10 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
August 2, 1909 
DOUBLE-FLOWERED ZINNIA. 
Di 
scription 
gf Flowers: 
May be Sown during next Month. 
— Zinnia. — 
This class-of annuals is named after 
Zinn, a German botanist, and is of great 
beauty and brilliancy. It is of a branch- 
ing habit. ‘There is, perhaps, no class of 
annual flowers which has been so much 
improved of late years as the double- 
flowered Zinnias, -which*may now be con- 
sidered as almost perfect, They flower 
throughout the entire summer, and 
always do best when transplanted. The 
flowers, -which are large and perfectly 
double, range in color’ from white to. the 
most intense scarlet, orange, rose, salmon, 
purple, -d&ec. Considering their very) easy 
culture, they should be largely grown in 
every garden. Most any soil suits them, 
and the same may be said of position. 
Two) waterings | per week is sufficient 
supposing the ground is well mulched. 
‘On iii 7 can be used to great 
advantage, massing thickly, “say nine 
inches apart. Although very hardy when 
well established, they are at first tender, 
“and should, therefore, not be sown in the 
open ground until September, when 
frosts are not likely to occur. In cold 
districts they should be sown some weeks 
later. When the young plants are 2 or 
3 inches high, they may be transplanted 
to about 18 inches apart, and should be 
stopped by pinching off the points of the 
main shoots when about 9 inches high, to 
induce-a compact bushy growth. Zinnias 
aie valuable for their beauty and for the 
long time they remain in bloom. The 
numerous varieties form splendid beds or 
patches, but the flowers being rather 
coarse in texture should not be too near 
the eye. The best of the varieties are :— 
Giant, double-striped scarlet and eats 
Zebra, or striped, produces handsome 
be surpassed for cut flowers. 
striped double flowers of various shades 
and perfect shape, as evenly imbricated 
as a Camelia; Queen Victoria, a pure 
white variety, with flowers measuring 4 
New Giant (Grandiflora 
robusta) produces perfectly double flowers 
in, across; 
of immense size—5 or 6 inches across— 
of the most brilliant and beautiful colors. 
Other desirable varieties are Double 
Pompon, Tom Thumb. Dwarf Double, 
&e. fe 
— Aster, — 
Asters are very showy \planta for beds 
and borders; they bloom abundantly in 
almost any soil and situation, and cannot 
When well 
grown, nothing can exceed the chaste 
loveliness and exyuisite color blendings 
of a nicely-arranged bed of choice Asters, 
and certainly no plant can be more 
easily raised and grown to perfection. 
They are half-hardy annuals, producing 
a profusion of bloom, in trusses of six to 
eight heads, ef beautiful colors, stripes, 
and spots, 3 or 4 inches across. Light 
rich soil with 4 mulching of manure suits 
them best. Asarule, Asters should not 
be sown before September, and, to ensure 
a succession of fine ‘blooms, further 
sowings may be made up to January. 
These latter, although they will not pro- 
bably produce such fine blooms as those 
sown earlier, will be found exceedingly 
useful. As already stated, Asters will 
thrive and flower in almost any good 
garden soil, but, if really fine blooms are 
required for exhibition, it is advisable to 
have the soil well broken up, and a good 
quantity of thoroughly- decayed manure 
worked in. The healthy growth of the 
plants and the development ; of fine 
blooms are greatly assisted by the occa- 
sional application of liquid manure up to? 
the time of the plants showing the flower 
when it should be discontinued. Seed 
may be sown in spring and autumn. 
They are the better for being trans- 
planted. Give plenty of water during 
dry weather. 
-are:—Sunlight Surprise, the first pure 
yellow \Aster. attaining a height of 15 to 
'£0 in., with flowers 3 to,4 in. in diameter; 
Fancy Aster, canary yellow. producing 
The most popular varieties 
large flowers, with fine curled pure ;white 
