LUPINUS
Lupine. Hardy annual and hardy perennial
Both the annual and the perennial Lupines are extremely valuable for garden decoration and for supplying an abundance of cut blooms. Each class includes a number of charming colours and many of the flowers are delightfully scented. Not the least of their merits is the fact that Lupines are not particular as to soil; indeed, the annual sorts will often thrive on ground that is too poor for other and more fastidious subjects.
The annual varieties should be sown where intended to flower, as they do not transplant well. Sow the seed in March, April, or May, and subsequently allow each specimen a space of about eighteen inches for development.
L. polyphyllus is a valuable race of perennial Lupines which, from a sowing made in March or April and treated as annuals, will produce a fine show in the following autumn. In order to insure a display earlier in the season, however, many growers of these flowers prefer to sow in June and July of the preceding year. Two varieties of L. arboreus form large bushes which are distinctly ornamental when in full bloom. The seed should be sown in June or July and the seedlings transplanted to flowering positions before they become very large.
MARIGOLD
Tagetes. Half-hardy annual
Marigolds of several classes are valued for the profuse display of their golden flowers in the later summer months. The choicest are the so-called French, or Tagetes patula, which have richly coloured flowers, and some of the varieties are beautifully striped. For their high quality these Marigolds are judged by the florists’ standards. The African, or Tagetes erecta, make large bushy plants with flowers ‘piled high’ in the centre; the colours are intense orange and yellow. in various shades. The bedding section is represented by the dwarf varieties of Tagetes patula, or Dwarf French Marigolds; also by Tagetes signata, a very neat plant with fine foliage and rather small orange-coloured flowers, produced in great abundance. In hot seasons and on dry soils this proves an admirable substitute for the Calceolaria, which does not thrive when short of food, whereas the Tagetes bears drought, the shade of trees, and a poor soil with patience, and up to a certain point with advantage. Sow all these in March in a moderate heat, and prick the plants out in the usual way, taking care finally to allot them sunny positions. Seed may also be sown in the open ground at the end of April or early in May.
The section of Pot Marigolds, Calendula officinalis, includes two remarkably handsome varieties, Orange King and Lemon Queen; the flowers of both are large, double, perfectly formed, and are worth a place in the choicest garden. These may be sown on the open border in March, April, and May, and the best place for them is in the full sun on a rather dry poor soil, but they are not particular, provided they are not much shaded.
MARVEL OF PERU