THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



or whenever severe winter weather is 

 past; by this time upper growth will 

 usually have started. In exposed places 

 protection from heavy, late frosts by a 

 light mulch or mats is beneficial. 



When the flowers have wilted they 

 should be cut away, no seeds being 

 allowed to ripen, so that all available 

 strength may be used in developing 

 the bulbs or bulblets. For the same 

 reason leaves should not be removed 

 until they begin to fade, after which 

 the space occupied by spring flowenng 

 bulbs may be utilized by planting ten- 

 der, shallow -rooting anmials, such as 



Fig. 1447.— Aster. 



Portulacca, Dwarf Petunias, Asters, Ver- 

 benas, etc. Further treatment depends 

 on the kinds grown, hence it will be 

 necessary to consider their special re- 

 quirements. 



Spring Flowering Snowdrops are the 

 earliest and among the most hardy. 

 Their exact time of blooming, as with 

 other plants, depends upon local clima- 

 tic conditions. At the Missouri 

 Botanical Garden, last winter, in a 

 partially shaped situation, many were 

 in blossom February 22. The flowers 



Fig. 1448.— Skowdrop. 



are pure white, solitary, graceful, and 

 possess an agreeable perfume. For 

 delicacy of bloom the common single 

 variety is, perhaps, best, and for size, 

 the Giant Snowdrop ( 6^a/a«//^2/.f Elwesi). 

 For clumps plant about two inches deep, 

 and the same distance apart. They 

 propagate quite readily from off"sets, 

 forming a solid mass if left two or three 

 years. No further care is necessary 

 until the bed becomes overcrowded, 

 when they should be taken up and re- 

 set. These are sometimes planted in 

 sod or wild portions of the garden. 



Spring Crocuses appear a little later 

 than snowdrops, and have larger and 

 more conspicuous flowers, the numerous 

 varieties giving many shades of white, 

 blue and yellow. Plant one or two 

 inches deeper than snowdrops, as bulb- 

 lets are formed above the old bulb and 

 will eventually work themselves above 

 ground, when they should be taken up 

 and replanted. Otherwise they are 

 treated the same. Of the white varieties 

 Mont Blanc and Caroline Crisholm are 

 good ; of the yellow, Large Yellow and 



400 



