XI. 



FLOWER-BEDS AND BORDERS. 



LOWER-BEDS are chiefly used on smooth and 

 \,F well-kept lawns near the residence to produce 

 bright and cheerful effects by a judicious dis- 

 play of summer flowers. These groups should 

 be a source of interest and enjoyment from 

 the earliest spring days till late in fall. 



The first flowers to expand in early spring are the in- 

 numerable forms of bulbous plants with flowers of the most 

 exquisite and brilliant colors, such as tulips, squills, crocus, 

 hvacinths, and daffodils. 



Bulbs for spring display are planted late in fall in well- 

 prepared lied^ of light and rich soil. Tulips, hyacinths, 

 and daffodils are planted from five to six inches apart in 

 regular rows and in separate beds. Crocus, glory of the 

 snow (Chionodoan), and snowflakes may be placed several 

 together and in little clusters three inches apart. When 

 the beds are prepared and the rows marked on the ground 

 showing the place of each bulb or cluster of bulbs, the 

 planting may be done by means of a trowel, a dibbler 

 (pointed stick), or simply by the hand, care being taken to 



125 



