ANNUALS--THEIR CULTURE AND TREATMENT.
“Come, ye soft sylphs,
Teach the fine seed, instinct with life, to shoot
In earth’s cold bosom, its descending root;
With pith elastic, stretch its rising stem,
Part the twin lobes, expand the throbbing gem;
Clasp in your airy arms the aspiring plume,
Fan with your balmy breath its kindling bloom;
Each widening scale, and bursting film unfold,
Swell the green cup, and tint the flower with gold.”
Annuals are considered the chief ornaments of the flower garden
throughout the summer and autumn, and many of them are desirable for
house culture.
They have great claims upon our attention, and should be more
extensively cultivated in every garden. It is impossible to plant, in a
private plat of ground, all the kinds and varieties that are offered to
us in the Seedsmen’s Catalogues, but a judicious selection of the best
kinds will give a charming assortment of brilliant flowers.
It is almost superfluous to mention that _annuals_ are plants which
spring from seed, and perfect their growth and seed, and perish with
the autumn; though their life may be prolonged by cutting off the
flowers, not allowing the seed-pods to form, and keeping them housed in
the winter.
They are divided into hardy; half-hardy and tender; and are natives of
various lands. Many of them have been greatly improved, by the care
and patience of the florist, from their normal state, and transformed
into flowers of the most gorgeous hues, and the most perfect shape.
_Asters_, _Balsams_, _Larkspurs_, _Petunias_, _Portulaccas_, _Stocks_
and _Zinnias_ have all become exceedingly double and of every brilliant
hue; while many others have had their flowers much increased in size,
and otherwise improved.
These flowers are more generally cultivated than any other class of
flowers, and they, alike, adorn the yard of the cottage, and the
_parterre_ of the palace.
They will grow almost anywhere, and in any kind of soil, but thrive
much better if heed is paid to their wants, and they are provided with
a sunny location, well drained, and are well supplied with rich sandy
loam; though there are some kinds which prefer a clayey soil. There
are only a few which require a very rich soil, yet, most of them will
reward you with a brighter show of flowers if well fed. It does not pay
to starve plants, any more than to starve animals.
It is very desirable to locate your garden where it can be in constant
view from the windows of the house; flowers are our bosom friends and
we desire to have them always in sight; when weary they refresh one,
when happy they add to one’s happiness, and when sad and gloomy they
give to one pleasant thoughts, smooth the care-worn brow, and uplift
the heart to the Giver of all good things.
To prepare the soil, let Mr. O’Shovelem dig up the grass-plat, if
needful, and prepare the beds in front of the piazza, porch or sitting
room, if it has a southeast direction; if not, take the next best,
a southwestern location. Few plants will thrive well in a northern
exposure, though Pansies love the shade, and will flourish there. If
you can procure a compost of sand (not sea sand), leaf mould, loam
and manure--a quarter of each--you will have as good soil as you can
desire; but if not within reach, take what offers, and if it is heavy
and stiff, add sand to lighten it; if friable and light, add ashes,
muck or soil from old pastures, taken from under the sods. This is
always desirable. Sand is also an essential.
_Laying out the Beds._
Have the garden well spaded over, and then lay out the beds. If you
have a geometrical eye, you can mark out circles, semi-circles,
triangles, stars, diamonds and all sorts of curved beds; and if you can
have all the assistance you desire from “men-folks,” border their edges
with narrow strips of turf, which must be kept closely shaven, and not
allowed to encroach upon the beds.
If you depend upon your own exertions, avoid the turf; for it exacts
too much hard muscular work for women to encounter.
A bordering is now manufactured of Terra Cotta, which is highly
praised; and it is said to withstand the frost and snow of the coldest
regions. The Drain Pipe and Terra Cotta works in New York, make several
styles. Tiles are also introduced with good effect. Box edgings are
always tasteful and pretty. If you can possess none of these, you
can, at least, border the beds with Dwarf Annuals and Perennials. The
Tom Thumb plants of every kind are very pretty for this purpose; the
stone-crop and, indeed, all the varieties of Sedums, make effective
edgings. _Gypsophila muralis_ is also beautiful for an edging, and
its spray-like flowers are indispensable for both vase and bouquet.
They cover the flowers like a mist, increasing their charms by partly
veiling them.
