THE FLOEAL WOELD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 331 



little pruning and weeding occasionally, and the training of the ivy, 

 to make the °most of its growth, as for the first year or two it is 

 rather slow. The Irish ivy would answer well for it, but I should 

 prefer the rich dark hue and large leathery leaves of the true Ger- 

 man kind. 



I hope such simple things as I have this time described, will 

 please your readers, and be useful to many. I will hope in future 

 papers to bring forward many more beautiful effects produced by 

 materials that cost but little of money, and afiord much enjoyment 

 without care. Kael Peospeb. 



USEFUL BULBS AND TUBEES. 



|AVINGr promised a few more notes on useful bulbs, I 

 shall now treat of a few favourites that are not always 

 as well grown as they deserve to be, and first of all we 

 will take the charming 



Lachenalia.— This is one of the easiest of plants to 

 grow well, and I believe it is better grown at Stoke Newington than 

 in hundreds of gardens Avhere it is supposed that everythiug is per- 

 fect. I know that in my rambles about I rarely see such plants as 

 ours. I see them with thin, flabby, and, perhaps, bruised leaves, and 

 a few poor spikes of flowers, but I expect them to have leaves an inch 

 or more across, very fleshy, a rich deep green colour, and richly 

 spotted, and I expect half a dozen large spikes in a five-inch pot 

 from half a dozen bulbs, and a few more spikes rising to succeed the 

 first lot. As I am sure our system cannot be surpassed, I will 

 briefly describe it. The bulbs are potted as soon as they begin to 

 grow naturally, in a mixture consisting of three parts mellovr loam, 

 half a part of thoroughly-decayed hot-bed manure, and half a part 

 of silver sand. I have them always in five-inch pots, because the whole 

 stock when in bloom are put out of doors to make a lovely margin to 

 a bed on the " plunging system." Sis bulbs of the largest size are 

 put in a pot ; all the small ones being potted separately, and rather 

 thickly to increase in size, for the next season. They remain out 

 of doors, and have all the rain that falls, and take their chance like 

 hardy plants until there is actual fear of frost. Then they are 

 removed to a top shelf in a light, airy, cool house, where there is 

 enough hot-water-piping to keep out frost, and no ^ heat is used 

 except in frosty weather. The amount of protection is, in fact, not 

 much more than they would have in a common frame. It is an 

 important matter to keep them always moist, near the glass, with 

 plenty of air, but never to be frozen. Starvation ruins them, and 

 heat is not good for them, though, if forced gently, they flower 

 well. Ours do not bloom usually till the middle of April, and they 

 then make splendid show. One lot is always used for the outside 

 margin of a circular bed, which is then usually filled with a mixture 

 of tulips, hyacinths, and elegant hardy shrubs— all in pots plunged in 

 cocoa-nut fibre. There are several varieties entered in the cata- 

 logues, but hicolor and tricolor will suflice for all. ordinary purposes. 



