Hardy Annuals are those which require no artificial heat at any period of their growth — every stage of their development, from germination to ripen- ing of the seed, may be passed in the open ground. They are the most easily cultivated of all plants. For succession sow from February to May for summer display ; J une and J uly for autumn blooming, and August and September for spring flowering. Seeds of the hardier Annuals may be sown where they are to grow ; but as a rule it is pre- ferable to transplant, as the plants are generally stronger and stand draughts better. During very dry weather, and when the seedlings are first set out, they should be watered frequently. If the weeds are kept down and the ground loosened often, the plants will receive the fall benefit of the rains and dews, which they will not if the ground is allowed to become hard or baked. Half-Hardy Annuals are those species that flower and ripen their seeds in the open air, but need the assistance of artificial heat in the earlier stages of their growth. They should be sown in pans or frames on a gentle bottom heat, in March or April. By the end of May the seedlings will be ready for transplanting to the borders, but previous to removal they should be hardened by gradually admitting air to fb« ( vara* night *>.\d day. Biennials do not generally flower till the second year from the sowing of the seed, and are only in perfection one season, and for a limited period ; they are not, therefore, adapted for a bed in the lawn, which should make a show of blooms all through the season. Perennials are herbaceous plants, which die down during the winter but spring up and produce new stems an- nually. Many of the species improve by age, forming large clumps or bushes ; by being divided the stock is increased and the plant invigorated. Some per- ennials, like the pansy, stock, dianthus and antirrhinum flower the first season, but true perennials, like biennials, do not bloom till the second season. Hardy Biennials and Peren- nials require the same treatment as hardy annuals. If seeds of Hardy An- nuals, Biennials and Perennials are sown in boxes in September, and win- tered in cold frames, they will make strong plants by spring, and come into bloom sooner — in the case of Biennials and Perennials a season earlier. Or they may be planted in the open garden in September and at the beginning of winter, covered with straw or other litter as a protection against frost. In spring this covering must be carefully removed and the surface around them loosened, and when large enough transplant them to the border where they are to remain.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Hardy Annuals are those which require no artificial heat at any period of their growth — every stage of their development, from germination to ripening of the seed, may be passed in the open ground. They are the most easily cultivated of all plants. For succession sow from February to May for summer display ; J une and J uly for autumn blooming, and August and September for spring flowering. Seeds of the hardier Annuals may be sown where they are to grow ; but as a rule it is preferable to transplant, as the plants are generally stronger and stand draughts better. During very dry weather, and when the seedlings are first set out, they should be watered frequently. If the weeds are kept down and the ground loosened often, the plants will receive the fall benefit of the rains and dews, which they will not if the ground is allowed to become hard or baked. Half-Hardy Annuals are those species that flower and ripen their seeds in the open air, but need the assistance of artificial heat in the earlier stages of their growth. They should be sown in pans or frames on a gentle bottom heat, in March or April. By the end of May the seedlings will be ready for transplanting to the borders, but previous to removal they should be hardened by gradually admitting air to the air night and day. Biennials do not generally flower till the second year from the sowing of the seed, and are only in perfection one season, and for a limited period ; they are not, therefore, adapted for a bed in the lawn, which should make a show of blooms all through the season. Perennials are herbaceous plants, which die down during the winter but spring up and produce new stems annually. Many of the species improve by age, forming large clumps or bushes ; by being divided the stock is increased and the plant invigorated. Some perennials, like the pansy, stock, dianthus and antirrhinum flower the first season, but true perennials, like biennials, do not bloom till the second season. Hardy Biennials and Perennials require the same treatment as hardy annuals. If seeds of Hardy Annuals, Biennials and Perennials are sown in boxes in September, and wintered in cold frames, they will make strong plants by spring, and come into bloom sooner — in the case of Biennials and Perennials a season earlier. Or they may be planted in the open garden in September and at the beginning of winter, covered with straw or other litter as a protection against frost. In spring this covering must be carefully removed and the surface around them loosened, and when large enough transplant them to the border where they are to remain.

Consult me