For a long season of flowers and a large growth of vine the seed should be sown late in March or early in April, in boxes or pots, the plants carried along until the first of May, and planted out where wanted. The dwarf varieties bloom more freely and the flowers are of better color in rather poor soils, while for rapid growth of vine a well enriched border would be the best. The dwarf varieties may be planted 2 or 3 feet apart, and the tall ones as wanted to make a screen. The tall kinds grow 5 to 8 feet. All Nasturtiums are tender.
Nicotiana affinis
Nicotiana. Tender annuals (or grown as annuals). They are fine plants for borders or pots, the tall-growing varieties making a very fine show when in flower, having pure white flowers with long, tubular necks, the season of bloom being from July to October. The seeds are very fine, and should be sown on the surface of the soil, in boxes or pots. When planted out they should be set from 2 to 5 feet apart, according to kind. Some of the giant Nicotianas are excellent subjects for temporary screens; so is tobacco, which is also a Nicotiana.
Nicotiana affinis is one of the best of all garden flowers. Its long white flowers are fragrant at evening. They close in the hot sun. It is a half-hardy annual of easiest culture. Height 2 to 3 feet.
Œnothera. Evening Primrose. A very interesting group of plants, opening their flowers at evening. Many of them are fragrant and attract night insects, especially the large moths, seldom seen until dusk. The opening of the flowers of the large-flowering varieties is a source of pleasure and surprise, as one flower follows another in opening, and in a large plant the late opening flowers seem to burst all at one time. The perennial species may be propagated by division or seed, the annuals by seed. Set the tall kinds 2 to 3 feet apart. Height 1 to 3 feet. All of easy culture.
Okra or Gumbo
Okra. From the green pods of this vegetable is made the well-known Gumbo soup of the South, where the plant is more extensively grown than in the North. The pods are also used in their green state for stews, and are dried and used in winter, when they are nutritious, and form no little part of the diet in certain sections of the country. The seeds are very sensitive to cold and moisture, and should not be sown until the ground has become warm—the last week in May or the first of June being early enough in New York. The seed should be sown in a drill 1 inch deep, the plants thinned to stand 12 inches in the row. Give the same culture as for corn. One ounce will sow 40 feet of drill. Dwarf varieties are best for the North. Green Density and Velvet are leading varieties.