USEFUL ANNUALS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 April 1939, Page 2

USEFUL ANNUALS

GODETIAS AND CLARKIAS. Godetias ~ coming from the land of sunshine, California, are among the brightest of coloured annuals we have. They are valuable for filling small beds and borders, for grouping in the mixed or herbaceous border, for providing a display in the flower garden and are also suitable for cutting for house decoration. They are effective when sown in pots and grown on for providing a display in the greenhouse in spring. There are two distinct types—those with flowers on long sprays which are the best for cutting and for the greenhouse, and those with larger flowers in clusters more suitable for a display in the garden. They can be sown on a warm, well drained border to stand through the winter and come into flower in early summer, or they can be sown in spring to flower in late summer and autumn. Whenever sown it is most important to thin out the-plants to about six inches apart so that the side branches may have room to develop and thereby prolong the flowering. Varieties with long sprays are double cherry and crimson shades, doub pink, lavender gem and Mauve Queen. Dwarf varieties are Sybil Sherwood, Sunset crimson, Satin rose and Azalea flowered in various shades. Clarksias are also valuable hardy annuals for providing a display in the flower garden, for cutting for house decoration and for growing in pots for furnishing the greenhouse in early spring. The cultivation is the same as for godetias, seed can be sown now for flowering in the open in spring or early summer, and again in spring to provide flowers now. The double elegans type is the best, and these can be had in many beautiful colours, such as salmon-scarlet, salmon, rose-pink, pink . and rose-crimson.