_Sowing the Seed, etc._
The hardy varieties, like _Candytuft_, _Phlox Drummondii_, _Sweet
Alyssum_, _Sweet Peas_, _etc._, can be sown as soon as the ground
becomes a little warm, and the weather is in a degree settled. Indeed,
all these kinds, and many others, will bloom earlier in the summer if
they are planted in the autumn. The frost and snow does not disturb
their rest. _Sweet Peas_ are very essential for all gardens. Their
fragrance is grateful to all; and a bunch of the new colored ones,
mingled with the old favorites, equals the soft and liquid tints of the
sunset cloud. But don’t put _Scarlet Geraniums_ or _Verbenas_ among
them; their vivid hues will pale and dim the beauteous Peas.
They bloom much more profusely, if planted four or five inches in
depth, and are not so apt to mildew.
The half-hardy annuals should not be sown, excepting in the South,
before the middle of May; and the tender ones, not until June, if one
desires good success in their vegetation and growth.
A large amount of vexation might be avoided if amateur florists would
pay a little heed to natural laws.
For both half-hardy and tender Annuals, planting in-doors, or under
glass, is very needful. If this is done, they can be brought forward
so as to bloom by the last of June, or the first of July, and one is
fully repaid for the extra trouble by their graceful, lovely flowers.
All these varieties of Annuals require transplanting. No _Aster_,
_Petunia_, _Stock_ or _Zinnia_ will show its beauty if not allowed
plenty of room in which to grow and bloom. So, it is as well to
transplant them from boxes, or hotbeds, early in the summer, when all
fear of frost is past, as to do it later from the garden beds.
Seeds of various sizes require different depths of covering. The
smaller the seed, the less the soil it needs to plant it, and the finer
the soil should be.
_Portulaccas_, _Petunias_, and all tiny seeds, should be mixed with
sand, and sprinkled or sifted on to the earth prepared for them, and
then gently pressed down with the flat of the trowel or the hoe. The
general rule for planting has been to the depth of three times the
diameter of the seed.
Too deep planting is a fruitful source of the usual loss of seeds, so
much complained of by amateur gardeners.
The several essentials to successful germination of seeds of all kinds
are suitable soil, suitable moisture and warmth; if these are in
excess, or not sufficient, some, if not all, of the seeds will fail.
In planting seeds in the open border, the soil must be thoroughly
pulverized, no little lumps left in it to destroy plant life.
Rake in the seeds, scattering them thinly around; or, a better way
is to tie a string to two small sticks; plant one of them firmly in
the earth, and with the other draw a circle of the dimensions you may
desire; wind up the string until you have it of the right length, then
plant the seeds in the circle, and label them. Don’t trust to your
memory for the names, and then say “this pink flower, that red one, and
the other blue or yellow one,” but learn their names, and call them by
them.
One often rebels at the many-syllabled word that is applied to a tiny
mite of a flower; yet, that same Latin word tells to every botanist its
class and order, while the common, familiar, local name is recognized
only by one language.
Miss Mitford says: “One is never thoroughly sociable with flowers until
they are naturalized, as it were, christened, provided with decent,
homely, well-wearing English names.”
The practice of giving Latin names to flowers and plants has been
styled pedantic. It is not so; for it conveys an idea of the flower to
every student of Botany and Gardening in every nation.
Leigh Hunt thus writes upon the names of flowers:
“Pink is not by itself a pretty name, but we have associated it since
our first dawnings of infancy, with the sweetness of the flower, so
now the name and flower are one, and the poor monosyllable becomes
rich in sweetness and appropriateness.”
And again:
“_Browallia_ is a pretty name, and was given to a Peruvian flower by
Linnæus in honor of a friend of his by the name of Browall; yet the
name gives no idea of the flower which is remarkably attractive;” and,
he suggests that _Browall’s Beauty_ would have immortalized both the
friend and the flower, and have advertised its claims to the regard of
the florist.
A short digression from seed planting, fair friends, which it is to be
hoped you will pardon and overlook.
When your seeds are planted, unless the day is cloudy and showery, they
will require shading from the heat of the sun.
