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Don't mistake me, it is quite possible to get a good lawn from a spring sowing. But the care and attention needed to do so is greater than from a fall sowing. Two special problems that must be faced are the rapid growth of weeds and the need for more abundant watering during dry periods throughout the first summer, this latter because the roots have not penetrated as deeply as those of grasses sown the previous fall. Weeds are likely to be especially abundant if such plants flourished in the topsoil the previous year, and there is really no practical way of getting rid of them in spring before the lawn grass is sown. In preparation for fall sowing, a few weeks' repeated shallow cultivation before the grass seed is sown will clear the surface soil of most weeds.

The third group encompasses the hybrids that bear flowers from late spring to mid-summer on shoots produced during the previous year This means that during any one yean as well as flowering on the previous year's growths, the plant is also producing shoots that will bear flowers later in the same year, creating a second flush of color in late summer and early fall.

A succession of seasonal displays is a worthwhile approach. Separate units can be made up in advance and inserted as the plants come into flower. However, most gardeners will find it more convenient to rely on two main displays in spring and summer, planted the previous fall and spring.