252 



THE FLORAL WOELD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



the level, as moisture is injurious. Five 

 inches of soil may be removed, tlie ground 

 marked out in squares of from sis to nine 

 inches, the bulbs placed thereon with some 

 silver-sand under and about them, and the 

 soil which has been removed cast back 

 over them. Or, without removing any 

 soil, mark the beds as before, and take out 

 the place of each bulb with the old- 

 fashioned tulip-plauter, which makes a 



hole about five inches deep and three 

 inches wide ; drop some silver-sand in each 

 hole ; more sand laid thereon, and the 

 holes filled up. On tlie approach of severe 

 weather it would be advisable to put on 

 a covering of two or three inches of rotten 

 leaves ; or, when the growtli of the bulb 

 appears above ground, immediately cover 

 it with silver-sand. — James Carter and 

 Co.'s Aidumn Catalogue of Bulbs. 



A BELGIAN'S COTTAGE GAEDEN. 



It does not matter whether your piece of 

 ground be square, oval, or round ; plant 

 in the centre a strong plant of Pyracantha. 

 Its handsome red berries standing out 

 against the white snow in winter will sup- 

 ply the place of flowers in the early part 

 of the year. 



In May surround your Pyracantha 

 ■with a row of Phlomis Leonurus, wliich 

 towards the end of the year blooms as 

 freely as its flowers are handsome. 



Canna indica, with its different varie- 

 ties, should form, our third row ; for their 

 beautiful foliage and magnificent flowers 

 are charming objects to look at. 



Follow up these plants with a col- 

 lection of red geraniums, zonale, roseum, 

 and album, and they will afford you an 

 abundance of flowers during many months 

 of tiie year. 



A row of Dielytra spectabilis, a charm- 

 ing Fumaria, should be placed next to the 

 geraniums, for the lovely clusters of pink 

 flowers contrast well with the delicate 

 glaucous green of its leaves. It is impos- 

 sible to give an idea of the beauty of a 

 large specimen of this plant. 



A good many small patches of Deutzia 

 gracilis should be arranged round the clus- 

 ters of Dielytra. 



Corydalis formosa produces its flowers 

 in May and June, and its delicate foliage 

 is seen to advantage against the deeper 

 green of the other plants. 



In January and February tlie amateur 

 will be satisfied with a row of Hellebores. 



Finally, all round tliis flower-bed, full 

 as it is, plant a circle of Ilepaticas, Snow- 

 drops, and Primroses. In this manner 

 you will have from the 1st of January to 

 the 31st of December, without much ex- 



pense and with very little labour, a spot 

 of ground always covered with flowei'S. 



The principal part in your flower-bed 

 will be played by Phlomis Leonurus, a 

 superb Labiate, whose rich golden flowers, 

 arranged in wdiorls, will furnish you with 

 beautiful blossoms for the autumn. The 

 flower-spikes of this plant grow from twen- 

 ty-four to thirty inches high. In November 

 remove it with balls of earth round its roots 

 into a greenhouse, a sitting-room, or even 

 into a cellar where vegetables are kept, 

 provided it is protected from damp, and 

 from a very low temperature. This plant, 

 considering the very little care it requires, 

 deserves to be much more generally culti- 

 vated. It should be well cut in in the month 

 of May before being planted in the open 

 border. It may be propagated by cuttings, 

 or easily raised from seeds, which may be 

 procured cheaply enough in the south of 

 France. 



" I admired," says Mr. Michel Keuens, 

 "the Phlomis Leonurus for the first time 

 in October, 1857, at the chateau of Wal- 

 bourg (in Dutch Limburg), the property 

 of the Baroness de Bredeesel d'Eisenbach ; 

 and I was not a little surprised at the 

 extraordinary effect produced by this 

 plant. I must, however, add that the 

 wonderful effect was quite accidental, and 

 not owing to its having been grown 

 according to rule ; for, instead of being 

 planted in open ground, it was placed in 

 little flower-pots, through the hole in 

 which the strong roots had forced their 

 way so as to derive abundant nourishment 

 from the soil beneath, and thus produced 

 the magnificent vegetation I was so much 

 struck with." — Journal (V Horticulture 

 Pratique. 



