The bulbs may be planted in any light soil ; but they succeed best in sand ; and some cultivators to the west ward of London have been at the pains to carry sea-sand fifty miles for this purpose. They should not be planted deep, not being covered more than an inch. In February the flowers begin to appear ; in March they are in glory ; and by the end of April the seeds begin to ripen. In good seasons these are produced plentifully, and by means of them new varieties may be procured. The leaves of most of the species grow chiefly after the flowering is over these should not be cut, as is often done, the bulbs being thereby deprived of much of their nourishment ; they may, however, very properly be tied up.
Annual Flowers.
519. Many of these are very beautiful ; and, in fine flower-gardens, they not only appear in patches on the borders, but some of the elegant sorts are cultivated in beds in a separate compartment, called the Annual Flower garden.
They are commonly divided into Ilarey, Less Harey, and Tender. The hardy arc sown in the spring, in the na tural ground where they are to remain ; the less hardy are raised on a slight hot-bed, and planted out in April and May ; and the tender require to be passed through two nursery beds before planting in the open border, and the northern parts of Britain they arc kept almost always under glass. In this place only a few of the most beauti ful or curious of each of these divisions can be named. Pretty ample and correct tabular lists of them may be found in Abercrombie's Practical Gardener, under the head Flayer-garden.
520. Of the hardy Annuals, different species of Adonis are showy, none more so than the Pheasant's-eye, A. au tumnalis : this, if not a native, has become completely na turalized in fields near London, and quantities of the flow ers arc every summer sold in the city by the name of Red Morocco. Several species of Snapdragon (Antirrhinum); white and purple Candytuft (Iberia unibellata); Lobel's Catchlly, red and white (Silene armcria;) Venus' Looking glass (Campanula speculum) ; with the purple and the red topped Clary (Salvia horminum), arc very ornamental. Va rieties of the Convolvulus major and minor, and of the Bluebottle (Centaurca cyanus), with the S'Weet Sultan (C'. moschata); the Fennel-flower (Nigella damascena), with many sorts of Scabious (Scabiosa), and the well known Stock Gillyflower (illathiola incana), deserve cultivation. The Yellow Balsam (Impatiens noli tangere) is remarka ble for its ripe capsules exploding the seeds upon being touched ; it thus sows itself, and should therefore be plac ed in a by-corner. The yellow blossoms of the Bladder
Ketmia or Flower of an hour, (Hibiscus trionum) are ex tremely perishable if the sun be bright, but they are pro duced in long succession. Many varieties of Larkspur (Delphinium Ajacis), single and double, branched or with simple stems ; with several kinds of Lupine (Lupinus), and of Sweet Pea (Lathyrus odoratus) are well known, and very ornamental. The varieties of Carnation Poppy (Papaver sonzny'erum) are very showy ; they are generally allowed to sow themselves. Strawberry Blite (Blitunica pitatum) is a curious plant, the fruit resembling strawber ries only, however, in appearance. Belvedere (Chenopa dium Scoparia) is a handsome plant, resembling in its close pyramidal shape a dwarfish cypress.tree ; from which cir cumstance it is often called Summer cypress. The Ca terpillar (Scorpiurus vermiculata), Hedgehog, and Snail plants (Illedicago intertexta and scutellata) have no beauty, but are remarkable on account of their vermiform pods. The Eternal Flower (Xeranthemunt) is excelled by none, and there are red, white, purple, and blue varieties of it. Mignonette (Reseda odorata) is universally liked ; it is ge nerally sown in large patches, or an entire border is filled with it, commonly in front of the conservatory or green house.
Hardy annual plants are generally sown in 'circular patches, traced with a hand trowel, with which, at the same time, the earth is broken small. A bit of stick is placed as a mark in the centre of each patch. Usually two or three successive sowings are made, from the middle of March to the middle of May, the season of flowering being thus pro longed. The plants must afterwards be thinned, according to the nature of their growth, the belvedere, the sunflower, and some others standing quite detached, After thinning, a plentiful watering is proper, in order to settle the earth about those that remain ; and in dry weather, frequent wa tering will ensure the production of much finer and stronger plants. Most of the kinds bear transplanting in dull and showery weather. The tall-growing plants should of course be placed in the back part of the border ; the low growing in front. When the flowering is nearly over, some of the earliest and strongest plants should be marked for affording a supply of seed, and should, if tall, be tied to stakes, to prevent their being broken, or falling down. It often happens that some of the kinds spring up in the bor ders from seeds sown naturally the former year ; from these the best and ripest seed may be expected.