Chapter 1: Root-pruning (4)

Like other types of plants, perennials should be selected according to their cultural needs, and should be planted only where they can get the amount of sunlight and moisture they need, and where the soil is suitable or can be made so. An acid-loving plant in neutral or alkaline soil is a poor, short-lived thing; a moisture-lover withers pitiably where it’s dry as a desert most of the time; a “hardy” perennial won’t be hardy unless its environment is to its liking.

PLANTING AND CARE

Unless it’s utterly impossible, we do all our planting in the spring, so there is plenty of time for plants to develop vigorous root systems before a mean Connecticut winter comes along. This is particularly important to shallow-rooted perennials, and to any that are planted in windy, exposed sites. But for us, it also includes spring-flowering varieties. In spring we’ve planted dormant roots with or without mere nubbins of new growth, and plants that were fully leaved out and bursting with buds, with very little loss. But fall planting has proved to be a gamble; and if we’re forced into it, we’re more likely to find room in the cold frame for the new arrivals until spring.

Of course, this is not usually necessary in more temperate sections where plants set out in late summer and early fall have plenty of time to become acclimated before heavy frost. And it can be all wrong for Southern gardens, where planting during deepest dormancy is often recommended.

Even if you’re planting only three little pinks in a nook the size of a lady’s handkerchief, soil should be dug deeply and be suitably conditioned or enriched, drainage should be made perfect, roots should be spread out carefully, and watering should be as thorough as if you were planting a priceless miniature tree or shrub. To prevent a serious setback from wilting, put up some sort of temporary protection against sun and wind--an encircling screen of leafy branches, even a tent of newspaper or old sheeting.

_Soil_

There are few soils that can’t be improved by the addition of organic matter such as leaf mold, manure, or compost; and few plants that won’t grow better for it. It helps hold moisture in sandy soil, improves texture and increases drainage in clay-like soil, enriches ordinary garden loam. Mix it thoroughly with the soil before you place the plants. Also before planting, add lime to acid soil for plants that need it, acid peat for acid-loving varieties if your soil is neutral or alkaline. Above all, don’t plant anything (except for a few bog inhabitants) where water stands in puddles. Poor drainage has killed more perennials than Old Man Winter himself.

_Watering and Mulching_

Most miniature perennials naturally have rather shallow root systems, so they suffer quickly from drought. Don’t let them dry out seriously (particularly after transplanting); water often and deeply enough that the soil below the roots is wet. Thorough watering in late fall, just before the ground freezes, often makes the difference between winter-survival and winter-kill.

Mulching with any available, airy material--buckwheat hulls or crushed sugar cane, for example--will help keep soil moist and will also discourage germination of weed seeds, thereby saving you a bit of work.

_Fertilizing_

Most miniature plants don’t like or need a heavy diet. A light top-dressing of balanced fertilizer, in early spring, is usually enough to nourish them without forcing soft and straggly growth. Reluctant bloomers may need a small ration of superphosphate or a booster drink of liquid-manure “tea” as flowering time approaches.

_Pruning and Grooming_

To keep them compact and attractive, some varieties should have growing tips pinched out once or twice in spring and early summer; others may have a few long, straggly stems to be removed; some carpeting types should be sheared off after flowering. Always pick off faded flowers unless you have reason to want the seeds.

In fall, when foliage is frostbitten, cut back the old stems and take them away, along with any fallen leaves or other debris, to be burned. Many diseases and insects winter over in decaying vegetable matter.

_Insects and Disease_

Our trusty duster or sprayer, filled with an all-purpose insecticide-fungicide formula, gives all our garden plants a preventive treatment several times a season. So far, this has been enough to keep problems and pests away. For some special infestations or epidemics, we keep a few specific remedies on hand--sulfur for powdery mildew, and Aramite for mites, for example.

_Winter Protection_

In our area we never know whether winter will bless us with a constant covering of snow, or the ground will be bare and exposed to alternate freezing and thawing that “heaves” tender roots up out of their beds. After the ground is frozen two or three inches deep, we cover sleeping perennials with a light blanket of salt hay or, sometimes, evergreen boughs. Crowns that stay evergreen are surrounded by a collar of sharp sand. Questionably hardy varieties are lifted and moved to the cold frame.

In spring, as the weather begins to warm up, we remove the protective mulch a bit at a time. There’s a fine line between taking it off prematurely, thus exposing new growth to a late freeze, and leaving it so long that the soil underneath gets soggy and the roots rot. But, rot can be fatal, and frozen tips of new growth are not, so we remove the winter covering as fast as we dare.

PROPAGATING MINIATURE PERENNIALS

One item in our Connecticut landscape that’s completely out of scale with its surroundings is the monstrous cold frame near the back boundary line. The cement-block wall goes down below the frost line, and up high enough to make room for winter storage of fairly good-sized plants. The discarded storm windows are hinged across the back and completely removable in summer, when they are replaced by light wooden frames of the same size with laths nailed a lath-width apart. The construction slants toward the south, to make the most of all winter sunshine; light shading is necessary in summer to protect tender seedlings and rooting cuttings.

The cold frame serves dozens of purposes and has more than paid for itself with plants it has protected or produced. When we plant perennial seeds in the cold frame, we throw a piece of burlap across the top and keep it moist until they germinate. Tender seedlings spend their first winter within its walls, and so do newly rooted cuttings. Questionably hardy perennials or any that we acquire in fall are held over until spring. Every year, it seems as if we take more out of the cold frame than we put into it!

Other, smaller, portable devices are equally useful for all kinds of summer propagating. Low square or rectangular wooden frames can be set over an area of prepared soil and the top covered with glass or polyethylene to keep the soil from drying out. An empty fruit crate from the grocer can be equipped with a glass or plastic top. A few cuttings can be rooted in soil in some shady spot with a clear glass jar inverted over them. There are many devices that keep soil moist and air humid while seeds germinate or cuttings root. How large or elaborate yours should be depends on how much propagating you want to do.

_Seeds_

Many hard-to-find miniature perennials can be easily grown from a twenty-cent packet of seed. You can also harvest seeds from your own plants; but only natural species will “come true.” Complicated hybrids will have unpredictable offspring, most of them not particularly desirable.

We plant seeds of most biennials and perennials in June, when the soil is comfortably warm and the seedlings will have the whole summer to grow large and lusty. Some of our own seeds that ripen in midsummer are planted as soon as we can harvest them; those that mature later are usually stored on a cool shelf in the cellar in plastic boxes or little pill bottles that keep them dry.

