342 Wisconsin State Horticultural Society. 



eration to another may often be found a well-arranged garden, 

 established in some antique specimen of Japanese pottery in the 

 shape of a capacious bowl. Within this receptacle will be walks 

 and trees and flower beds, with a great variety of floral favorites, 

 all dwarfed to proper proportions. 



Now we will suppose that the flower beds are laid out according 

 to your own individual taste. To commence with the earlier 

 plants that bloom, I would have a bulb-bed, planted out, of course, 

 in the fall, in a bed that is well drained and made rich with ferti- 

 lizers, with also the addition of a little sand, as that seems to 

 warm the soil. Then I would plant out a variety of crocus, as 

 their beautiful blossoms peep out of the ground almost as soon as 

 the snow is gone. Also hyacinths, narcissus, snow drops, jonquils 

 and tulips. Right here I would say in reference to tulips, I had 

 often been told, and perhaps, had read in the catalogues, to 

 take up my tulips and replant every two or three years, without 

 giving any reason why. Ten or twelve years ago I discovered 

 (what perhaps you all know) that the new bulb is formed each 

 year, a little below the old one, so that if the bulb is left too long 

 without removal, it will bury itself so deep that it cannot 

 flower. After having planted out the bulbs as the cold weather 

 comes on, cover the bed with leaves, straw or something that will 

 answer as protection against severe cold. 



If your time is so occupied with other duties that you have but 

 little leisure for the cultivation of your flowers, I would advise 

 the planting out of perennials, filling in between the perennials and 

 around the edges of the beds annuals, reserving at least three beds 

 for special p'ants, verbena^, pansies and phlox, as they are much 

 prettier by themselves. Perhaps I had better mention some of 

 the perennials. I have derived a great deal of satisfaction in the 

 cultivation of the perennial phlox, hybrid varieties. Also in 

 the varieties of delphinium or larkspur, that with a little care may 

 easily be grown six feet in height. The varieties of digitalis or 

 fox-glove are pretty. Lychnis chalcedonica will give you a 

 peculiar red blossom that you can scarcely find elsewhere. 

 Lobelia cardinalis, that you can find sometimes on the river 

 banks in this vicinity, is another beautiful scarlet flower. There 