I find old newspapers are the best protection; but, if the patches are
small, flower pots can be inverted over them. The newspapers must be
laid over the seeds, after they have been well watered, and fastened
at the corners by small stones or a handful of the earth. At night
they should be removed to let the dew moisten the ground, and put back
before it is dried up in the morning. Continue this until the tiny
leaflets appear; then remove them entirely. If the ground is dry the
seeds must be thoroughly wet every night. Moisture is very needful
to germinate seeds; without its aid they cannot sprout. The would-be
florists often plant their seeds as the Catalogues direct and then give
no farther heed to them. You will often hear it said, “I can’t make
annuals grow. I planted fifty to sixty varieties, and not half a dozen
of them ever sprouted. I have no faith in the seedsmen; they send out
old seeds and keep all the new for their own gardens.”
“Did you water them well, and shade them from the noontide heat?” is
asked. “Why, no! I never thought of that. I planted them, and supposed
that was enough.”
My fair friends, unless the clouds favor you and drop rain, or hide the
sun for three or four days, your seeds will become baked and shriveled,
and you cannot expect them to grow.
The thin-skinned seeds will germinate most quickly, while those that
are shrouded in horny textures, vegetate more slowly. It is always well
to soak all such seeds. Verbena seeds require twenty-four hours soaking
in warm water, and the seeds of the lovely, graceful Cypress vine will
not germinate unless boiling water is poured upon them.
_Transplanting Seedlings._
When the tiny plants have put forth the fourth or fifth leaf, it is
time to provide them with permanent homes. If this is done in the
early morning of a warm day--or even later in the forenoon--you may be
sure that you will lose your plants. But select a showery, cloudy day,
following a dry season, or plant after night-fall, and then water, and
shade from the sun of the next day, and you will hardly lose one plant,
or even have a leaf curl.
Annuals of most kinds must have plenty of space to grow in. There are
few that are not improved by transplanting. Salpiglossis will grow
to better advantage thickly planted; also, Erysimum Peroffskianum,
whose brilliant orange flowers render it desirable to every garden.
Mignonette, Larkspurs and Poppies will not bear transplanting; they
grow from a tap root, and do not easily attach themselves to a new home
after their growth is once started.
If Annuals are not planted anew after germinating, their growth is
weak and spindling, and they soon cease flowering; while, on the
other hand, they will grow luxuriantly, and blossom until the frost
withers their fair bloom, if their quarters are ample. Asters should
be planted a foot asunder each way; and Stocks, Balsams, Zinnias and
Petunias require as much room, if not more, to bring them to a state of
perfection; and, if mulched with fine manure early in July, they will
bloom magnificently.
_What Shall We Plant?_
This is the query of many women who examine the Illustrated Catalogues,
and are not familiar with the high-sounding names, and, therefore,
totally at loss to know what are desirable and needful out of the
thousands of varieties, illustrated and described therein.
I will give a list of those whose beauties are familiar to me, and
whose names are household words:
_Asters_, Truffauts, Rose Asters, Imbrique, Pompone, Chrysanthemum
Flowered, Bouquet, in all their varied colorings and shapes. No garden
can afford to be without one or all of these varieties; and they take
chief rank in the tribe of Annuals.
Amaranthus melancholicus, variegated leaves.
Anagallis.
Abrobra, a lovely climber.
Abronia, very effective for rock-work.
Ageratum, lavender blue and white.
Acroclinium, white and pink.
Balsams, Smith’s Prize and Camellia flowered.
Bartonia aurea, golden yellow.
Browallia, blue with white center, white.
Cacalia, orange scarlet, and yellow.
Calandrinia, crimson, white, pink and lilac.
Coreopsis Burridgii, and coronata.
Canary Bird Flower, beautiful vine.
Candytuft, white, purple and crimson.
Celosia spicata rosea, everlasting flower.
Centranthus, white, flesh colored and pink.
Cerastium, ornamental foliage, for edgings on rock-work.
Chlora grandiflora, bright orange changing to red.
Chrysanthemum coronarium, flore pleno.
Clarkia integripetela, magenta crimson, rich.
Clianthus Dampierii.
Clintonia azurea grandiflora, desirable for rock-work and baskets.
Cobæa scandens, a climber of rapid growth.
Collinsia, various colors, pretty for ribbon borders.
Convolvulus aureus superbus, a golden yellow variety.
Convolvulus mauritanicus, perfect for roses and baskets.