Soil for the seed bed is sifted to remove pebbles and debris, and mixed with equal quantities of sharp sand and peat or sieved leaf mold. To prevent “damp-off,” a fungus that chokes off stems at the soil line, soil should be sterilized if at all possible. Small quantities may be baked in the oven. Special easy-to-use fungicides are also available; follow label directions.

Rocks, water, and planting--an effective combination of all the
elements of a rock garden. (_Mr. and Mrs. Norman Cherry_)]

Most seeds are covered to the depth of their diameter; very fine seeds are merely firmed down into the soil. Seeds with hard coats may be gently nicked with a knife or soaked in water for a day or so. Some seeds, like primroses, need to be treated as if they had wintered outdoors before they will germinate. You can put them in moist sand in a small, tight container and alternate freezing in the ice compartment and thawing in the warmer part of the refrigerator for several days. Or you can plant these seeds in a small box or flat of their own and leave them outdoors, in a protected spot, where winter will supply its own natural conditions.

Some seeds germinate faster in the dark, some with light; some like cooler temperatures than others; some come up in seven days, some take months or even a year. Seed packets usually supply pertinent information.

Seeds will not germinate in dry soil, or if allowed to dry out even temporarily during the critical period. To avoid washing out fine seeds, water gently with a fine mist, or set the flat or other container in water up to the level of the soil inside. When the soil surface looks shiny and moist, remove the container and set it aside to drain.

When the first “true” leaves are of fair size, transplant the seedlings to peat pots, or flats, or rows in a prepared bed or cold frame. Shade against sun and wind until they resume growth.

_Stem Cuttings_

Many perennials can be propagated easily and in quantity by rooting softwood cuttings like those of trees and shrubs. Tip cuttings three or four inches long are usually best, with all the flower buds and the lower leaves removed. Some types, such as dianthus and lavender, root faster and more surely if the cutting is taken with a heel.

For spring-flowering varieties, take stem cuttings after flowering has finished and up until midsummer; for those that bloom later, take cuttings in May or June.

_Division_

This is a wonderful way not only to increase perennials, but also to keep them young and vigorous. How often you divide them depends on each plant’s individual performance. When growth is so thick it seems to be choking itself, when there’s little healthy new growth and a poor show of bloom, when a clump or crown becomes tough and hard in the center, it’s usually time to refresh the plant by division. Some plants need it almost every other year, some not for many years.

How you divide a plant depends upon how it grows. If there is a central crown of leaves, it can be cut cleanly into two or three sections, each with its own share of roots. Or there may be new, young crowns clustered around its edge that can be pulled or cut off. If the plant simply has a crowded colony of stems and fibrous roots, you can often pull it apart gently into several pieces. Or if it’s the type that sends out rooting runners, you can sever these and replant them. Generally, the old, tired center of the plant is discarded.

In cold climates, even spring-flowering perennials are most safely divided very early in the season, when new growth is beginning. Cool, moist spring weather favors rapid recovery from the operation, and there is plenty of time for the new plants to mature before fall. Summer-flowering and fall-flowering types are also divided in earliest spring. In humid climates the spring-bloomers can be divided in August or early September.

_Layering_

Almost any perennial with low or low-hanging branches can be propagated by pinning a stem to the soil, several inches from the growing tip. When new growth appears, cut off the rooted stem and transplant it. This propagating method may not produce great numbers of new plants at one time; but it is surely one of the easiest and least troublesome practices--and particularly safe because the new plant is supported by the parent until it is well rooted.

I’ve been intrigued with one good gardener’s method of creating a low hedge from one plant of dwarf lavender. She layered one stem at each side of the original plant. When these two new plants were fairly mature (but not cut away from the old plant), she layered one stem of each. By repeating the process, and locating each new layer in a straight line with the last one, she can extend her hedge as far as she wishes and plant it as she goes, along any lines.

ROCK GARDEN PERENNIALS

=Achillea= _Compositae_ Yarrow, Hilfoil

Resembling the field yarrow, but dainty, mottled, and tufted. The leaves, some finely cut and ferny, wear thick wool coats. The saucy flowers are in heads, some flat-topped and not unlike daisies.

_ageratifolia aizoon (Anthemis aizoon)_--Six-inch mat of
silver-haired, uncut leaves topped with bright white flowers in
May and June.

_clavennae_--Tufts of hoary, fine-cut leaves less than a
foot high, tight round white flower heads three-fourths of an
inch across in May and June.

_tomentosa_--Best-known little species, quickly makes a
thick mat of semi-evergreen gray-green leaves six inches tall.
It has sunny yellow flowers from June to midsummer. The variety
aurea has more golden flowers and blooms earlier; nana is a true
midget and makes a thick carpet studded with many white flowers.
Five-inch ‘Moonlight’ has flowers of sulfur yellow, and greener
foliage.

_umbellata_--Four-inch mounds of fuzzy, silvery, ferny
leaves. It has cream-white flowers in June and is evergreen in
temperate areas.

CARE. Any soil, even sandy or poor. Dryish to moist. Sun or very light shade. Easy to grow.

PROPAGATION. Division in spring or fall, seeds (flowers the second year).

SPECIAL USES. Rock plantings, dry-wall planting, edging, ground cover, pavements.

=Aethionema= _Cruciferae_ Stone-Cress, Persian Candytuft

This is a heathery little shrub-like perennial with slim leaves and steely-blue needles, cheerful clusters of flowers at the stem tips in May and June. It is often compared to a minuscule daphne.

_armenum_--Neat tufts of short, sharp leaves and petite
pink flowers in June. It is never over four inches high.

_iberideum_--Low, crowded, and cushiony-minute with
gray-green leaves and large white flowers in short clusters.
This one is earlier than other varieties, blooming even in April
if the weather is favorable. (Needs gritty soil with some lime.)

_schistosum_--By comparison this one is a giant growing
to eight or ten inches, with two-inch leaves and fragrant pink
flowers.

CARE. Soil light, sandy, well-drained, and gravelly; dry; sun. Hardy in southern New England. Give protection in severe winters.

PROPAGATION. Cuttings in summer, division and seeds in spring.

SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, dry-wall planting, edging, borders.

=Ajuga= _Labiatae_ Bugle

This is a low, creeping or spreading perennial with pinwheels of rather coarse leaves and small blue flowers which come in May and June. It is of miniature height and should only be planted where you can control it, or want it to spread. Some of the better-known varieties are:

_genevensis_--Oval toothed leaves, light green. Flowers
deep blue.

_pyramidalis_--Less likely to spread and stays neat and
small. Flowers blue and slightly larger than those of other
varieties.

_reptans_--Also known as carpet bugle, it is nearly supine,
with stems that root as they creep. Flowers blue or purplish.
Variety alba has white flowers; variegata, foliage marked with
cream and pink. Rubra pink flowers.

