Catchfly. Hardy annual
Not one of the hardy annuals has established a better claim to be sown in autumn than the Silenes. Alone, they make a very attractive display, and they can be used with especial effect in beds planted with Daffodils, Hyacinths, and Tulips. While the Daffodils are in full beauty the Silenes clothe the ground with a carpet of green, and after the foliage of the bulbs has been cut off or pinned down the Silenes furnish a fresh display of floral beauty in advance of the summer bedders.
Silenes do not thrive on heavy damp soils, but the difficulty can be surmounted by keeping the plants in pans or boxes under a cold frame until growing weather sets in. The plants do very well in loam, and best of all in a dry sandy soil. The spring sowing should be made in March or April; the autumn sowing in August or early in September.
SOLANUM
Annual and perennial; half-hardy
Solanums are of importance, some as greenhouse plants, and others as sub-tropical bedders. They are somewhat tender in constitution, and must have good cultivation in a light rich soil. A sharp look-out for red spider is necessary, for this pest is very partial to Solanums. March is early enough to sow the seed, but for ordinary purposes April is to be preferred. By the middle of June the plants should be strong enough to put out, and with genial weather will make rapid progress. Those grown for their berries may be sown from February onwards, as it is important to secure bushy plants before they begin to flower, and an early start insures an early ripening of the bright, handsome fruit.
STATICE
Sea Lavender. Hardy and half-hardy annuals and hardy perennial
It would be difficult to decide whether the Sea Lavenders are more highly valued as border flowers or as cut material for use indoors. Certain it is that the light and graceful sprays of delicately coloured flowers are indispensable for house decoration, either when freshly cut or when dried for mixing with Helichrysums and other everlastings in winter. Yet Statice are very attractive when growing in the border, the varieties of branching habit giving a long-continued display of beautiful flowers.