ANNUAL FLOWERS

Evening Star, Issue 20137, 30 March 1929, Page 22

ANNUAL FLOWERS

NOW WIDELY GROWN During the past few years our great .seed houses have done much to stimulate: in teres' in annual flowers, and their super It examples of good cultivation which havo graced the" Chelsea and other exhibitions havo been nothing short of a revelation to many who have hitherto looked askance at annuals and regarded them with feelings of contempt (says the ' Gardeners' Chronicle,' London) .It is, of eour.se, true that for nearly a century vast quantities of animals havo been sold and used I to decorate countless thousands of small gardens, both in town and country, I but in our great gardens and our public parks they have been but sparingly used, and more often, than not only as stop-gaps. Now a change is becoming apparent everywhere, and such time-honoured plants as the Fuchsia, Calceolaria, Geranium, etc., are giving way to Salpiglossis, Larkspurs, Xomesias, Clarkias, Viscarias, and many other annual plants. For their brief span of life, Nature has compensated by giving them a great brilliance and a, richness, both in variety and elegance, unsurpassed by those enjoying longer existence. Commercially, they arc probably of greater importance ihan our perennials, as seed producion is a considerable industry here, on the Continent, and in .America, and much money, time, anl labour are devoted to the growing | of seeds, and to the raising of new I varieties ' All this energy and enterprise, no doubt, meet with ilica' reward in the popularity annuals have obtained everywhere. Constant efforts to produce new colours, forms, and types have icsulted , in improvements in nearly all our best- ] known garden annuals. Messrs Sutton and Sons have set (he .-.tandard of what good cultivation can effect in such simple everyday plants I as Salpigbssis, Godetias, Nemesias., PhloK Drummondi, etc. Messrs Dobbir and Co have' shown the possibilities of Zinnias, Marigolds, etc.. while_ Messrs .fame Carter and Co. have_ displayed Sehizaniliuses and Chirkias in tine condition, all showing what these plants are capable of in the way of garden I decoration. However, we learn but slowly, and it is still true that annulas are often cultivated poorly. Vast quanI ties of seeds are wasted yearly, and | constant reminders are necessary that ! thin sowing or drastic thinning is the only road to success. There are certain annuals that are only seen at their best when grown from an autumn sowing. This is now well understood Among these are included Salpiglossis, Godetias, Phlox I Druni.mondi, snid Clarkias. The cooler I conditions and the slower growth and development seem to suit all those, mentioned, and magnificent beds ot 'them are now lo be seen annually in j our public parks. ' More suitable for spring sowing are the Viscarias and Xemesias—two an- \ nuals unsurpassed for brilliance, par- [ ticularly when massed in large beds or I borders. . , I New colours and forms of many of the most popular annuals conic to us in battalions in such families as Godetia, j .Aster. Clarkia, Calliopsis. Eschscholzia, I i Xemesia, and many others. There is ! material to suit every taste and for j every purpose. I Xew species and also the re-iutrodue--1 tion of old or forgotten ones, reach us , I more slowly. Those interested in the' 'geograplrcal distribution of plants know j jibe regions from wlreh they are to be I expected. AVe may expect, little of ' merit from China, that storehouse of tine plants, or from India- Some arc hoped for from Morocco, and not a few 'from the mountains ot .Mexico, and it ] may be confidently stated that South Africa will in 'lie" near future provide j us with some wonderful new annuals, i sui-passing anything yet introduced j from that country. The late and lamented Mr Duinmor, who had travelled widely in Africa, has j left it on record that in XamaquaJand there awaits anyone who will take the trouble to reap it, a rich harvest of annual plants of the most showy and decorative character, and beyond anything to he found in any other part of the globe, in a letter recently written by one of the most enthusiastic of South African gardeners, the following passage occurs: " If I am again able to visit Xamaqualand, I will collect new annuals of the most wonderful brilliance and beatitv, and in variety undreamed of." It will he conceded that in Venidium fastuosum we have a plant of outstanding merit. Its brilliant orange flowers, tin across—and often more—with shining black centres displayed to perfection in a setting of soft grey, woolly foliage, make this a most desirable addition. It has been decorated with the IMT.S. Award oi Merit, and favoured with a place in the • Botanical Magazine.' An Award of MeriChas also been given to L'rsinia antbemoides—a lovely orange composite, the handsome flowers of which are relieved, by a crimson /.one. This has been much admired, and is i now obtainable from all seedsmen, l'rsinia anthemoicL'- is dwarf in stature, and when well massed makes a most showy bed. It is very variable from seeds, and requirs the selecting hand of the seed grower to fix the best forms It is certain to become a popular animal whe i better known. The re-introduction of Arctotis breviscapa adds another first-class plant which .is suitab! for n dry, hot bank, where for months it will show to great effect. From Utah has come iJaileya niultiradiata, one of the neatest and most ■ ■ i