‘Silver Beauty’--Compact and ground-hugging. White markings on
leaves give a silvery appearance. Blue flowers.

CARE. Ordinary soil, even poor; sun or part shade; dry. Plant in fall or spring six inches apart. Easy to grow.

PROPAGATION. Seeds in spring, division.

SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, dry-wall planting, ground cover, edging.

=Alyssum= _Cruciferae_ Madwort

Plushy, mat-forming, like a silver-gray rug with flecks of white or golden flowers in spring and summer. The grayish leaves are small, the flowers in thick clusters. Popular forms are:

_alpestre_ (_serpyllifolium_)--Three-inch gray carpet
with bright-yellow flowers through June.

_montanum_--Fragrant gold flowers in June; about eight
inches high.

_mulfenianum_--Smaller (four-inch) version with balls of
yellow flowers from May to June.

_saxatile_--basket of gold--Blooms in May; nine inches
high; spreads thickly. Variety compactum is more compact and
shorter; about eight inches. Variety citrinum has lemon-yellow
flowers.

_spinosum_--Dense growth, shrubby and spiny, about eight
inches high. White flowers sometimes tinged with pink, in June
and July.

CARE. Any ordinary soil with drainage. Sunny, open location. Plant in spring or fall six to eight inches apart.

PROPAGATION. Seeds in fall, division of roots in spring.

SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, borders, dry walls, pavements, edging, carpet for bulbs, ground cover.

=Anemone= _Ranunculaceae_ Windflower

One of the earliest to bloom in the spring, it has lacy leaves and colorful flowering saucers not made up of petals but of sepals (leaves that encircle the flowers at the base).

_apennina_--Tuberous species six or seven inches high
with deeply cut leaves; arrives in March with bright, sky-blue
flowers. Variety alba has white flowers; purpurea, rich
lavender-rose.

_blanda_--Resembles apennina but is slightly larger and has
darker flowers.

_nemorosa_--European wood anemone--Similiar to American
forms. Variety alleni has lavender flowers. Variety rosea, pink.

_palmata_--Six-inch dwarf with whorls of leathery leaves,
golden-white flowers in May or June. The flowers of the variety
albida are heavenly white with gold centers.

_pulsatilla_--pasque flower--A more robust alpine growing
to eight inches tall. Hardy even in Maine rock gardens. Flowers
are purple-blue bells that come early and last as long as the
weather is cool. Its finely cut leaves are softened with silky
hairs. Other varieties are alba, white; rubra, plum red; and
camla, silvery lilac surrounded by white.

CARE. Rich sandy loam with leaf mold. Part shade for some varieties.

PROPAGATION. Seed in late fall, root division in early spring.

SPECIAL USES. Wild gardens, rock gardens, forcing, flower beds.

=Antennaria= _Compositae_ Pussy-Toes

This is a furry little creeper with flat, silvery, spoon-shaped leaves and bristly flowers sometimes dried as everlastings.

_dioica_--Fast-creeping carpet with pink-tipped flowers in
spring.

_microphylla (parvifolia)_--Western native, slower growing,
with white flowers.

_neodioica_--Eastern native that makes a low mat of
silver-hairy leaves and sends up pink-tipped white flowers in
early summer.

CARE. Sandy, even poor, soil; full sun; dry. Cut off leaves after flowering to make neater plants.

PROPAGATION. Seeds and division.

SPECIAL USES. Rock walls and pavement.

=Aquilegia= _Ranunculaceae_ Columbine

Hardy little perennials with two-or three-part leaves like clover but often cut or indented on the edge, and drooping or noddling flowers with flaring sepals and spurs of different sizes and shapes.

_akitensis_--Six-inch Japanese doll with stemless
blue-green leaves and large lavender-blue flowers with yellow at
the center. June flowers.

_discolor_--Alpine with glowing blue flowers, white inside
and frosty-green leaves. Five inches tall.

_flabellata nana-alba_--fan columbine--Three divided leaves
like blue-green fans, lustrous white flowers in May.

_jonesi_--Diminutive, two to three inches tall. Small
leaves in small mounds, flowers upturned and deep blue in June.

_saximontana_--Alpine with two-inch tufts of crisp leaves;
aquamarine flowers with yellowish sepals on four-inch stems in
April.

CARE. Soil light and sandy, with leaf mold; drainage; shade or semishade. Hardy. Plant in fall.

PROPAGATION. Seeds in the spring (flowers the following year), division in the spring.

SPECIAL USES. Rock and wall planting, wild-flower gardens, beds.

=Arabis= _Cruciferae_ Rock Cress

Mat-forming perennials with blankets of hairy leaves under spreads of flowers rather like stocks or candytuft. They flower in spring or summer and are often fragrant.

_albida_--Unless the form is marked “compact” the species
may top ten inches. Leaves green and woolly, flowers white
(in April and May). Variety flora plena is about six inches
tall with double white flowers; rosea, orchid pink and single;
variegata, white-marked leaves. ‘Pink Charm’ is single with
bright-pink flowers.

_blepharophylla_--Clusters of deep-green leaves with
eyelashes on the edge; pink-purple flowers in April. Height,
four inches.

_procurrens_--Matting plant with creeping stolons, white
flowers in May. Dwarf variety, stari, spreads slowly and stays
under four inches.

CARE. Medium, even poor, soil; warm and sandy. Not too moist. Sun or light shade. After flowering cut back straggly stems.

PROPAGATION. Division (in spring or fall), seeds, cuttings.

SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, wall planting, ground cover, edging.

=Aster alpinus= _Compositae_ Rock Aster

Small leaves mat closely to make a mound four inches high. The flat lilac daisy-like flowers come in June and July on eight-inch stems. The variety superbus is slightly larger; albus has white flowers. ‘Goliath’ is a variety with flowers ranging from yellow-centered lavender to near-purple. ‘Spring Charm’ is a midget with lavender-pinkish flowers.

CARE. Any good soil, full sun.

PROPAGATION. Seeds in the spring (flowers the next year).

SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, borders, edging.

=Bellis= _Compositae_ Daisy

Miniature daisies of cheerful charm, some varieties barely six inches tall.

_perennis_--English daisy--Nests of green leaves sprinkled
in spring and summer with flowers of white, rose, or red.
Several new strains are now being offered in singles, doubles
(some have quilted petals), and varied colors.

_rotundiafolia caerulescens_--alpine daisy--Soft-blue
flowers all summer long.

CARE. Fertile soil; moist, but good drainage; sun or semisun. A cool summer produces larger flowers. Not suitable for hot climates.

PROPAGATION. Seeds (flowers following year), division in cool weather.

SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, edging, ground cover.

