HORTICULTURE.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 20, 30 July 1920, Page 13

HORTICULTURE.

A LITTLE MORE ABOUT ANNUALS.

There was a timo -when everlastings were greatly grown both as being effective in the garden and for house decoration in winter. Statice is still greatly grov.ui, and in Christchurch in particuiur, large quantities are sold during autumn and winter in the flower shops. All are beautiful, being .feat'hery and graceful in form, growing up to two ieet m height and making del%htful clumps of. coiour in the garaen, iasting for a long period as weli as hpng very decoratne when cut. The best varieties are Sinnata mauve, Sinnata hybrida, giving various shades of mauve and people, pure white, and primrose ycllow flowers ; and Sinnata yellow (Bomiueili), bright yellow. All are easily grown. To get the best result and early blooms the sced should • be sown in autumn under glass, hui they can b,e quite well grown by sowing in the spring although the bloOms'will be considerably later. Acroclinium is a pink and white claisy, like everlasting, growing about a foot high with slender stems. It is easily grown from seed sown in the open during spring, and blooms quite early. Rhodantha is another pink and white everlasting, growing to about a foot high with slender stems, which can be sown outside in the spring, but the flowers having a drooping hahtt are quite distinct from Aroclinium Helichrvsum. — The French "Immortelle a bractees." The fine old everlasting now to be had in several heautiful colour s, either separately or mixed pink, cream, yellow, si'lvery white, crimson, etc. It is hardy, grows to three feet high and is an ornament to the garden when growing as well as excellent for winter decoration. Sow outside in the spring and th'in out well. Arctotis Grandis is a pretty annual withpearly white Marguerite-like flowers with a delicate mauve centre, the plant having a white downy appearance which glves a pretty appearance in contrast with other plants. It grows to about two feet aud can be sown outside in spring time being quite hardy. Larkspur. — This is a good old annual, hardy, and easly grown, which has been greatly improved of late years. Some of the blues are very pretty, but the scarlet is the most atractive, having a nice habit of growth, continuing a-considerable time in bloom, and useful for cutting. Linaria is a useful hardy annual, . the white and yellow varieties being very effective, and owing to its continual self sowing is to he had from early spring to late autumn. It is especially useful as a filling hetween larger plants, being light and feathery. Linum Grandiflorum is a fine showy little annual about a foot high, and of a brilliant crimson colour which grows in the sunshine. Very effective in good sized clumps. Sun flowers can now be got in great variety of form and colour, as well as in size and height, some of the dwarf varieties being very pretty and blooming profusely, the creamy-white and promroso colours being qnite effective.