For the busy woman who has but a modicum of time to spare for the growing of flowers, but is loath to relinquish entirely their cheerful presence about the grounds and house, the annual garden with its wide diversity of color, season and charm affords the greatest possible returns for the outlay required. A few packets of seed, most of which may be purchased for from five to ten cents, will lay the foundation for sheets and sheets of bloom and the labor of planting and caring for them will be less than is required for perennials.

One great advantage in growing annuals is that the beds may be freshly prepared each spring, there is nothing in the way to retard spading—no perennial growths to be carefully worked around, that the roots may not be injured or the new growth, not yet above ground, be destroyed.262 It is all straight ahead work, and the first early crop of weeds is completely eliminated, grass eradicated and all is in order for the reception of the plants which may have been started in flats in the house or in a hotbed or cold frame or, in the case of such annuals as do not take kindly to transplanting, in the open ground.

Nor is it necessary in the case of annuals that there should be a regular, formally laid out garden or permanent beds. A border about the base of the house along the fence or walks, will give room for several kinds of flowers, flowers that will be a mass of bloom from early summer until late frost.

A very satisfactory place for annuals I have found is down through the vegetable garden. I like their company while I am at work among the useful but less ornamental vegetables, so always plan to have a row of something mid-way of the garden; usually the row takes the form of tea roses which never do so well for me as in this homely situation. The culture is more thorough than can be given to plants in beds, there is less263 crowding, hence fewer insect pests and I always plan to have the adjacent vegetables of as ornamental a character as possible; a fine row of mossy parsley on one side, feathery carrots on the opposite row gives a charming background of green. Lettuce, beets, parsnips, any of the pleasantly leaved greens are attractive companion rows and although the rose is the aristocrat of the garden, objecting decidedly to sharing her bed with less royal plants I have never found that she objects to their presence when they keep to their own allotted row.

This long row through the garden is an excellent place to start seeds of hardy perennials for transplanting into permanent beds the following year, but only for this preliminary growth, for the annual plowing makes their permanent tenancy impracticable, but bedding plants such as dahlias, gladioli, tigridias and the like will be at their best here and in their summer culture have all the characteristics of annuals.

For early blooming it is always worth while to sow the seeds of annuals early in the spring in264 flats in the house or in a hotbed or cold frame. Usually one can spare room in the hotbed for a few plats of seeds and these should be sown at the same time the seeds of the vegetables are sown, sowing each separate variety in little plats by itself, separating the plats from each other by narrow strips of wood pressed into the ground, and labelling each plat with the names of seed, date of sowing and, if known, the length of time it takes for the seed to germinate. Annuals, however, germinate more rapidly than perennials, many appearing above ground in from three to five days after sowing, though a few, like the Arctotis Grandis, nicotianas and ricinus, may take from ten to fifteen days. This is where the forethought of labelling the seed plats with date of sowing and period of germination is of practical value—it prevents undue impatience and discouragement when the plants fail to appear as soon as we expect them to; but with a mixed planting of seeds of varying characteristics, there will always be early comers to encourage one and265 keep alive faith in the ultimate appearance of the least and last.

Any considerable planting of annuals should include those that will give a long season of bloom for scenic effect, those that will be especially desirable for cut flowers and above all those special flowers which most appeal to our sentiment and are dear to us through associations or suggestions.

For mass planting about the base of buildings or in front of shrubbery there are few plants more effective than the celosias, especially the varieties known as prince's feather; many of the varieties in red and yellow effects are very good and they seem to stand the heat and drought and even the early frosts remarkably well. Usually a spray of the plumey blooms is a whole bouquet in itself. If cut before killing frosts and brought into the house they will retain their freshness for a long time, and potted make excellent fall and early winter plants.

The argemone or prickly poppy is a little known plant of rather recent introduction that266 is rather slow in getting started in spring, but once on its way produces a continuous succession of large poppy-like blooms in golden yellow, pale yellow and pure white, the latter especially attractive with its crown of golden stamens. Its chief merit, however, consists in its immunity to frost, continuing in full bloom well into November—a quality shared by few annual flowers. Perhaps as close a companion as can be cited is the tall-growing lupine, a beautiful annual that comes in purest white, rosy mauve, sky blue, purple and scarlet and white and mind not at all the frost of late October and early November. The soft foliage would seem ill suited to cold, but if one looks closely one will notice that the foliage is dry, not succulent like many annuals that succumb readily to the first cold wave. Balsams and portulacca are notable examples of this susceptibility.

The nicotianas are other cold-resisting plants and have the added advantage ............