=Campanula= _Campanulaceae_ Harebell, Bell Flower

These are the beloved bell flowers which should be included in all gardens. Included on page 264 are varieties that are easy to get and grow.

CARE. Light loamy soil, slightly on limy side; drainage. Sun, except dwarfs, which take light shade. Remove dead flowers. Shelter with evergreen boughs in severe winter.

PROPAGATION. Division in early spring or fall, seeds (plant as soon as ripe), cuttings.

SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, walls, borders, edging, pots, and baskets.

=Cerastium= _Caryophyllaceae_

Perennial creepers and carpeters with slim silk-hairy leaves and showers of white flowers with an over-all effect of soft fuzzy wool. Maximum height six inches, but most plants less.

_alpinum lanatum_--Smallest downy leaves, white flowers in
clusters in June and July.

_bierbersteini_--Longer leaves, flowers one month earlier.

_tomentosum_--snow in summer--This, the most popular
species; quickly forms a large mat like a silver carpet under
starry white flowers in May and June. It is said it will grow in
pure sand.

CARE. Ordinary soil, sun, dry. Easy to grow.

PROPAGATION. Seeds (plant in fall or spring), division, cuttings after flowering.

SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, edging, flower beds, ground cover.

VARIETIES OF HAREBELL, BELL FLOWERS

_Leaves_ _Flowers_ _Blooming season_ _carpatica_ mats 4″ tall blue saucers June to Oct. _carpatica alba_ mats 4″ tall white June to Oct. _carpatica_ ‘Wedgwood’ cushions violet-blue cups June to Oct. _carpatica_ ‘White Wedgwood’ cushions white June to Oct. _carpatica turbinata_ low mass large, flat, violet June to Aug. _cochlearifolia_ shell-shaped mass blue bells May and June _cochlearifolia alba_ shell-shaped mass white May and June _cochlearifolia_ ‘Mironda’ shell-shaped mass silver-blue June to Aug. _collina_ fuzzy clumps purple bells June _elatines_ dense 3″ mass stars, white center June and July _elatines alba plena_ double white ‘Star for baskets of Bethlehem’ and pots _garganica_ may be woolly blue June and July _portenschlagiana roundish, toothed (muralis)_ crinkled tufts violet bells June and July _saxifraga_ broadened upturned violet bells spring

=Ceratostigma plumbaginoides= _Plumbaginaceae_ Leadwort

Shrubby little perennial “bushes” about eight inches high and spreading into clumps twice as wide, with hairy-edged leaves which are green with bronze overtones. It turns to a brickish color in autumn. In August the plants cover themselves with blue phlox-like flowers and continue to bloom until heavy frost.

CARE. Most any soil with drainage. Will grow in sand. Full sun best but semishade is acceptable. Don’t plant in moist location. In winter give protection.

PROPAGATION. Seeds in the spring, division at time of new growth in spring, cuttings.

SPECIAL USES. Borders, edging, rock gardens, ground cover.

=Coreopsis auriculata nana= _Compositae_

Neat little plant with tufts of divided, or lobed, leaves; golden-orange daisy-like flowers on three-to six-inch stems, from June through August.

CARE. Light sandy soil. Shade in extremely hot climate. Cut faded flowers.

PROPAGATION. Sow seeds in fall for flowering next year; division of clumps.

SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, edging.

=Corydalis= _Fumariaceae_ Fumitory

Ferny-leaved herbaceous perennials with spurred flowers like bleeding heart but more colorful and blooming in the spring. Some types are tuberous-rooted, or partly so, but are grown more like other perennials.

_cava (bulbosa)_--Tuberous type, about eight inches tall,
with gaudy clusters of purple flowers in April.

_cheilanthifolia_--Perennial with thickened roots, finely
dissected eight-inch leaves, sprays of yellow flowers from May
to frost. Requires shade from hot sun. Striking for its foliage
alone.

_halleri (densifolia)_--March bloomer, tuberous. Not many
leaves but plenty of clusters of rosy, or purple, flowers; six
to eight inches.

_lutea_--Eight-inch clump-makers with lacy blue-green
leaves. Yellow flowers appear in June and repeat later. Likes to
keep cool in the shade, or have its roots under a rock. Won’t
grow in extreme heat.

_nobilis_--Tuberous type, upright to eight inches, with
leaflets both wedge-shaped and deep-toothed. It may have as many
as twenty spurred white flowers per cluster, tipped with yellow
and spotted with purple.

_rupestris_--Ferny-leaved eight-inch perennial with
short-spurred yellow flowers. Nontuberous.

CARE. Any garden soil with drainage. Partial or light shade, or sun. Plant tuberous types in fall.

PROPAGATION. Division, seeds.

SPECIAL USES. Borders, rock gardens, wall plantings, edging.

=Dianthus= _Caryophyllaceae_ Pink

There are some very special treasures for every garden in this big family of spicy-scented plants with flowers that seem to have been fringed with pinking shears. There are impermanent perennials that flower the first year like annuals, biennials like sweet William that often self-sow, longer lived types that tuft or spread out to make low flowering mounds or mats, elusive alpines for the rock-garden connoisseur, pixies with tiny half-inch flowers, and great garden carnations. Every year new hybrids make the list longer.

Make your selection, of course, according to size, scent, growing habits, and the color scheme of your little garden. For the miniature rock garden, the rose-colored species _D. alpinus_ stays under three inches; _D. neglectus_ combines pink and buff, and there are many more. The Allwoodi hybrid varieties are sturdy, lasting, and flower freely for most of the summer. The cheddar pinks (_D. casius_ varieties) are clumpy; the maiden pinks make mats; the cottage or grass pinks are tufted; sweet William (_D. barbatas_) is one of the clusterheads; the “annuals” (usually forms of _D. chinensis_) will flower early when seed is started indoors, repeat the performance if cut back after the first flowering, and may even live to bloom once more the second year.

For the most miniature, look for these newcomers: double pink, three-inch ‘Pixie’; rose-red ‘Tiny Rubies’; four-inch ‘Wee Willie’ (sweet William’s son), not reliably perennial but behaves beautifully as an annual; deep-red ‘Little Joe.’ One seed house offers a perennial ‘Midget Double’ sweet William under four inches high and like a button-size carnation.

CARE. Warm sandy soil, not too rich. Lime, dryish, drainage. Full sun, cool temperature. Cut off faded flowers.

PROPAGATION. Division, layers, cuttings, seeds.

SPECIAL USES. Flower beds, rock gardens, edging.

