CHAPTER VIII. 



GATHERING THE FLOWERS LIFTING THE BULBS. 



As TO GATHERING THE FLOWERS. If the greatest 

 possible enjoyment is to be obtained from the cut flowers 

 of the Narcissus they should not be left on the plant 

 until fully opened, at the mercy of wind, rain, sun and 

 dust, but cut as soon as the perianth begins to unwrap 

 itself from the crown, and then allowed to open out in 

 water in a fairly warm room, or other sheltered place, 

 such as a greenhouse. All the beauty and freshness of 

 colour which are so charming in the Narcissus will thus 

 be preserved ; and although flowers which have been 

 open on the plant for a considerable time may attain to 

 a rather larger size, the slight gain in this respect does 

 not counterbalance the loss in purity and freshness. A 

 further advantage gained is that flowers cut in the bud 

 may be packed for travelling in a much smaller space, 

 and yet will open out in water better and even larger 

 than flowers cut as soon as they have quite opened out 

 on the plant. Poeticus recurvus, the late Pheasant's Eye 

 flower, may be gathered even before the spathe has 

 burst, but Poeticus ornatus and the Burbidgeis should not 

 be cut until the spathe has burst and the bud turned ; 

 while the Trumpet varieties should wait until the peri- 

 anth has partly separated itself from the crown. 



The cut flowers never look so graceful as when 

 arranged with their own foliage ; but as cutting the 

 leaves injures or destroys the bulbs, patches of the 

 common sorts should be grown in quantity, ensuring a 

 supply of leaves to set off the flowers of the choicer kinds. 



