The Busy Woman's Garden Book

by Ida D. Bennett

This long row through the garden is an excellent place to start seeds of hardy perennials for transplanting into permanent beds the following year, but only for this preliminary growth, for the annual plowing makes their permanent tenancy impracticable, but bedding plants such as dahlias, gladioli, tigridias and the like will be at their best here and in their summer culture have all the characteristics of annuals.

For early blooming it is always worth while to sow the seeds of annuals early in the spring in flats in the house or in a hotbed or cold frame. Usually one can spare room in the hotbed for a few plats of seeds and these should be sown at the same time the seeds of the vegetables are sown, sowing each separate variety in little plats by itself, separating the plats from each other by narrow strips of wood pressed into the ground, and labelling each plat with the names of seed, date of sowing and, if known, the length of time it takes for the seed to germinate. Annuals, however, germinate more rapidly than perennials, many appearing above ground in from three to five days after sowing, though a few, like the Arctotis Grandis, nicotianas and ricinus, may take from ten to fifteen days. This is where the forethought of labelling the seed plats with date of sowing and period of germination is of practical value—it prevents undue impatience and discouragement when the plants fail to appear as soon as we expect them to; but with a mixed planting of seeds of varying characteristics, there will always be early comers to encourage one and keep alive faith in the ultimate appearance of the least and last.

Any considerable planting of annuals should include those that will give a long season of bloom for scenic effect, those that will be especially desirable for cut flowers and above all those special flowers which most appeal to our sentiment and are dear to us through associations or suggestions.

For mass planting about the base of buildings or in front of shrubbery there are few plants more effective than the celosias, especially the varieties known as prince's feather; many of the varieties in red and yellow effects are very good and they seem to stand the heat and drought and even the early frosts remarkably well. Usually a spray of the plumey blooms is a whole bouquet in itself. If cut before killing frosts and brought into the house they will retain their freshness for a long time, and potted make excellent fall and early winter plants.

The argemone or prickly poppy is a little known plant of rather recent introduction that is rather slow in getting started in spring, but once on its way produces a continuous succession of large poppy-like blooms in golden yellow, pale yellow and pure white, the latter especially attractive with its crown of golden stamens. Its chief merit, however, consists in its immunity to frost, continuing in full bloom well into November—a quality shared by few annual flowers. Perhaps as close a companion as can be cited is the tall-growing lupine, a beautiful annual that comes in purest white, rosy mauve, sky blue, purple and scarlet and white and mind not at all the frost of late October and early November. The soft foliage would seem ill suited to cold, but if one looks closely one will notice that the foliage is dry, not succulent like many annuals that succumb readily to the first cold wave. Balsams and portulacca are notable examples of this susceptibility.

The nicotianas are other cold-resisting plants and have the added advantage of self-sowing—not to a troublesome extent but sufficiently to insure a yearly supply of volunteer plants without thought or trouble on the gardener's part. The nicotiana does not open up well in bright sunshine, but unfolds its snowy cups in late afternoon and on cloudy days, but in shady positions is more generous of its beauty and is lovely when silhouetted against the flaming red of the salvias.

The arctotis grandis is another of the less commonly grown annuals that should be included in one's garden planting. These, too, are sturdy defiers of the frost and exceedingly desirable as cut flowers, remaining in bloom for a week or ten days and should be placed in a sunny position for best effect as they are real sun lovers. Like all the preceding they are of the easiest culture—good garden soil, water if the season is unusually dry, and plenty of room to develop. The distance at which any plant should be set depends, of course, upon its manner of growth, but it is an excellent rule to plant all erect growing plants at least half their height apart. Low-growing and trailing plants, of course, are an exception to the rule, many requiring two or three times their height in inches apart, as the verbena.

Few annuals require staking, notable exceptions being the sultanas, tall anterrhinums, scabiosas, the tall stocks and a few others. When staking is necessary it should be done by as inconspicuous means as possible; bamboo stakes painted green are the neatest and most inconspicuous.

For masses of brilliant color there is nothing to equal the scarlet verbena, the scarlet sage, salvia splendens, the various phlox Drummondii or the dwarf nasturtium, the scarlet or orange zinnias and the marigold, and for sweetness one must have the sweet peas and the stock.