=Geranium= _Geraniaceae_ Cranesbill

This is not the popular potted plant (pelargonium) or the wild geranium of the Eastern woods (_G. maculatum_). These are lacy-leaved perennials with a delicate look but a tough constitution. Here are some of the smallest available types, flowering mostly in the spring but often repeating in spurts throughout the summer.

_farreri_--A little three-inch doll from China, the
many-fingered leaves making a low nest under the astonishingly
large, black-anthered, blush-pink-on-white flowers.

_macrorrhizum_--The species is largish and makes a buxom
six-inch bush with light sprays of pink flowers. The foliage is
aromatic and turns beautifully bronzy in fall.

_pylzowianum_--Eager spreader, two to three inches high,
with finely divided leaves and rosy flowers in May and June.

CARE. Gravelly soil with drainage, dryish. Sun or light shade. Mostly hardy.

PROPAGATION. Seeds; root division in spring or fall.

SPECIAL USES. Border and dry-wall planting.

=Gypsophila= _Caryophyllaceae_ Baby’s Breath

Here is something for every rock garden, the beginner’s or the connoisseur’s. Over a soft cushion of tiny leaves the foamy flowers are heart-tuggingly romantic and delicate. The plants are hardy, eagerly branching and spreading, and veiled in bloom for most of the summer.

_cerastioides_--Four-inch creeper with gray-velvet
mouse-ear leaves, sprays of white flowers with pink veins. Soil
should be alkaline, sandy or gritty, and perfectly drained.

_muralis_--An unusual “annual” about six inches high, with
narrow leaves and warm rosy flowers. Looks and grows best when
crowded.

_repens_--Midget trailer with slim, silvery blue-green
leaves and white or pinkish flowers only a few inches above
them. Available varieties include, white-flowering alba, compact
double pink bodgeri, and single rose-pink rosea.

CARE. Not too rich soil, dryish, with drainage. Full sun or light shade. Usually hardy. Don’t thin too much.

PROPAGATION. Seeds (sow where you want the plant), division.

SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, wall plantings, pavements, ground cover.

=Iberis= _Cruciferae_ Perennial Candytuft

Extremely decorative and useful evergreen with durable, fresh-looking foliage and clusters of sparkling white or pale-tinted flowers in spring. The plants spread, but not enough to be troublesome in small gardens.

_saxatalis_--Miniature even among miniatures, with two-inch
clumps of hairy-edged leaves and flat clusters of white flowers
in May. Needs gravelly, limy soil.

_sempervirens_--The better-known named varieties are
offspring of this stalwart, nearly shrub-like perennial
with blunt-tipped narrow leaves and flowers forming an
umbrella-shaped cluster on six-to eight-inch stems. One plant
can spread out to several feet across. Among the dwarfs are
‘Autumn Snow,’ seven inches high and often blooming again in
September; ‘Little Gem,’ compact mounds four to six inches high;
‘Purity,’ the purest of white; and ‘Snowflake,’ a little later
(June) and a little larger (eight inches).

=Iris= _Iridaceae_

Basically, iris are of two types--bulbous and rhizomatous--each with miniature species, varieties, and hybrids. Leaves may be broad and flat, or slim and grass-like. Stems may bear one or several flowers, the earliest in March and the latest in June. Natural colors include white, yellow, and all shades of lavender and purple; hybrids widen the range to many other tints.

There are many miniature species, some with several varieties, and also hybrids, of their own. By far the largest group is the ‘Dwarf Bearded Iris,’ so classified by the American Iris Society according to the height of the flower stalk, and further divided into two series: miniature dwarfs (four to ten inches) and standard dwarfs, Lilliputs (ten to fifteen inches). These are rhizomatous, of course, like the tall bearded giants of the garden, and bloom midway between the earlier species and the big ones.

* * * * *

_bakeriana_--Bulbous, about six inches high, with round
leaves and early, fragrant, blue-purple flowers.

_cristata_--Crested iris with rhizomes and spreading by
stolons to make wide mats. About six inches high with one or
two white-crested, lilac, fragrant flowers in mid-May. There is
an all-white variety. It likes light shade or dappled shade and
cool moisture for its roots.

_flavissima_--Rhizomatous, spreading by stolons to make
open clumps under six inches high. It has narrow leaves and
several bearded, brown-marked yellow flowers per stem when it
blooms in April and May. It needs gritty or sandy soil, only
slightly acid.

_histroides_--Bulbous, about four inches high, with
pale-blue flowers which appear early before the leaves. Various
colors available.

_innominata_--Rhizomatous West Coast dwarf with long grassy
leaves and flowers varying between yellow and orange, and
between lavender and purple. Blooms in May and June. Takes light
shade and neutral, or even slightly acid, soil.

_orchioides_--Bulbous, with sword-shaped leaves to nine
inches long; has several purple-blotched yellow flowers per stem.

_reticulata_--Bulb covered with netted membrane. Reedy
stems about eight inches long disappearing in June. Crested
flowers on six-inch stems with a fragrance like fresh violets.
Gold-marked on deep purple. Blooms very early in March, even in
snow.

_tenuifolia_--Rhizomatous, about six inches high,
blue-purple flowers in June.

_vartani_--Bulbous, flowering in late winter in mild areas,
stemless slate-blue or violet flowers.

_voina_--Native rhizomatous species which spreads by
stolons; four to six inches tall. Has tufts of narrow leaves and
beardless flowers which are lilac, or velvet marked yellow, on
three-inch stems; blooms in May. Provide light shade and acid
soil.

CARE. For bulbous type: sandy or gritty soil with humus; drainage; sun, except the hottest. For dwarf bearded type: loamy alkaline soil, and drainage. Moist. More sun for best flowering.

PROPAGATION. Bulbous: divide bulbs in summer and replant in summer. Rhizomatous: divide in summer.

SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, forcing, flower beds.

=Lavandula officinalis= _Labiate_ Lavender

Here is one that deserves a place in every garden, and for many reasons: Its aromatic foliage and flowers, its nostalgic charm, and the pleasant sight of it against evergreen with its gray-felt leaves and dark-lavender flowers. It usually stops growing just under the height of one foot and can be clipped lower if you wish. The leaves are lacy, slim, and dainty, especially with their pure-white fur when young.

Among the varieties available are the Munstead strain, dwarf, plump, and bearing pink flowers; ‘Hidcate Blue,’ very hardy; compacta (nana compacta), earlier flowering and only a few inches high; and atropurpurea, with dark purple flowers.

CARE. Poor soil so plants will not grow too vigorously and winter-kill. Drainage, sun, winter protection. Dryish. Lime for maximum fragrance. Prune almost any time; mulch.

PROPAGATION. Seeds, division, cuttings in late fall or early spring on this year’s growth with heel of older wood.

SPECIAL USES. Edging, rock gardens, ground cover.