aa—.l —— ■. perfectly formed of golden daisies—a very Jovely little plant which, unfortiir uately, refuses to set seeds with us, but these ought to be obtainable from American seedsmen. Mr. Robinson, gardener at Villa Serana, Vinadel Mar, Chili,, : has sent seeds of godetia amoeua or a near ally of that species. This was also brought homo by Mr. Clarence Elliott, and a most charming plant it is, about two feet in height, producing fine sprays of soft mauvo (lowers. While on the subject of godetias, reference must be made to the three or more new varieties shown in August last by Messrs Sutton and Sons. They are magnificent additions to this popular and showy family, and those who prefer species to garden forms may be reminded of the charms of godetia vimiuea, generally sold under the name G. lavender, which is, perhaps, the most lovely of all. The re-introduction of Sabbatia. campestris, a plant from the swamps of Florida adds another interesting subject to the annual border. It is somewhat slow and difficult in its early stages. It should be sown early in the year and on no account allowed to become, dry. AYhen of sufficient size ti plant out, it will suddenly take a spurt and soon form nice, shapely bushes \vhich_ give a. long display of lovely, rose-pink, star-pointed flowers. Tj will always be a plant requiring care and skill to make it give .of-its best. Oenothera- triehoealyx is probably a perennial in its native Californian habitat, but with us it is best treated as an annual. Seeds of this plant are now available, and it is one of the best Oenotheras yet introduced, with large, pure white., swet-sccnted flowers, which remain open all day. It forms a delightful bed, and is also j very ornamental as a group in the herbaceous border. Dimorphotheca pluvialis is an old favourite, but is now quite surpassed bv the variety ringens. This is a great improvement on the typo and prodigal with its lovely blossoms, which are enhanced by a- broad ring of the richest purple. It should be included in every collection of annuals, and it is now easily obtainable. Having seen*the new annual Anohusa bluebird, I can thoroughly recommend this newcomer, offered this year as a novelty. In the mass, this is a most telling and effective plant, and of a colour all too scarce. Poppies are among the indispensables, and one comparatively new strain raised, I believe, by MessrsStark and Son, and named Ryburgh hybrids, has not received nearly the j appreciation it deserves. Shirley popI pies are notoriously difficult to transplant, but this can be done if they are handled when xovy small and the weather is just right, but Ryburn poppips may be transplanted as easily nnd as safely as polyanthuses, and l are now much used in our parks. Jf I sown about the end. of September and transplanted into a nursery bed they grow all the winter and may be placed ! in their flowering quarters in spring. 1 They will produce a- -brilliant display there for months, and. as they make big clumps, tliould be planted lift apart. Antirrhinums have now reached a stage of perfection and variety that it must be difficult for raisers to .find anything to surpass existing .sorts. The new variety, C. .11. Herbert, raised by .Messrs Simpson and Sons, of .Birmingham, is, however, one that immediately arrests attention, being of a rich reddish orange—a shade quite new in the family. ..It is a variety of great vigour, carrying massive spikes of llowers, ninhi striking plant is well worth a prominent place in the flower garden. Ami lastly there is a pleasant remembrance of Heliopbihi- lineraris, a really good member of a large and rather weedy genus of South African plants. It sends np a single, straight stem, about 20in in height, which branches freely and remains smothered in a mass of lovely forget-me-not-like flowers for many weeks. ft is a crnci- , fer, and, as its name denotes. i(s } leaves are very small and insignificant. i This is an annual of great promise, J and no doubt will find its way irito I general cultivation in due course. I