Cyanus (Ladies’ Delight).
Cypress Vine, the most graceful of climbers.
Eschscholtzia Californica, several colors.
Euphorbia variegata.
Fenzlia, dwarf growth, effective in rustic decorations.
Gilia, various colors.
Godetia, useful in ribbons.
Gypsophylla muralis and elegans.
Helliophila araboides, bright blue, useful for edgings.
Inopsidium acaule, sky blue, loves the shade.
Ipomœa hederacea superba, a beautiful vine.
Kaulfussia atroviolacea.
Larkspur (Hyacinth flowered).
Leptosiphon hybridus, dwarf edgings.
Linum, in several colors.
Lobelia, blue, white and rose color, dwarf.
Lupins, of all colors.
Machæranthera tanaceifolia, bright purple, golden center.
Marigolds, new varieties are very attractive.
Mignonette, Parson’s new white and the crimson flowered.
Nasturtiums, of all varieties.
Nemesia compacta elegans.
Nemophila, delicate flowers, very dwarf, love the shade.
Nigella Tonlanesiena.
Oxyura, golden yellow, edged with white.
Sweet Peas of all colors.
Perilla Nankinensis, dark rich foliaged plant.
Phlox Drummondii, of every shade.
Poppy, carnation colored.
Portulacca, double and single.
Ricinus, ornamental foliaged.
Salpiglossis, very beautiful.
Salvia splendens.
Sanvitalia procumbens, suitable for edgings and rock-work.
Saponaria acymoides, lovely for borderings.
Scabiosa (or Mourning Bride), flore pleno.
Schizanthus, all colors.
Statice hybrida.
Stocks, German Dwarf, pyramidal, new hybrid.
Tagetes pumila, marigold of beautiful foliage and flower.
Trifolium (ornamental clover).
Tropæolum, finest mixed varieties.
Viscaria elegans picta.
Vittadina (Australian Daisy), a good edging.
Whitlavia, blue and white.
Zea Japonica (Japanese Maize), ornamental foliage.
Zinnia Elegans, flore pleno, all colors.
Zinnia Mexicana pumila, very double and brilliant.
Among this list of Annuals several climbers have been included; for
other species, consult the chapter on Vines and Climbers.
_Training and Watering Annuals._
There are few plants that are not benefited by judicious training and
pruning.
Balsams are greatly improved by pinching off the side shoots, and
allowing only the stalks to grow; or the main shoot may be left to
itself, and all the strength of the plant thrown into it, producing an
upright stem loaded with gorgeous chalices of bloom. Manure water will
increase the size of the flowers, and, thus grown, they make splendid
pot plants.
The scissors are useful about many other plants; and their side growth
should be checked, and less latitude allowed to their branches.
Zinnias, Stocks and Asters should have the laterals trimmed off; their
beauty is improved, if they are kept within bounds.
In watering Annuals, and all flowers, care should be taken to apply
it after the sun has set; if water is given in the morning, when the
sun is hastening forward to drink up every drop, it is of but little
use to the plant; and, if it is given at noon-tide, when the sunbeams
fall fiercely hot, it scorches the plants as though Jack Frost had
bitten them. The cold drops, falling on the heated surface of the soil,
produce the same effect as a chill.
Water slightly warmed to the hand is far more efficacious than that
drawn directly from aqueducts or cisterns. If it sets in the sun all
day, it will be of the right temperature to apply at night.
English books on gardening, often denounce the practice of frequent
watering; but they are no guides for American gardens. Their misty,
moisty island, enveloped in clouds, promotes moisture sufficient for
their needs; while our heated atmosphere drinks up every drop from the
soil. If it has rained during the day the watering pot can hang upon
its peg; but if not, its attendance is highly essential for the growth
of all tender Annuals, and delicate bedding-out plants.
Many ladies complain of their ill luck in floriculture; no plant
thrives with them. Why is this?
Because they neglect the floral darlings. They are assiduous in their
attention to them while planting or transplanting them; but then
their energy fails; they think that the sun, rain and dew will do the
necessary work, and they can rest from their labors.
They never fail to do their appointed work; but you must cultivate in
season and out of season if you would raise--
“Bright gems of earth in which, perchance, we see
What Eden was--what Paradise may be.”