=Myosotis= _Boraginaceae_ Forget-Me-Not

Sentiment, compelling as it is, is not the only reason for having this delightful little plant in one’s rock garden. Small though it is, it has its own quiet charm in its delicate foliage and transparent cloud of tiny blue flowers. The intensity of color of those blooms catches your eye and draws you to it. You look at it and understand the reason for its name. Here are a few members of the family:

_scorpioides (palustris)_--Light, low, and sprawling;
light-blue flowers touched with gold at the center during the
spring. (They last much longer if you have the dwarf variety
semperflorens.) The fact that these perennials are often
listed as “half-hardy annuals” indicates their need for winter
protection, but they will self-seed. (Water-lily specialists
offer an aquatic variety that grows in bogs.)

_sylvatica (alpestris)_--Self-sowing biennial (also offered
as an annual) that has blue flowers with touches of pink,
sometimes entirely pink. May flowers.

CARE. Ordinary soil, cool, moist, part shade.

PROPAGATION. Seeds (flowers the second year), division of clumps in late summer.

SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, edge of pools.

=Nepeta hederacea (glechoma)= _Labiatae_ Ground Ivy

This is a ground cover, one that can get out of hand unless checked, but it has its uses in shady spots where other covers do not flourish. About the best-liked variety is variegata, which has round leaves neatly scalloped on the edge and embroidered with white. In the spring it has spires of blue flowers.

CARE. Ordinary or sandy soil. Drainage, either sun or shade. Cut off faded flowers.

PROPAGATION. Seeds, division.

SPECIAL USES. Ground cover, containers, baskets, house and greenhouse plantings, rock gardens.

=Oenothera= _Onagraceae_ Evening Primrose, Sundrop

The sundrops bloom by day; the evening primroses stay open at night and play host to the moths of the garden. There is a miniature of each type for the small garden. Each has the common characteristic of large yellow poppy-like flowers which are short-lived but are quickly replaced by others for most of the summer.

_missouriensis_--Evening primrose from the West, six inches
high. The leaves are long and oval, covered with ash-gray hairs.
The nocturnal flowers, poppy-like, can measure six inches across
and are yellow.

_perennis (pumila)_--sundrop--This is the daytime bloomer,
often with one-inch blooms on a plant only three inches tall.
The silk-hairy leaves make a lush-looking mound.

CARE. Medium sandy soil, dry, with drainage (heavy dampness is fatal). Lime and manure. Sun. Remove seed pods to promote more flowers. Plant has long taproot which must not be broken when transplanting.

PROPAGATION. Seeds, division (in early fall or spring), cuttings (in late summer).

SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens and wall plantings.

=Phlox= _Polemoniaceae_

There are so many varieties of this furiously spring-flowering plant, and all with many admirers, that the trick is to find the ones which appeal to you personally. You will be guided by the colors you want and the amount of space available. Many of them, after the blooming season, make lush, plushy, green foliage mats.

_amoena (procumbens)_--Neat, not rampant, cushions of
two-inch oval leaves with flat clusters of fragrant pinkish, or
purplish, flowers on six-inch stems in May and June.

_bifida_--sand phlox--A native of the Midwest with low,
tufted, and slightly hairy foliage and starry blue flowers
(early, in April and May).

_divaricata (canadensis)_--wild sweet William--This slow
creeper is a little tall--about twelve inches--but may fit your
planting scheme. It has two-inch oval leaves and clusters of
lavender-blue flowers at daffodil time.

_douglasi_--alpine phlox--Three-inch Western native with
half-inch knife-like evergreen leaves and half-inch white or
pastel flowers (in June).

_rigida_--sandhill phlox--Western alpine, similar to
douglasi except for thinner, more sharply pointed leaves and
white flowers blending to blue and purple. The more acid the
soil, the deeper the colors.

_stolonifera_--creeping phlox--Partly or fully evergreen
creeper with four-inch stems, oval, hairy leaves, and full
clusters of light or dark lavender flowers in May and June.

_subulata_--ground moss, or mountain pink--In April and May
the six-inch mats of evergreen leaves are almost invisible under
the profuse cover of one-inch, fragrant flowers. They may be
purple, purplish-pink, or white, and some varieties are red or
blue.

CARE. Fertile soil, acid or alkaline according to the variety. Moist. Most are hardy, again according to the variety.

PROPAGATION. Seeds (do not always come true), cuttings in July and August, division of roots.

SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, edging, ground cover.

=Primula= _Primulaceae_ Primrose Official “Sections,” by common cultural requirements.

Auricula Section. _P. auricula_ and other European alpines and
their hybrids; usually evergreen; flower in early spring. Stony,
drained, rich loamy soil lightened by leaf mold and sand; will
stand more sun than most, but not hot midday sun; likes its
roots under stones; mulch with stone chips.

Candelabra Section from Asia. Flowers in tiers, one whorl above
another, open-faced; most tall with big leaves. Needs moist
soil, part shade. Flowers in late spring and early summer.
Disappear over winter.

Capitatae Section from the Himalayas. Biennial here, perennial
where snow covers all winter and on the West Coast. Flowers late
(July). Flat rosettes of delicately toothed leaves, twelve-inch
silver stems; flat silvery heads of slightly drooping flowers.
Disappears over winter.

Cortusoides Section from Asia. Woodsy-rich humusy soil.
Decorative leaves usually soft hairy. Flowers in spring.
Disappears over winter.

Denticulata Section. Small group from the Himalayas. Easy
perennial. Be careful about dampness in winter. Among the
earliest to flower in spring.

Farinosae Section. Huge group from many lands. Moisture,
drainage, part shade. Stand more sun if moist. Small bud,
usually white at surface, shows in winter.

Nivalis Section from Asia. Biennial here. Long narrow leaves.
Flowers in tiers closer than candelabra and more drooping.
Cool, rich, moist soil, part shade. Flowers in early spring;
disappears in winter.

Sikkimensis Section from Asia. Belled primulas, with hanging
heads of bell-shaped flowers. Biennial here; perennial in both
colder and warmer climates. Most tall with heads of fragrant
flowers held well above large toothed leaves. Flowers in late
spring; disappears in winter.

Vernales Section includes all the easiest-to-grow and best-known
primulas. Requires part shade, rich soil, moisture; should
never be completely dry. Evergreen. Includes: _P. vulgaris
(acaulis)_, single flower per stem; _P. polyantha_
with many varieties, and stalked umbrella of flowers above the
leaves; _P. juliae_ hybrids. Among _P. polyantha_
there are some dwarf hybrids (not miniature).

