THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 313 



exposed to all the rigours of the early season at which they bloom, 

 nothing but disappointment is to be expected. Hardy Cyclamens 

 must not be committed to a common garden border in the same way 

 as we plant tufts of Daisy and Arabis, and, except in warm 

 localities, where the soil is peaty, the border must be specially 

 prepared for tliem. Those who grow Ixias, Sparaxis, and other of 

 the hardy Cape bulbs, out of doors, are in just tlie proper position 

 to do justice to the hardy Cyclamens.^ A border facing north, 

 sheltered with a back wall or greenhouse, or enjoying some of the 

 surplus warmth from a stove or furnace, and consisting chiefly of peat- 

 and leaf-mould, on a warm and well-drained subsoil, is the place for 

 Cyclamens, Tritonias, Ixias, the hardy Amaryllises, Alstrsemerias, 

 and myriads of the choicest flowering plants known, which need not 

 so much the help of artificial heat as moderate protection against 

 the scathing blasts and perishing sleets of our springs. In such a 

 border in some parts of the south-western counties, all the species 

 of Cyclamen could be grown, but anywhere the so-called hardy kinds 

 might be cultivated with the certainty of success. 



We can promise to any of the readers of these remarks, who will 

 make up a border for plants of the kind just named a very large amount 

 of enjoyment. If the position is well drained and sheltered, all 

 that hardy Cyclamens require is a mixture of turfy peat, leaf- 

 mould, and silky yellow loam, equal parts. This must be a foot to 

 eighteen inches deep, and when the bulbs are planted, the bed should 

 be covered with two inches of dung rotted to powder. The season 

 for planting is Octobei', and every succeeding October the bulbs 

 should be taken up and replanted, otherwise the flowers get fewer 

 and poorer every year. In planting, use silver sand in contact with 

 the bulb, and press t!ie bulbs of C. count an inch below the surface. 

 The others press in slightly, in the way in which onions are planted. 

 The bed should be covered during winter with four inches of 

 flaky leaf-mould, or cocoa-nut fibre refuse, as a protection against 

 frost. In forming a border on heavy soils, excavate sufficient 

 soil to admit of fifteen inches of rubble, such as broken bricks or 

 stones, being placed underneath the soil, to keep the plants dry 

 and comfortable during the winter season. They also produce 

 an exceedingly pretty effect planted on rockeries and rooteries. 

 Rather shady ledges, where they will not be killed out by rampant 

 growing subjects, should be selected as the most suitable for insuring 

 a vigorous growth and an abundant display of flowers. 



They may also be cultivated most successfully in pots, in a cold 

 frame, if so desired. The pots must be proportionate to the size of 

 the corms, and be well drained. A mixture of turfy loam, fibrous 

 peat, and leaf-mould, in equal parts, will form a most excellent 

 compost for them. In potting the corms, bury them just below the 

 surface, and maintain the soil in a moderately moist state until they 

 begin to push the foliage up freely. The supply of water may then 

 be increased ; but at no stage of growth must the plants have an 

 excessive supply of moisture at the roots. 



The names and descriptions of the hardy species are as follows : — 



G. Atkinsi. — A neat grower ; foliage of medium size, beautifully 



October. 



