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September, 1916. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



223 



too rich for the plants, and since a 

 perennial border is a permanent affair, 

 i: is the best practice to make a good 

 job of it at the outset. When planting 

 don't make the mistake of setting the 

 plants promiscuosly over the whole 



area. Carry out some definite scheme, 

 for instance, a color scheme of white 

 and blue, make large groups that will 

 produce an effect that will make your 

 neighbors notice how you do things in 

 your garden. 



How and When to Plant Bulbs 



B. C. TiUett, Hamilton, Ont. 



NOTWITHSTANDING the war in 

 the great bulb growing countries 

 and the countries affected by it, 

 tspeeially Holland, there has not been 

 at any time so far any real difficulty 

 in obtaining most of the best known 

 spring tlowering bulbs. For that we 

 should be truly thankful. Those who 

 have not already planted their bulbs 

 should lose no time now in getting them 

 in. Whilst a believer in method, I am 

 not a believer in too much method, 

 such as may be discovered in the ad- 

 vice of some "experts" who would 

 have us believe that if things in the 

 garden are not done with mathematical 

 exactitude we are merely courting fail- 

 ure. The expert will demonstrate that 

 such-and-such a bulb, for instance, 

 must — if you want it to succeed — be 

 planted not later than September, it 

 must be planted at exactly such-and- 

 such a depth, it must have certain soils, 

 certain positions, and so on. The re- 

 sult created in the mind of the ama- 

 teur grower is this, that as he cannot 

 get his bulbs in by September, and as 

 he has no scale to measure the inches 

 by, and knows nothing about the differ- 

 ent sorts of soils, or what is meant by 

 "compost," he had better give it up. 

 Well, now, let us forget about the 

 "Expert" and see what happens. I 

 would wager that more experts have 

 been surprised at results where their 



advice has not been followed, so far as 

 gardening is concerned, than amateurs 

 have been disappointed through not 

 following that advice. In the first 

 place, a catalogue of "Fall Bulbs" 

 (published by one of the largest and 

 best known firms in Ontario) just to 

 hand, says: "Hints on Growing 

 Bulbs : Commence early in the fall ; at 

 the same time we have planted tulips 

 in January and obtained a good sup- 

 ply." The object, of course, in get- 

 ting bulbs in in good time is that bulbs 

 kept out of the soil for a long time 

 shi'ivel and lose their vitality. More- 

 over, early flowering bulbs, such as 

 snowdrops, crocuses, aconite, etc., do 

 better if planted early. If bulbs are 

 got in during September or October 

 there is no reason Avhy they should not 

 succeed provided they are planted in 

 suitable soil and at the depths men- 

 tioned. 



Narcissi should be got in in Septem- 

 ber if possible, hyacinths and tulips 

 take no harm left till October, or even 

 November. Nearly all the lilies should 

 go in in October. Gladiolus in April. 



The time of planting bulbs given here 

 is what experience has shown to be the 

 best. 



Now, about the depth of planting: 

 This depends on size and soil. Bulbs 

 vary greatly in size. Snowdrops should 

 be put in three inches, crocuses two 



ii 



Sweet corn eleven feet high and other products of the garden of Arthur Walker, Cobourg, Ont. 



inches, daffodils and narcissi four 

 inches, hyacinths and tulips four 

 inches. These depths, remember, are 

 given merely as a general guide. At 

 the same time they are the depths best 

 suited for these particular bulbs. As 

 regards the soil, it need only be pointed 

 out that in heavy soils it is well not to 

 plant quite so deeply, and on the other 

 hand, to give full measure in very light 

 soils. The distance apart, too, is regu- 

 lated by the growth of the bulbs ; snow- 

 drops and crocuses should not be 

 planted closer than two or three 

 inches; hyacinths, tulips and narcissi 

 six to eight inches; lilies twelve to 

 eighteen inches apart. 



The best tool to use when planting 

 bulbs is a dibbler with a blunt end, or 

 a trowel. For the small bulbs a dibbler 

 is much the better tool. A dibbler can 

 readily Jje made from a stake. It 

 shoulcl be cut so as to be about twelve 

 inches long, and should be about one 

 and a half inches thick. A short piece 

 can be fixed across at one end for a 

 handle. An old spade or fork handle 

 is a most convenient thing, of which 

 to make a dibbler. Holes should be 

 bored through the handle at intervals 

 of an inch, large enough to admit of a 

 small peg. If the bulbs to. be planted 

 have to be planted three inches insert 

 the peg in the third hole and push the 

 dibbler into the soil as far as the peg. 

 In this way every bulb is planted at 

 the same depth. Do not point the dib- 

 bler as that will leave a vacuum at the 

 bottom of the hole. 



Nowhere do bulbs flowering in the 

 spring look so well as in grass. In- 

 deed, many bulbs do far better in grass 

 than in a cultivated border. When 

 planting them in grass scatter the bulbs 

 about and dibble them in where they 

 lie. After planting fill up the holes 

 with good soil and tread down firmly 

 with the foot. The most pleasing 

 effect with bulbs is where they are 

 planted broadcast or in informal 

 groups. Planting them in rows closely 

 packed together spoils the effect. 



It is more difficult to arrange bulbs 

 in borders with pleasing effect, as here 

 the size and coloring of other flowers 

 must be taken into consideration. The 

 only safe way is to plant them in dif- 

 ferent parts of the borders so as to 

 give balance in the border at the dif- 

 ferent seasons, which would not be the 

 case were all the spring bulbs planted 

 in the front which seems the natural 

 thing to do. 



As already mentioned bulbous 

 plants look better in groups than scat- 

 tered in hills, and it is wiser, as a rule, 

 to plant a clump of one kind than a 

 mixed mass. One exception at least is 

 in the montbrctias, which look far pret- 

 tier mixed than in separate groups of 

 one color. 



