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PETUNIA (Named from petun, the Brazilian name for tobacco, to which Petunia is allied) Everyone has some room for Petunias because they are the most profuse flowering of any annual. Few other annuals produce so many of such large flowers. The colors have been improved to such an extent that there are now varieties to please us all. Recently nearly […]
As the annual Asters differ from our wild Asters and were introduced from China, they should properly be known as China-asters, Callistephus chinensis. From a violet colored Daisy-like flower with a yellow center, the China aster has been bred to assume a multitude of forms and colors. Previous to 20th century, the China aster was not considered a cut flower […]
HELIANTHUS – Sunflower (From helios-sun; anlhos-flower) The Sunflower is bold, he is tall, has a lot of bluster and bravado about him, but he is not coarse; no, he does not intrude upon us. We like to have him look over our fences; we like to watch him looking down toward his feet to see how tall he has grown. […]
PHACELIA (Named from the Greek for cluster; refers to clustering of flowers) The best known sort is Phacelia campanularia, the Harebell Phacelia, which bears Gentian-blue, bell-shaped flowers with contrasting white stamens on one-sided curved racemes. The plants grow 9 inches tall and are somewhat hairy. They remain in bloom for a long time, the flowers being produced in one-sided curving […]
Whoever has grown a few of the various Celosias has surely been charmed either by their beauty or their fantasy of form. Celosias are sometimes confused with Amaranthus, which, however, is coarser and of which the colors are not so clear. THE SORTS To GROW. Cockscomb, C. cristata (C. coccinea). This species has huge, laterally flattened heads, which in many […]
HIBISCUS (Abelmoschus) – Sunset Hibiscus (Goldenbowl H.) (Ancient name for the Marshmallow) Comparatively unknown to gardens, the Sunset Hibiscus, H. manihot, is the loveliest yellow tall annual. The plants grow 8 feet tall, the divided leaves, character of seed vessels and even the flowers remind us of the Okra. The flowers are soft yellow, 4 inches to 9 inches across, […]
PHLOX – Texas pride (Name from Greek for a flame, perhaps first applied to another plant) The brilliance and clean colors of the annual Phlox, P. drummondi. make it a favorite in the garden. The flowers range from white to pink, primrose, scarlet, crimson, rose, and lavender, some being perfectly clear while others have dark or white eyes. An interesting […]
CENTAUREA . Cornflower and Sweet-sultan (Name derived from a certain centaur that was famous for his ability as a healer) There is a vast array of Centaureas, both annuals and perennial. All of them have more or less thistle-like flowers. SPECIES. Cornflower (Bachelor-button) (Frenchpink) (Bluebottle) (Keiserbloom) (Ragged-sailor) (Bluet). Cenfaurea cyanus. A popular blue, purple, rose or white sort. The double […]
HUNNEMANNIA – Goldencup (Giant Yellow-tulip poppy) (Bush-eschscholtzia) (Named for John Hunnemann, an English botanist) An aristocrat among the Poppies, the Goldencup, bears a difficult botanical name, Hunnemannia fumariaefolia. The buttercup-yellow flowers are like those of California-poppies except that they are more crinkled, and of greater substance, furthermore, the plants are upright. The leaves are glaucous and thick, but finely cut. […]
There are some annuals with showy fruits and among them none is so much admired as the Chinese Lantern plant, which produces large, inflated, orange-red, lantern-like pods containing small, fleshy fruits much like Tomatoes. The flowers are inconspicuous, being borne in the axils of the leaves, and it is after the leaves have fallen that the fruit is most showy. […]