March  24,  1898. 
'JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
267 
EASILY  GROWN  HALF-HARDY  ANNUALS. 
As  the  years  roll  on  these  popular  flowers  seem  to  be  more  largely 
employed  for  bedding  purposes  in  both  private  and  public  gardens.  Tt 
is  well  that  this  should  be,  for  by  turning  half-hardy  annuals  to  good 
account  many  a  gardener  who  has  a  large  flower  garden  to  keep  gay, 
and  little  glass  accommodation,  can  achieve  such  satisfactory  results  as 
would  be  quite  impossible  under  the  older  systems  of  bedding  in 
which  Pelargoniums  and  other  tender  plants  played  so  important  a 
part.  A  strong  point  in  favour  of  many  of  these  easily  raised  annuals 
is  that  they  flower  so  profusely  and  continuously  as  to  quite  put  to 
shame  many  recognised  bedding  plants  which  give  ten  times  the 
amount  of  trouble.  This  satisfactory  state  of  affairs  has  doubtless 
been  brought  about  by  the  improved  types  whicli  have  recently 
been  raised.  Let  us  note  a  few  of  the  more  popular  and  easily 
raised. 
African  and  French  Marigolds. — The  older  forms,  though 
producing  large  and  showy  or  prettily  marked  flowers,  grew  too  tall 
for  ordinary  bedding  arrangements ;  now,  however,  we  have  a  race 
dwarf  enough  for  any  purpose.  During  the  last  two  seasons  I  have 
thoroughly  tested  these  miniature  Marigolds,  and  have  no  hesitation  in 
asserting  that  I  know  of  no  class  of  bedding  plants  which  will  give  a 
more  gorgeous  and  prolonged  display  of  flowers  from  the  time  they 
begin  to  unfold  their  blossoms  till  sharp  frosts  spoil  the  whole  beauty 
of  the  flower  garden.  Heavy  rains,  which  ruin  the  beauty  of  many 
flowers,  seem  to  have  no  detrimental  effect  upon  Marigolds,  as  they 
look  fresh  and  bright  the  following  day,  and  present  a  marked  contrast 
to  many  battered  blooms  around  them. 
For  bedding  purposes  I  strongly  recommend  the  French  miniature 
brown  and  orange.  The  plants  seldom  attain  a  height  of  more  than 
6  or  8  inches,  and  in  each  case  the  colours  are  those  greatly  in  demand, 
because  there  are  few  bedding  plants  which  supply  them.  The  seed 
should  be  sown  during  the  last  week  in  March  or  early  in  April,  in 
pans  or  boxes  placed  in  a  cold  frame.  When  the  plants  are  ready  for 
pricking  out,  if  the  weather  is  rather  cold,  I  sometimes  dib  them 
in  boxes,  but  during  favourable  seasons  I  prick  them  out  on  a  warm 
border,  or  in  a  rough  frame  formed  with  boards.  A  few  stakes 
placed  across  the  edges  of  the  frame  will  then  give  the  necessary 
support  to  mats  placed  on  at  night  for  protection. 
An  important  point  is  to  move  the  plants  before  they  have 
become  drawn,  and  afterwards  insure  sturdy  growth  by  giving  them 
plenty  of  room — 6  inches  apart  I  find  a  suitable  distance.  When  the 
spring  bedding  has  been  removed  I  decide  which  beds  are  to  be 
occupied  by  Marigolds  ;  the  surface  of  these  is  hoed  and  made  level,  but 
they  are  not  dug.  This  practice  prevents  the  plants  becoming 
rampant,  and  induces  them  to  flower  early  and  continuously. 
For  large  beds  Webb’s  gold-striped  French  Marigold,  of  which  T 
am  able  to  give  a  typical  illustration,  is  a  very  fine  strain,  the  flowers 
being  large,  well  built,  and  prettily  marked.  The  plants  grow  to  a 
height  of  about  18  inches. 
African  lemon  and  African  orange  are  very  showy  for  ribbon  or 
mixed  borders,  or  even  for  large  beds  where  a  broad  edging  can  be 
given,  but  in  order  to  obtain  fine  large  flowers  the  soil  should  be  dug 
and  manured  before  planting.  The  plants  naturally  grow  to  a  height 
of  2  feet,  and  cannot,  therefore,  by  artificial  means  be  kept  dwarf 
without  destroying  their  chief  point  of  beauty — viz.,  the  production 
of  flowers  of  large  size  and  brilliant  colour. 
Asters. — These  ought  to  be  grown  by  the  thousand  in  gardens 
where  various  styles  of  bedding  are  carried  out,  as  well  as  where  cut 
flowers  are  in  great  demand.  One  set  of  plants  will,  of  course,  not 
give  a  long  succession  of  flowers,  and  should  not,  therefore,  be  relied 
upon  to  produce  a  display  throughout  the  summer  ;  but  for  flowering 
during  late  summer  and  early  autumn  Asters  are  unrivalled,  and  it  is 
just  at  those  seasons  that  colour  is  often  lacking  in  flower  gardens. 
I  have  for  some  years  made  a  practice  of  growing  large  numbers  of 
Asters  in  boxes  or  pans  placed  in  a  cold  frame,  the  first  batch  being 
sown  during  the  first  week  in  April  and  another  a  fortnight  later. 
The  seed  is  sown  thinly,  so  that  there  is  no  need  to  prick  the  plants 
off  until  the  weather  is  warm  enough  for  them  to  be  placed  in  the 
open  ground.  When  this  is  done  they  are  set  about  6  inches  apart, 
which  induces  them  to  maintain  a  sturdy  growth.  It  is  seldom  that 
any  of  these  Asters  are  used  at  the  ordinary  bedding-out  time,  but 
are  kept  in  reserve  for  filling  beds  which  become  shabby,  or  to 
follow  spring  bedding  plants  which  happen  to  flower  later  than  the 
majority. 
