CHAPTER XV. 

 NATURALISING BULBS IN GRASS. 



THE culture of bulbs in this interesting manner is not at 

 all difficult. " Naturalising " means growing bulbs in a 

 wild natural manner, and when planted leaving them alone 

 to spread and grow as they please. 



But surely it is a mistake to plant bulbs on a lawn, which 

 is a place to be kept trim and neat. It is not natural. The 

 trim condition of the lawn will detract from the beauty 

 of the plants growing out of it, and later on when their 

 flowering is over they in their turn will detract from the 

 beauty of the lawn. A " Wilderness " or Wild Garden or 

 piece of meadowland are the only really suitable places 

 for this form of gardening, and if no one of these is avail- 

 able, I would advise my reader to give up the idea of 

 " naturalising " bulbs in grass. 



A site covered with ordinary meadow-grass and perhaps 

 lightly shaded by trees is an ideal sight and may be easily 

 converted into a glorious mass of spring colour. 



Colour Effect : Wonderful colour effects are possible. 

 Large irregular patches look best, not one or two bulbs 

 here, two or three a yard away, and so on, but good sized 

 patches of one sort and one colour with the colouring of 

 each neighbouring patch merging into each other, are 

 what we need. I have seen glorious patches of colour 

 in big wild gardens, and I say confidently that their 

 appearance is far more natural and beautiful than any 

 scattered groups could be. 



There is no difficulty in getting these superb sheets of 



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