Half hardy annuals

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Contents 1 Half-Hardy Annuals 2 Care of Half-Hardy Annuals 3 Sowing Half-Hardy Annuals from Seed 4 Sowing Half Hardy Annuals in Trays 5 Half-Hardy Annuals List

Half-Hardy Annuals

As their name implies, half-hardy annuals must not be sown out of doors until all danger of frost is over say towards the beginning of May. But it is possible to get to work two months sooner, and thus ensure earlier flowering by sowing them in a frame set over a hotbed or in a warm greenhouse.

Care of Half-Hardy Annuals

Half-hardy annuals in the main revel in sunshine, but there are a few which prefer shady or partly shaded positions. Among these are French marigolds, phlox Drummondi and nicotiana.

Sowing Half-Hardy Annuals from Seed

Even the lack of these almost indispensable adjuncts to the enthusiastic amateur's garden need not deter him from attempting to grow from seed a few of those half-hardy annuals which add so much delight to beds and borders in the height of summer.

It is quite possible to raise them in a sunny room indoors say, an attic whose windows face south. But in case this method be adopted, sowing should be deferred until April.

The seed may be sown in pots or boxes ; either will serve the purpose equally well, the choice depending upon the quantity of plants it is desired to raise. If these be very numerous boxes will be found most convenient. In the raising of half-hardy annuals there are one or two guiding principles that need to be kept in mind. These are : to use fine moist, sandy soil ; to sow thinly ; to water carefully ; to supply ventilation as soon as the seedlings peep through the soil, and to prick off early so as to prevent overcrowding in the seed pan or box.

In preparing the pan or box for the reception of the seed it will be necessary to pay careful attention first of all to the drainage. If boxes be used, it is a good plan to drill a few holes in the bottom with a red-hot poker, and to cover these with a layer or two of broken crocks. The latter should also be used generously if either pots or pans be utilised. Fill the box or pan to within an inch of the top with finely sifted soil, and press it down firmly with the bottom of a flower-pot or a flat piece of wood.

The soil should now be watered lightly through a fine-rose can and be left to stand for half-an-hour. Upon this moistened surface the seed may be sown. This should be done carefully, so that the seed may be distributed evenly over the surface of the soil. In the case of very fine seed, such as that of nicotiana, no covering of soil is necessary. All that need be done is to press the seed into the soil with a flat instrument, either the bottom of a small, clean flower-pot, or a square, flat piece of wood. Larger seeds may be lightly sprinkled over with soil and be gently watered in.

A sheet of glass should next be placed over the pan or box, this again be covered with brown paper, and, after careful attention to labelling, the seeds are ready to be placed either on a hotbed or on the warm greenhouse shelf.

In a few days the seedlings will peep through the soil, and it is then that ventilation becomes important. To begin with, place two wooden labels across the edges on each side of the pot or box, underneath the glass, and substitute white paper for brown. A few days later the glass may be removed altogether, and all that is needed until the time for pricking off arrives is to see that the tiny plants are shaded from the direct rays of hot sunshine, and also that they are not allowed to become dry and drawn. When the seedlings have become well established, and have produced four leaves, they should be pricked off into other boxes in which the soil has been made a little richer by the introduction of leaf mould. The seedling should be set deep in its new quarters, about two inches from its neighbour, so that the leaves rest lightly on the soil. The plants will require to be kept well shaded for a few days, and to remain in the warmth of the greenhouse for several weeks longer. Then towards the end of April they may be transferred to a cold frame to harden off, and by the end of May they will be ready for planting out in the open border.

Sowing Half Hardy Annuals in Trays

Light shallow boxes may be made from egg-boxes, or seed sowing trays.

Give plenty of drainage and cover with rough material.

Section of seed-box ready for sowing.

Sow thinly.

Useful wooden tool for making the soil firm.

After sowing rub a little fine soil through a sieve.

Water with a fine rose. Not with an ordinary rose.

If fine rose not available use a cone of paper filled with water.

Half-Hardy Annuals List

The number of half-hardy annuals is very numerous, but there are a few which ought not to be absent from any well-ordered garden. Here is a list of them, with their descriptions :

Ageratum. Colours white and blue.

Aster (China). Victoria, Comet, Ostrich Plume, Quilled and Crown ; colours various.

Balsam. Colours various.

Cobaea scandens. Colours purple and white.

Lobelia. Colours blue and white.

Love-lies-bleeding (Amaranthus). Colour red.

Marigold (African and French). Colours yellow, orange and striped.

Mesembryanthemum tricolor. Colours various.

Nemesia. Colours various.

Nicotiana affinis. Colours various.

Phlox Drummondi. Colours various.

Salpiglossis. Colours various.

Sal via (Bluebeard). Colour blue.

Stock (ten-week and Giant Perfection). Colours various.

Zinnia (single and double). Colours various.