Garden Notes - Calendula to Canterbury Bells

Calendula
Variety: Campfire

Hardy annual. Height: 1 foot. Blooms July onwards. Useful flowers for cutting or garden decoration. Will grow almost anywhere in the poorest soils. Seeds are sown in boxed to be transplanted later where they are to bloom. In sheltered districts they can be sown outdoors in September to produce early flowers. This variety is an improvement on the old marigold of Shakespeare's day. The deep orange flowers are borne on long stems suitable for cutting. Useful in the annual border because of its unique color. It also makes a bright show in window boxes and tubs.
 

Calliopsis
Variety: Golden Crown

Hardy annual. Height: 2 feet. Blooms July onwards. Color: rich golden yellow, made arresting by the contrast with the shinning maroon centre. A new flower from America, where it was given the Award of Merit in the American trials. It is justifiably named after the loveliest of the nine muses of Greek mythology. Sow outdoors in April and thin out early, leaving the plants at least one foot of space; or, for earlier blooms, sow in pots in March and transplant when large enough to handle after gardening off for a few days. It is especially effective in town gardens.

Campanula
Variety: Telham Beauty

Hardy perennial. Height: 2 feet. Blooms June. This is the most distinctive of all the Campanulas. Color: pale lavender-blue bells produced on long stem. Makes a graceful subject in the flower border, where it grows with the greatest of ease. Blooms in early summer when borders are rather empty. Easily raised from seeds. Sow these in a box of prepared soil and transplant, when large enough to handle, into a nursery bed. In the autumn set out where they are to bloom one foot apart in groups in the mixed flower border. Like most Campanulas, it prefers a cool semi-shady position. It requires a support of thin canes or twigs pushed in among the growing shoots.
 

Candytuft
Variety: Dwarf Hybrid

Hardy annual. Height: 6 inches. Useful for summer bedding or as an edging to the flower border. Colors: carmine, purple, lilac, pink and white borne in flat compact heads. Can be used as cut flowers. Will thrive in any soil with a moderate amount of sunshine. The seeds are sown where they are to bloom, but it is important, as the plants make rapid growth, to thin out six inches apart when the seedlings are large enough to handle. If they fade the plants will continue to bloom throughout the summer. Candytuft can, is desired, be sown in autumn to obtain earlier flowers.
 

Canterbury Bell
Variety: Cup and Saucer

Hardy biennial. Height: 2-3 feet. Blooms June. Obtainable in very clear colors of white, pink, mauve, rosy-mauve. Sow the seeds in a seed bed out of doors and transplant, when large enough to handle, six inches apart. In the autumn, plant where they are to flower. Give plenty of leaf mould or manure forked into the soil and a dressing of lime before planting. If the faded blooms are cut away with scissors, a second crop of smaller bells will develop. They are a "between spring and summer" flower and make a useful splash of color in the mixed flower border. Plant in groups of five or more. They prefer a half-shady position with plenty of moisture.