IRISH GARDENING. 



137 



Bulb-growing in Rooms. 



FOR home decoration or for school rooms in winti-r 

 bulb cultivation offers a delig'htful scope for simple 

 yet effective gardening'. Fancy bowls or vases 

 for the one and big earthenware jam-jars for the other 

 will provide the means for holding the special "soil" 

 needful in this particular kind of culture. 



Ordinary fibrous peat, well rubbed down into a powder 

 and mixed with ground shells or shell sand, will afford 

 an excellent rooting medium. Before filling the vessels 

 with this mixture it ought to be thoroughly wetted with 

 water (it will take about a gallon of water to each half 

 bushel of the mixture). If it is inconvenient to obtain 

 these materials, then washed gravel will answer 

 admirably. As the vessels are unprovided with drainage 

 holes, it will be wise to 

 place a few pieces of 

 charcoal at the bottom 

 of each, to absorb any 

 injurious gases that may 

 be produced through 

 want of attention in 

 watering. 



As the bulbs them- 

 selves contain a suffi- 

 cient amount of food to 

 support the plants until 

 the end of the flowering 

 period, the main function 

 of the soil is to hold air 

 and water. The roots 

 are needed to absorb 

 water and force it up 

 to the growing shoots, 

 while air is needed to 

 keep the roots in health 

 and activity. There- 

 fore, while it is necessary- 

 to keep the soil damp, 

 care must be taken not 

 to have it saturated with 

 water, as then free circu- 

 lation of air throughout 

 the soil will be preven- 

 ted, and an unhealthy 

 condition established. 

 This is an important 

 point to remember. 



Plants lose water in 

 the form of vapour from 

 their foliage, so that 

 vigorous, young leafy 

 shoots require an active 

 and well-developed root 

 system to cope with the 

 daily loss of moisture to 



Grape Hyacinths {Muscari) in Fibre. 



the surrounding air. This is why that in the case of bulbs 

 growing naturally in field or garden a strong root system 

 is developed before even the tip of the shoots appears 

 above ground. Therefore, after planting the bulbs in 

 the potsor bowls they must not be given fresh supplies of 

 water until the shoots begin to appear above ground 

 (unless of course the soil appears to be drying up), and, 

 furthermore, we must not attempt to force the growth 

 of the shoots, but give good time and opportunity for 

 the roots to get well developed first. This is another 

 point to particularly remember. 



The bulbs must be planted firmly, but not rammed, and 

 as there will be a tendency for the bulbs to rise in the 

 soil as the roots begin to elongate, some precaution 

 should be taken to prevent them being pushed out. If 

 the bulbs are planted in common pots, it is an excellent 

 plan to place these on a gravel or cinder surface and 

 cover them with ashes or cocoanut fibre ; this will induce 



root growth, and also help to keep the bulbs in position 

 during these early stages of development. 



If ordinary flower pots are used, then it is best to 

 plant in regular soil made up of fine garden mould 

 mixed with some ivell-decayed organic substance, such 

 as leaves or farmyard manure and sharp sand. Pro- 

 vision must of course be made for good drainage in the 

 pots. Quite a variety of bulbs can be grown in this way 

 in the home. The following may be mentioned : — 

 Hyacinths — The Early White Roman hyacinth, if planted 

 every fortnight or so, will give a good succession of 

 blooms. Do not select double-flowering varieties. 



Narcissi The paper-white Grandiflora Polyanthus will 



flower by Christmas if planted at once. Amongst the 

 daffodils there is a large selection, as practically all of 

 them will succeed in pots. Amongst the earliest and best 

 are Emperor and Golden Spur,Self-yellows, and Horse- 



fieldi, a bicolor, while 

 Na rcissus J oh n s t o n i 

 Queen of Spain is a 

 charming variety to use. 

 Nor must we forget to 

 mention Barri Conspi- 

 cHus, Ornatus (Poet's 

 Narcissus), and mem- 

 bers of the Pcetas group. 

 Crocuses, snowdrops 

 and tulips may all be 

 used — of the latter, the 

 Due Van Thol section 

 gives the earliest 

 blooms. Tulips require 

 care in the regulation 

 of water to the roots ; 

 they must be kept 

 moist, but if the water 

 is allowed to become 

 stagnant the plants 

 suffer. Then there are 

 the Spanish irises, free- 

 sias, scillas, and muscari 

 to choose from. The 

 accompanying illustra- 

 tion shows what a pleas- 

 ing decoration may be 

 had by planting in fibre 

 in a vase a few bulbs of 

 such a common plant as 

 grape hyacinth. Per- 

 sonally, however, we 

 would select for such 

 simple flowers a bowl 

 less elaborate and de- 

 corative in workman- 

 ship. The freesias, if 

 potted now, will form 

 their delightful sweet- 

 scented flowers by next 

 March. Those who intend to take up this most fas- 

 cinating pastime will do well to consult bulb catalogues, 

 in which full, descriptive lists will be found of the different 

 varieties suitable for this particular form of gardening. 



e^w e^* e^* 

 The Daisy Bush.— For seaside gardens we specially 

 love the Daisy Bush {Olearia haastii) of New Zealand. 

 Planted in the open, and fully exposed to sun and salt- 

 laden breezes, it forms during July and August, when 

 covered with its profusion of white, daisy-like blooms, 

 as pretty a little .shrub as ever the villa gardener may 

 desire. Even when not in flower, its box-like evergreen 

 foliage makes it a decorative plant when grown in the 

 situation that best favours its growth and development. 

 Its near relative, O. macrodojita, with large, holly-like 

 leaves and silvery under-sides, is beautiful too, but it is 

 rather a tender plant, althorgh it can be safely grown 

 in many parts of Ireland, 



