A Garden of Annual Flowers.

Otago Witness, Issue 1892, 15 May 1890, Page 9

A Garden of Annual Flowers.

One of the prettiest flower gardens I sawlaat season was filled with annual flowers. Some of the plants used would bo proparly classed as perennials, but amongst tho latter it is well known that some of them will flower the first year if sown early enough. To mention r r of the subjects, I will begin with sinn- 1?'. ' -?'.« ne which wero raised from seed be- . dahlias, and the plants brought - „ m 1 ebruary, The plants occupy ' . •."*> IU ent ' e , wra ™ t . h> first growth ' , -vi a largß oval bed, all the highc- 1 " - naving bsen pegped down ; the , * plant in tho bod did nnt exceed 2ft. A oed of Bingle varieties of dianthus (or Indian pinks), with their richly-colourod flowers, was very attractive. Two beds filled with German alters wore very good indeed, as was also a bed of gaillardias, the colour of the flowera being very striking in the bright sun. Two beds of petuaiaa-oiw of double vfirieties, the other

single— were equal in beauty to the most elaborately plantedbed of much more expensive plants that I ever saw, the double kinds being remarkable for the large and part eotly-f ormed flowers, as well as for. their varied and rich colouring. There were so many beautiful varieties in this bed that had been raised from a single packet of mixed seed, sown in the spring, that it is apparent it is not necessary to trouble about keeping a stock from cuttings through the winter. The double zinnias were also very attractive, while for a quaint bit of oolouring a bed of salpiglossis was worth noting. Two beds filled with verbenas showed that seedling plants are more vigorous than cuttings, and that the varieties obtained from seed leave nothing to be desired as regards bright colours and size of flower truss. Still more beautiful was a bed of the dwarf .form of phlox Drummondi, the beauty of which is bo well known that I need not dwell upon it. I think I have mentioned enough now to ahow that it is no longer necessary to depend upon pelargoniums and other plants that mußt be increased by cuttings in the autumn, and kept through the winter in a warm structure, to have bright flower beds in the summer. Most of the subjects I have mentioned must be raised in moderate warmth in the spring, or the summer will be half gone before they get well into flower.— J. 0. 0., in the Field.

Fog- and Flowers.

Tho thick, sulphurous foga that plunge London into darkness, and inflict injury on man and beast, are (says the Field) increasing in density and hurtfulness to ac extent that all save those who have suffered pecuniary loss from them might scarcely believe possible. A fnw years ago flowera remained unhurt by the vdumos of smoke (called fog) that overshadowed the London distriots, but their frequency of late has made flower and plant growing in London a matter of difficulty. Last year the rare orchids at Messrs Veitoh and Sena' nursery at Chelsea were removed to the clear air of Slough, where the flowers are safe from the influence of fogs; and it is not improbable, if they become more frequent still, that the whole colleotionß in London will be removed to a more genial climate. Thousands of Phalsenopsis spikes are cut off by a single fog, representing considerable monetary value, not a single bud or fully expanded flower escaping, The effect is sometimes curious. One epike just on the point of expansion was touched with a mild fog, which showed traces of its hurtfulness by each of the outer sides of the buds turning brown. When each of the spikes fetches about 5s or 6s, or even more, some idea can be gained of the great losses those who grow flowers in the London suburbs undergo each year We remember one whole house of Moth Orchids, some hundreds of spikes, which in a week ot two would have presented a picture of unexampled beauty, cut off by a thick fog of the oharaoter that darkened London on Friday, February 21, not a spike remained whole. There are very few orchids that escape its clutches ; but the Lady Slippers are fairly proof against it, only, unfortunately for the vendors, these are not in such demand as the rich, delicately - beautiful sprays of Coelogyne and Moth Orchid. Various devices have been resorted to for the prevention of fog filling plant houses; but nothing has proved successful.

MISCELLANEOUS.

