THE BULB BOOK 



Hyacinths, Narcissi, Grape Hyacinths {Muscari), Sternbergias, 

 Bulbous Irises, Winter Aconites (IJranthis) (all of which the reader 

 should refer to in the body of the book), it is a comparatively simple 

 matter to have a good supply of blossom at least early in the year. 

 To secure this the bulbs of the various genera mentioned should be 

 placed in pots or shallow pans in the autumn, say during September, 

 October, and November. The pots or pans should be well drained 

 and the compost should be of a light, rich, and gritty nature. 

 Several bulbs according to size may be placed in each receptacle, and 

 should be just covered with soil. For a month or six weeks, or even 

 longer, they may be stood outside and covered with about 6 inches of 

 soil, ashes, or fibre, just as if they were to be forced. When the 

 roots have been well developed, and top growth is well established, 

 the plants may be brought into the cold house (after washing and 

 cleaning the outsides of the pots) and placed upon the stages. Here 

 they will naturally be exposed to the light, and growth will then be 

 slower and more sturdy than in the dark. Attention must be given 

 to watering, but during the cold winter months this will be a small 

 item. On all fine or genial days, the doors and ventilators of the 

 greenhouse may be left open, and should only be closed on very cold 

 or very windy days. Late in the afternoon the doors may be closed, 

 and not opened again till after breakfast; and the ventilators may 

 be shut right down on very cold nights, but left slightly open if the 

 weather is at all favourable. In the event of very severe frosts 

 setting in, it may be advisable to fill in the spaces on the stages 

 between the pots with clean moss, dry leaves, or fine wood-wool, to 

 prevent the frost getting to the roots ; and a mat or two should be 

 placed over the glass at night. Even with what are perfectly hardy 

 plants when grown in the open air, these little precautions are 

 necessary when they are grown in pots or pans in the way indicated. 

 The bulbous plants mentioned may also be utilised for the 

 decoration of window-boxes during the winter months. They may 

 be put into small pots and then plunged or buried in fibre or soil 

 in the boxes, or they may be planted in the soil itself just as they 

 would be in the open air. And they can be used either by them- 

 selves, or in mixtures, or in conjunction with such shrubs as 

 Aucubas, Cupressus, Ketinosporas, Golden Privet, Euonymus, etc. ; 

 or they may be top planted with Polyanthuses, Primroses, AVallflowers, 

 Double White Arabis, Yellow Alyssuiu, Violas, or Silenes, etc. — all of 

 which, if planted in September or October, will come into blossom 

 the following spring with the bulbous plants. 



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