ANNUALS
Observations.—Some plants, such as poppy and candy-tuft, are early blooming, while others, such as aster and cosmos, bloom in late summer, hence a selection should be made that will yield a succession of bloom throughout the season.
Some are hardy annuals which can be grown from open planting, even when the weather is cold. These often seed themselves; for example, sweet-pea, morning-glory, phlox, poppy, sweet-alyssum.
Some are half-hardy annuals, such as asters, balsams, stocks, and nasturtiums. These must be started indoors or in hotbeds, or if in plots, not until the soil is quite warm.
The heights of annuals vary, and consequently they must be arranged in the bed in such a way that tall plants will not shade the short ones.
BIENNIALS
Observations.—During the first year food is stored in the root of the turnip, carrot, parsnip, and beet, in the leaves of the cabbage, and in the stem of the hollyhock.
Flowers and seeds are produced during the second year, and the storehouse becomes empty, dry, and woody. Preparation for winter is therefore, in the case of biennials, preparation for a renewal of growth the following spring.
PERENNIALS
Observations.—The highest forms of plant life are found in this class; namely, the strong, large, hardy trees and shrubs.