Let  me  give  an  example.  At  bedding-out  time  we  may  perhaps 
have  beds  of  Violas  in  full  beauty  ;  these  will  go  on  flowering  satis¬ 
factorily  till  July,  when  they  often  get  shabby.  Then  is  the  time  to 
clear  them  out  and  fill  the  bed  with  Asters,  which  v/ill  begin  to  flower 
in  a  few  weeks,  and  fortunately  they  can  be  lifted  with  balls  of 
earth  and  scarcely  feel  the  check,  even  after  the  flower  buds  have 
formed.  The  dwarf  bedding  varieties  sent  out  by  firms  of  repute  are 
excellent  for  the  purpose.  Large  beds  look  very  attractive  when- 
planted  with  a  broad  band  of  the  dwarf  kinds  and  filled  in  with  such 
fine  taller  types  as  Victoria  and  Comet.  The  white  and  pink  forms  of 
the  latter  I  regard  as  the  most  beautiful  of  Asters,  and  each  year  they 
are  more  largely  grown. 
Diantiius  IIeddewigi. — These  beautiful  flowers  may  be  obtained 
in  crimson,  rose,  salmon,  and  white  shades  of  colour,  and  when  in 
flower  they  are  very  rich  in  colour  and  showy  in  appearance.  The 
seeds  ought  to  be  sown  at  once  in  order  to  get  good  plants  by  the  end 
of  May. 
Dwarf  Trop.eolums. — Though  these  are  commonly  misnamed 
“  Nasturtiums,”  they  all  the  same  make  a  good  display  in  dry,  hot 
seasons,  but  in  wet  ones  they  are  not  usually  seen  to  advantage,  hence 
many  gardeners  are  cautious  about  planting  them  in  a  geometrical 
flower  garden,  still  they  are  very  desirable  for  planting  in  masses  on 
borders  or  in  dry  positions.  In  poor  hard  soil  they  will  often  flower 
splendidly,  while  in  rich  garden  soil  they  may  be  unattractive  through 
producing  too  much  foliage.  The  middle  of  April  is  quite  early 
enough  to  sow  the  seed.  I  like  to  sow  in  boxes  and  transplant  to 
their  permanent  positions  early.  Aurora  (pale  pink).  Scarlet,  Cloth  of 
Gold,  Ruby  King, 
King  Theodore,  and 
Empress  of  India 
are  some  of  the 
best  dwarf  varieties. 
Among  tall  growing 
ones  the  following 
make  fine  showy 
climbers  —  Fairy 
Queen  (pale  pink), 
Lobbianum,  Spit¬ 
fire  (scarlet),  Golden 
Cloth,  and  Black 
Prince. 
Phlox  Drum- 
MONDi. — I  find  it 
necessary  to  make  a 
distinction  between 
the  treatment  given 
to  the  familiar  type 
and  the  newer  dwarf 
varieties.  The  latter 
do  not  grow  very 
freely  in  the  early 
stages  unless  sown 
in  light  rich  soil, 
containing  plenty 
of  leaf  mould  and 
sharp  sand.  These 
■should  be  sown  at 
once  in  boxes,  placed 
in  cold  frames,  the 
seedlings  pricked  off 
at  an  early  stage, 
and  grow'n  under 
glass  till  May.  These 
compact  varieties 
are  extremely  useful  in  the  flower  garden,  as  they  only  grow  to  a 
height  of  6  inches,  but  require  good  culture  to  bring  out  their 
best  qualities.  They  may  be  obtained  in  six  distinct  shades  of 
colour.  The  taller  growing  varieties  I  sow  thinly  in  boxes,  and 
prick  out  on  a  warm  border.  They  are  charming  flowers  for  cutting, 
and  are  abundantly  produced  till  late  in  the  season.  It  may  not, 
perhaps,  be  generally  known  that  the  plants  succeed  well  in  town 
gardens  when  the  soil  is  fertile. 
Stocks.  —Old  favourites  are  these,  yet  still  much  prized  by  many. 
The  plants  are  gross  feeders,  and  should  be  grown  in  good  soil  from 
start  to  finish.  For  this  reason  1  like  to  sow  in  pans,  and  transplant 
on  an  old  hotbed,  protected  by  a  frame,  giving  each  plant  plenty  of 
room  to  develop  without  becoming  drawn.  The  seed  should  be  sown 
during  March,  and  the  plants  fully  exposed  to  air  on  all  favourable 
occasions.  Perfection,  Fire  King,  Snowball,  Princess  May,  Improved 
Dwarf  German,  and  Mont  Blanc  are  some  of  the  best  varieties  among 
the  Ten-weeked  types. 
Zinnias. — The  md  of  March  is  early  enough  to  sow  these.  I  like 
to  stand  the  pans  in  which  the  seed  is  sown  in  a  frame  where  there 
is  a  little  bottom  heat,  and  when  the  seedlings  are  an  inch  in  height 
place  them  singly  in  60-sized  pots.  They  then  experience  but  little 
check  when  planted  in  their  final  positions  —  a  matter  of  vital 
importance  in  Zinnia  culture.  Sutton’s  Miniature  Pompon,  which 
attains  a  height  of  about  9  inches,  is  a  great  acipiisition  for  bedding 
purposes  ;  and  the  large-flowered  striped  and  tall  double  varieties 
supply  quantities  of  beautiful  flowers  w'hich  are  extremely  useful  in  a 
cut  state,  as  well  as  for  border  ornamentation. — IT.  D. 
Fig.  56.— Gold-striped  French  Marigold. 
