effective as a cut 
flower. 
The schizan¬ 
thus, or butter¬ 
fly flo w e r , is 
another annual 
that has been 
knocking in vain 
at most garden 
gates. And it is 
so dainty — myr¬ 
iads of orchids 
crowning a mass 
of finely cut fol¬ 
iage, one might 
say of a bed of 
it. The large- 
flowered, dwarf 
v a r iety, which 
has a wide range 
UJLU.tiiv^<atv- 
, , This little-known daisy from South America 
(C ontmued on j s j ow Q f growt h an d has flowers of the 
page 292) richest orange. Fine for bedding 
