THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 299 



better — at from ds. to 6s. per hundred. The price of the common 

 kinds is Is. (5d. to 2s. (JJ. per hundred. 



IxiA AKD Sparaxis. — These have of late years become general 

 favourites, and deservedly, for their graceful outlines and lovely 

 colours are scarcely surpassed by any other class of flovi^ers. They 

 are nearly hardy, and will do well in a warm, sheltered, well-drained 

 border, consisting of equal parts sandy peat, sandy loam, and leaf- 

 mould, if planted six inches deep. When grown in pots, the 

 protection of a frame is all they require, with abundance of water 

 when growing freely. Greenhouse treatment is scarcely good for 

 them ; they become infested with vermin if kept too warm, but, on 

 the other hand, they cannot endure much frost. Put three to five 

 bulbs in a five or six inch pot, and let them be covered one inch 

 with soil, so as to have as great a depth as possible for rooting. The 

 following are lovely — Ixias : JJucephalus, Crateroides, JSlvira, Golden, 

 Drop, Lady Slade, Pallas, Plant us, Titus, Brutus, Wonder. Spakaxis : 

 Emilius, Grandiflonis, Leopard, Ilacidata, Napoleon LLT., Tricolor, 

 Victor Emmanuel. When planted in open borders in cold districts, 

 it would be well to cover the beds with straw, or boughs of spruce, 

 diu'ing frosty weather. In Jersey and the West of England they 

 grow with great luxuriance in the open ground. 



SijBEKiAN Squill. — This lovely subject is well adapted for small 

 beds and margins of large beds in the parterre. It is amenable to 

 pot culture, but does not make much show unless seen in large 

 mass. Any tolerably good sandy loam will suit it admirably, and, 

 if planted among herbaceous plants, and left vmtouched for several 

 years, it will contribute wonderfully to the beauty of the garden in 

 the season of spring. The most distinct and beautiful varieties are 

 iijlorus, siherica, campanulata, camfaniilata alhu, and Lelgica. 



A PEW roR Choice ~Qom>'EU^.—Triteleja iiniflora is a lovely 

 gem, quite hardy ; it blooms in April, the flowers are white, with a 

 baud of pale blue on each segment, and emit an agreeable perfume. 

 As it is a native of South America, the patches should be marked to 

 facilitate the placing of some slight protection over them during 

 very severe weather ; or, better still, put a cone of coal ashes over each 

 clump when planted, and remove this in February. Bulbocodium 

 verniim, planted on the margins of beds, between rows of crocuses, 

 produces a charming display of rosy pink flowers early in the year. 

 It is as hardy as chickweed. ColcMcum autumnale ought to be in 

 every garden, in spots not likely to be disturbed, as its lovely flowers 

 appear in the decline of the season, when dark days and long nights 

 begin to make an end of most other flowers. The winter aconite, 

 Uranthus hyemalis, is an exquisite gem for beds and borders, pro- 

 ducing pale yellow flowers, close to the ground, in January and 

 February. A good clump of it gives the idea of a golden pavement 

 such as Dick Whittington dreamt about. A few more notes on 

 these thino:s next month. S. H. 