CARE. Some shade for hottest part of the day. Woodsy soil rich in humus, neutral or slightly acid. Mulch with manure if possible, around and between plants; don’t cover crown. Keep moist. Provide winter protection of salt hay, evergreen boughs, or excelsior, which results in gradual thawing of the ground around the plants in spring, and also prevents premature blooming during unseasonably warm winter days. Fertilize in spring, and in summer for next year’s flowers. No nitrogen in summer fertilizer. Watch plants for signs of slugs and red spider. Divide when plants get too crowded, preferably after flowering. Hearty seeders.

PROPAGATION. Seeds when ripe (others must be frozen first and thawed), division after flowering.

SPECIAL USES. Carpet under shrubs and under early-flowering trees. Naturalize by streams and beside pools. Wall planting, rock gardens, borders, wild gardens.

=Saxifraga= _Saxifragaceae_ Rockfoil

There are so many species and hybrids of this popular plant it is difficult to know all of them. Generally, they are characterized by flattish clusters of leaves around the crown, and airy sprays of flowers on top of taller stems. But from this point the variations take many forms and sizes. The leaves may be the size of a nickel or five times that size; flowers may be minute, or large and open-faced; there may be creeping stems or runners, or not.

For most gardeners it is not necessary to know how botanists classify these plants. If you plan to delve deeply into rock gardening there are a number of excellent books on rock plants, some of which are listed in the appendix.

Following are a few of the better-known, and easier grown, saxifraga, including several that have a place in flower borders and other garden spots.

_aizoon_--Arctic native with rosettes of evergreen, stiff,
gray-blue leaves edged with a thin “crust” of limy deposit, and
purple-spotted white flowers on tall stems (in May or June).
There are a number of varieties, including yellow-flowering
lutea, pink rosea, and tiny baldensis with leaf clusters only a
quarter-inch across. (Drainage, moist, with northwest exposure.
Shade from noon sun; provide limy soil with leaf mold.

_cuscutaeformis_--Thick, hairy, roundish leaves tinged with
copper and marked with a network of white veins; spreads by
reddish runners that produce new plants at their tips.

_decipiens rosacea_--Mossy mats of finely cut leaves and
large cupped white flowers on six-inch stems (in May and June).
Drainage; gritty sandy soil with leaf mold and humus. Moist,
shade from sun. Also pink-and red-flowering varieties.

_sarmentosa_--strawberry begonia--Favorite pot and basket
plant, hardy in nearly every garden. Spreads by strawberry-like
runners with plantlets at the ends. Makes mats of round,
white-veined leaves and tall airy sprays of white or purplish
flowers in June. Requires shade, and moist acid soil.

_umbrosa_--London pride--Makes a carpet of three-inch-high
rosettes of leathery leaves; spires of pink flowers in early
summer. Needs moist, rich soil and shade or semishade. The
small-scale variety primuloides is daintier.

_virginiensis_--Slender, oval three-inch leaves in flat
clusters, green tinged, but bronze in the fall; small white
flowers on ten-inch stems in May. Native of our Northeast. Nice
in wild gardens.

CARE. Soil varies with the species (lime for the encrusted ones, which also tolerate more sun). Semishade, moist, but perfect drainage. A hot dry climate is bad for the alpines. Mossy varieties need heavier shade, richer soil, and are best moist.

PROPAGATION. Divisions of sets, cuttings, seeds (most varieties).

SPECIAL USES. Baskets, pots, dry-wall planting, containers, borders.

=Silene= _Caryophyllaceae_ Campion, Catchfly

The perennials of this genus include some of our most colorful native plants (the flaming fire pink _S. virginica_, for example), all related to the garden pinks but each one having its own characteristics.

_acaulis_--cushion pink, moss campion--Dainty two-inch
mossy tufts of needle-like leaves slowly increasing to clumps
and having half-inch purple-red flowers all summer. (Provide
gritty, limed soil.)

_caroliniana (pennsylvanica)_--wild pink--Sticky-fuzzy
plant with slim four-inch evergreen leaves and pink flowers on
six-inch stems (April-June). Native to Northeastern woods. Good
in rocky spots. Has deep taproot so handle with care. Dig deep
when dormant.

_maritima_--Sea campion--Slim, gray-blue leaves on trailing
stems, making a mat four inches high with clusters of white
flowers in June.

_saxifraga_--Tufts of knife-shaped leaves under summer
flowers which are white inside, tinted green or red outside, on
six-inch stems.

_schafta_--moss campion--Spreading mounds of silky-hairy
leaves covered in August with rose or purple flowers on six-inch
stems.

CARE. Good soil, gritty for some varieties with lime for some. Top-dress yearly with mixture of soil and cow manure. Drainage.

PROPAGATION. Seeds, division, cuttings (of young growth).

SPECIAL USES. Rock planting, borders, walls, wild gardens.

=Thymus= _Labiatae_ Thyme

These are actually tiny shrubs with tangling, woody stems and masses of little leaves that are evergreen in all but the coldest and most exposed locations. Some creep flatly; some make three-inch mounds. You can choose from varying fragrances, leaf textures and colors, and colors of early summer flowers. In fact, there is a much wider variety available than most gardeners realize.

_herba-barona_--caraway thyme--Ground-hugging creeper
with fresh green caraway-scented leaves, and tight clusters
of rose-purple flowers. It does not seed and is propagated by
division of roots. Hardy.

_lanicaulis_--Four-inch carpet with half-inch leaves slim
as needles at the base and broadening higher on the short stems.
Stems feature a woolly coat of hairs as long as they are thick.
Tight clover-like flowers are rosy pink.

_nitidus_--French thyme--Six-to eight-inch shrub with
shiny, oval, gray-green leaves, and lavender flowers. Older
clumps resent being disturbed, so start young plants from
cuttings.

_serpyllum_--mother-of-thyme, creeping thyme--Perennially
popular stem-rooting creeper, less than four inches high with
half-inch oval green leaves and purple flowers loved by bees.
There are many varieties: white-flowered albus, silver-marked
argenteus, gold variegated aureus, larger, red-flowering
coccineus, bright-pink roseus, robust, romping, red-flowering
splendens. Almost in a class by themselves--and often
listed as separate species--are lanuguinosus, woolly thyme
(completely covered with silvery fuzz), and the variety vulgaris
(citriodorus), lemon thyme with citrus-scented leaves.

_vulgaris_--common thyme--Kitchen herb, spreads by
underground stems. The erect stalks are covered with fine white
hair and set with half-inch oval leaves; there are deep-lilac
flowers in May and June. It spreads so fast it has been accused
of being a weed.

CARE. Ordinary soil, or rich and sandy loam (gritty for some plants). Drainage. Fairly sunny. Protect lightly where winters are severe.

