Ma7 20, 1869. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUEB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



335 



BEDDING TULIPS. 



SEND yon a few hints and experiences wliieh 

 may possibly interest some of your readers. 

 I liave now for several years taken great de- 

 light in bedding Tulips, and by careful study 

 of their habits and arrangement of colours I 

 have been enabled each year to have my 

 garden beautifully gay and bright in spring, 

 when colouring is so highly prized. 

 I cannot nnderstand why early Tulips are 

 not more generally grown. Some people fancy there is no 

 variety in Tulip colour ; there cannot be a greater mis- 

 take ; I know no class of llowers with more variety. There 

 is no blue Tulip certainly, neither is there a black one, but 

 I think we have every shade of colour besides. Many 

 people, too, tliiuk the Tulip such a short-lived flower. On 

 the contrary, each bloom on an average will be found to 

 last in perfection for three weeks, and you have colour in 

 each flower for at least a month, and colour sometimes of 

 the most beautiful and gradually-developing character. 

 Take Proserpine, for instance, it begins to develope itself 

 very early with all the beauty of a Kose bud, and it 

 increases gradually until it culminates in a cup-shaped 

 bloom of a most distinct and brilliant hue. It is to me 

 most interesting to watch the development both of colour 

 and form in a Tulip, and this you may do from the end of 

 March, during the whole of April, and well on into May. 

 Surely this, for one class of flowers, is by no means a 

 limited period ! 



Again, some people have a notion that Tulips give 

 much trouble. No such thing ; all they want is order and 

 method. Thus, suppose you have procured a collection of 

 bulbs in the summer — any good nurserymen will furnish 

 them — well, plant them on Lord Mayor's-day (anyone may 

 remember that is November Oth), and if when you plant 

 them you use plenty of silver sand, you may scatter to the 

 winds all the nostrums about composts. In planting, take 

 a flat or rounded, not pointed, dibble, with inches marked 

 upon it, and then with sand below and sand above, put in 

 the bulbs from 3 to -i inches deep, according to their size. 

 Cover them in with well-powdered earth, and do nothing 

 more until they begin to peep above the ground ; then stir 

 up the ground frequently with a small fork, in order that 

 the rain and moisture may flow evenly between the bulbs. 

 This is very necessary, as is also careful weeding, but 

 nothing else is required. You have now, in short, nothing 

 else to do but to watch and admire them until they have 

 flowered. As soon as the petals have fallen, snap off the 

 seed vessels, so that the sap may go down and strengthen 

 the new bulb ; for all this time a bulb or bulbs have been 

 forming round the old ones. You need do nothing more 

 till you want to put in the summer-bedding plants — say 

 about the end of May. Then, on a fine dry day, fake up 

 the bulbs gently with a fork ; if they have been well sanded 

 you will have no trouble at all. Tie them together in 

 bundles of sorts by the stalks, and place them in dry 

 shade : leave them until they are thoroughly dried, and 

 until you can easily pull-out the stalks and separate the 



No. 426.— Vol. XVI., New Series. 



young bulbs. This will be about June IKth— remember 

 that. Then put them away labelled in boxes and drawers, 

 looking over them occasionally to see that they are safe, 

 and tliey wUl be ready fur you in vastly increased numbers 

 by Lord Mayor's-day again. 



This is aU you have to do in growing Tulips. No bulbs 

 increase so rapidly — an old bulb of Lac van Rhyn, for 

 instance, will often produce six— none require so little 

 attention ; none are so hardy or so thoroughly independent 

 of weather. 



This has been a somewhat exceptional season, but my 

 Tulips have come up most of them to theu- very day not- 

 withstanding. I would strongly advise anyone who loves 

 spring flowers to tiy a few beds of Tulips. They have, 

 moreover, the great advantage over many other spring 

 flowers, that they do not in the least interfere with the 

 bedding arrangements for summer. You may accommodate 

 them also to beds of any shape, for they may be planted 

 with admirable effect either in masses, or lines, or rings. 



There are certain points which it is well to consider 

 before you settle your plans — the date of the blooming, the 

 height of the stalk, and size of tlie flower, and, above all, the 

 colours. As one ounce of experience is said to be worth a 

 pound of theory, I send you a list of some good varieties 

 which I liave grown myself, with all these particulars 

 carefully noted do^^Ti. Anyone from this list may without 

 the smallest difficulty arrange several beautiful beds ac- 

 cording to his own taste. I may observe that I call the 

 Tulip out when at least three blooms (in quantities of not 

 less than one dozen), are open, and over when at least 

 three blooms have fallen. I should be glad if any of your 

 correspondents would give their experience of TuUp-grow- 

 ing, more especially as regards the arrangement and colour- 

 ing of the beds. 



LIST OF BEDDING TULIPS. 



No. 1077.— Vol. XLL, Old Seeies. 