All Now York has gone mad over grape fruit— an uncanny hybrid between fruits and vegetables, that bears no relation whatever to grapea, and looks more like a squash than a succulent dainty. Thia weird production probably owes its popularity to the faot that it ia the best-known antidote for the fumes of strong drink, and an unrivalled corrective for the dissipations of rich food and unearthly hours.

The Laughing Plant,— The laughing plant grows in Arabia, and has been given its name by the effects produced by eating ita seeds, The plant is of moderate size, with bright yellow flowerß, and soft, velvety seed pods, each of whioh contains two or three seeds resembling small black beans. The natives of the district where the plant grows dry these seeds and reduce them to powder. A small dose of this powder has similar effects to those arising from the inhalation of laughing gas. It causes the most sober person to dance, shout, and laugh with the boisterous excitement of a madman, and to rush about cutting the most ridiculous capers for about an hour. At the expiration of this time exhaustion sets in, and the excited person falls asleep, to wake after several hours with no recollection whatever of his antics.

Christmas Koses. — These flowera are again out in great beauty, and it is to me really astonishing that they are not more cultivated. Many amateurs go to considerable expense in forcing plants under glass to secure flowers at mid-winter, but here are subjeots, which for purity of blossom and elegance of form are not surpassed by the choicest exotics, almost ignored. They Sower naturally in the open ground at mid-winter, and do not require the slightest forcing to bring them to perfection. The plants only attain a height of 9in or so, and the flowers, whioh are white, and about the eizs of a five-shilling piece, are thrown up about level with the foliage. They grow luxuriantly, and bloom with great freedom in any kind of deep, rich soil. They should be grown in all gardens where choice mid-winter flowera are appreciated. When small plants are brought in from the nursery they do not flower much for the first year or two, but when once established there is no deficiency. Of all winter flowers I regard them as the most valuable and inexpensive. Botanically the Christmas roses are known as helleborua. The different varieties of H. niprar are the bast. — Leeds Mercury. Which Plants Thrive Beat Under Tree*. — Many plants exist which prefer the shade of trees and woods, hence they are known as "shade-plants." The power of thriving under the drip of trees is a rare property in shrubs. Some trees are far more unfavourable to the growth of shrubs beneath their shade and drip than others. Under the vow hardly any plant will grow, and the coniferfE generally are adverse to vegetable life within the Bpace covered by their branches. Tho ash is very injurious to vegetation under its drip, The following, amongst others, are found to be tolerably patient under the drin other trees : — Box, heather, dogwood ' „- ut spurge-laurel, spindle tree, Bhrn 1 -' -, hazel, ivy, St. John's wort, holly. *~ ' .->oy horsetail, swestbriar,^ bramble " . honeysuckle, snowberry, *- -, Butcher's broom, older, jenny - ' /t )«r, London pride, creeping „ , yrimroßea, lily of the valley. Grafting Annuals or Vegetables.-- Annuals, or herbaceous plant?, belonging to tho same genus or natural family, says the American Agriculturist, will adhere and grow on each other as readily as do woody plants. Thus a cauliflower will grow on o cabbage, a tomato on a potato, or vice vtrsa. The garden cucumber will grow on the wild vines of the samefamily which ar3 sometimes used for covering arbors, And the'ia grow to an extraordinary leDgth, while the garden cucumber rarely exceeds 6ft or Bft. This knowledge of grafting annuals may be utilised and made profitable, especially when the potato is forced to ripen seed by engrafting or inarching on the tomato.

Oncumbers may be grown on a high trellis, or around the upper storey windows of any building, by a training one of the wild cucumber vines — either Sioyos angulatus, the singleseeded or star cucumber vines, or the Echinocystes or wild balsam apple, either of which grows 50ft or 60f fc in a single season — up to the desired height. Thia ia easily done by sowing cucumber seed of any of the garden varieties in a flow3r pot, and, when the plant is Gin or Bin high, joining it to one of these vines whan it has reached the desired height. Merely scraping the bark of each and tying them firmly together with any soft material ia sufficient. They wilj unite in about 10 or 12 days, or sooner, and produce fruits at a height to which the garden cucumber could never attain,