PROPAGATION. Division, layers in spring, cuttings in early summer, seeds (not all varieties have seed, and seeds do not always come true).

SPECIAL USES. Pavements (plants not damaged), border planting, herb gardens, ground cover, edging, dry-wall planting, cover for bulbs.

=Veronica= _Scrophulariaceae_ Speedwell

Most of the smaller veronicas are matmakers; some are clumpy, and a few are even woody or shrub-like. Also there is a fairly wide variation in the foliage. But the flowers are always arranged in spires; a few are white, purple, or pinkish, but mainly there is a wide choice of true blues from baby blue to royal blue. Here are a few varieties:

_allioni_--Carpet of little leathery leaves, violet flowers
in July.

_armena_--Ferny, furry tufts of finely cut leaves on
trailing stems, five-inch spikes of vivid blue flowers (from May
to July). Provide drainage, filtered sun, or half shade.

_filiformis_--An idiosyncratic creeper that delights some
gardeners and drives others crazy. It has been described as
“pernicious” and a weed. Actually it’s rather pretty, with small
rounded leaves and galaxies of starry-blue flowers in late
spring. Grows in either sun or light shade.

_fruticans (saxatilis)_--Woody stems tightly clothed in
dark evergreen leaves making a shrubby plant under six inches.
In June and July sapphire flowers open their eyes with pinkish
lids.

_fruticulosa_--Shrubby and semi-evergreen, about four
inches high with half-inch leaves and pinkish-blue flowers in
June.

_gentianoides_--This species has clusters of gleaming
leaves close to the ground. And in June the flowers are very
large, a luscious Wedgwood blue. But there are alarming reports
that it has topped twenty inches in height. To play safe, try
the miniature version nana, which has the same characteristics
but is much less than half that high.

_repens_--This is a precious pet, a massy creeper with
tiny teardrop leaves. It sparkles in May or June with baby-blue
flowers. It is all of two inches tall at maturity.

_spicata nana_--The midget reproduction of the better-known
species, slowly swelling to low, leafy clumps and topped
with three-inch spikes of blue-purple flowers in July. A
white-flowering form has smaller leaves but taller flower stems.

CARE. Any good soil. Moist but with drainage. Sun or light shade depending on the variety (see notations in plant descriptions). Cut back faded flowers. Trailers start best if plants were grown in pots. Divide occasionally.

PROPAGATION. Seeds in spring, division in fall or spring, cuttings early in the summer.

SPECIAL USES. Rock gardens, ground cover, dry-wall planting, pavements, steps, stepping stones.

=Viola= _Violaceae_ Viola, Violet

Thanks to the viola, gardens of all sorts are richer and more pleasant places in which to work, visit, or spend a pleasant afternoon. Here are some of the viola’s gifts to gardening:

_cornuta_--Tufted pansies.

_odorata_--sweet violets--Fragrant violets, once strictly a
specialty of florist shops but now widely grown in home gardens.

_rosina_--Pink flowers with intense fragrance.

_semperflorens_--Mats of fresh green leaves with purple
flowers that last much of the summer.

_tricolor_--Commonly known as Johnny-jump-up, an
all-summer-long bloomer with small purple and gold flowers.

_tricolor hortensis_--Pansies which grow in many colors and
color combinations.

CARE. Rich garden soil, partial shade, moisture, light winter protection.

PROPAGATION. Seeds (sown in flats and exposed to freezing weather over winter for spring germination), division, layering of runners of those varieties that produce them.

SPECIAL USES. Cut flowers, beds, edging, rock gardens.

_CHAPTER 16_

MINIATURE ANNUALS

Even if every inch of our gardens were permanently planted, I’d probably still start some annuals every spring. In those depressing, letdown weeks of January after the holidays nothing brightens my life like leafing through the new seed catalogues. In the dark days of March when late-winter blusters snarl at spring and threaten to hold it off forever, my perky indoor seedlings tell me that it is just around a bend in the road. My traditional birthday treat, in early June, is a day all my own when I get my favorite flower beds ready for the summer. I absolutely refuse to fry an egg, wash a dish, or lift a dustcloth. Before dark on that wonderful day I see that every seedling is planted in moist warm soil.

Actually, I can’t imagine our grounds being so completely planted that there isn’t a place for at least a few annuals--no bare spots in the perennial border, no shrub or tree around which to set flowering clumps, no window boxes or planters in need of decoration. And if ever there is a spring when I don’t ask my husband to spade up “just one more spot” for a few more annuals, I’ll eat my garden gloves finger by finger.

Because they cost so little, and because they last only one season, you can plant annuals with careless abandon. You can experiment with bizarre color schemes. If they don’t work out, try something different next year. If you are saving a special spot for a special shrub or bush, and you feel it is too expensive for the moment, or you can’t find a specimen that is exactly what you want, let annuals fill in until you have that particular plant. If you are creating a new garden and are not quite sure of the design, test it with annuals before you make it permanent.

As with the miniature perennials, the annuals included here have been selected not only because they are small, but also because they are in suitably modest scale for use in miniature gardens of many sorts. Descriptions of the varieties should be helpful in selecting the truly miniature annuals at local nurseries and garden centers. Seeds are available from various mail-order suppliers listed in the Appendix.

Like all other garden plants, miniature annuals should be selected according to such cultural conditions as the amount of moisture and sunlight and the type of soil. If these requirements are not clearly stated on the seed packets or in the seed catalogue from which you ordered, check for details in a good reference book rather than risk disappointing failure.

GROWING ANNUALS FROM SEED

When and where you sow seeds of annuals depends on whether the particular varieties grow best in coolness or warmth, and how long the growing season has to be for maturity and flowering. This is the basis of catalogue listings that classify annuals as hardy, half-hardy, or tender. Hardy annuals germinate best when air and soil are cool and make their best growth before hot weather sets in. Seeds are sometimes sown out of doors in autumn to germinate in early spring, or they may be sown in the garden the moment the frost is out of the ground.

Half-hardy seeds are planted outdoors where the plants are to grow, or you can give them a head start either indoors or in a hotbed or a cold frame. Plant about six weeks before the time to set them outdoors. Tender perennials grown in cold areas as annuals follow the same schedule.

Seeds of tender annuals should not be planted outdoors until all danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed up considerably. But many tender varieties, like petunias, are slow-growing and need plenty of time to reach flowering size. These should be started indoors no later than March.

Unless you have a greenhouse or hotbed, it’s risky to start seeds too early indoors. Poor light and high temperatures will cause the seedlings to grow limp and leggy and often to topple over toward the source of the light. At transplanting time they may be so weak they will be slow getting established; thus, little time is saved after all.