486 GLADIOLUS. THE EtiGLiSH FLOWER GARDEN. GLAUCIUM. 



then at their best during August and 

 the early part of September. A suc- 

 cession of planting is desirable to 

 secure a late bloom. Those who desire 

 their gardens to be beautiful late in 

 the autumn should not fail to employ 

 the Gladiolus largely. A deep loamy 

 soil, not too heavy, is the most suitable, 

 but very satisfactory results may even 

 be obtained by deep digging and 

 liberal manuring in poor soils. After 

 the manure is spread over the sur- 

 face, trench the soil up to a depth 

 of 2 feet, and leave the ground as 

 rough as possible, so as to expose it to 

 winter frost and rain. If this is done 

 the soil will be fit for working in spring, 

 and a pricking over with the fork will 

 reduce it to a fine tilth, and will admit 

 of the bulbs being planted promptly. 

 Planting in March and until June, at 

 intervals of a fortnight. By this there 

 will be obtained a succession of bloom, 

 from the earliest moment at which the 

 show varieties may be had in flower 

 until the end of the season. As soon 

 as the plants have made sufficient 

 progress to require support, stout 

 stakes should be put to them. The 

 top of the stake must not be higher 

 than the first bloom, and the stem 

 should have one tie only a strong one 

 of bast. 



EARLY-FLOWERING KINDS. During 

 the past few years the early-flowering 

 Gladioli have become popular on 

 account of their great value for cutting. 

 These, the dwarfer kinds, are, more- 

 over, much the hardiest, and beds of 

 them may be left unprotected during 

 winter, so as to afford early flowers for 

 cutting, for unless the weather is very 

 severe, these beds never require any 

 covering. This remark applies only 

 to bulbs established in the ground, for 

 fresh bulbs are as tender as other 

 Gladioli, and must be protected from 

 frost. Amateurs often make a mistake 

 in this matter. Many plants are hardy 

 only after they are well established. 

 G. Colvillei is one of the prettiest and 

 hardiest of all, and is most valuable for 

 cutting, particularly the white variety, 

 which has many beautiful white 

 flowers in early summer. The time 

 of flowering depends upon the time of 

 planting, but the dwarf sections are 

 the earliest. If the varieties of G. 

 ramosus are planted at the same time 

 as the dwarfs, the dwarfs are in flower 

 a fortnight before the others. 



These early-flowering kinds are of 

 simple culture, and succeed best in 



well-drained raised beds of good loamy 

 soil, in a sunny position. 



Another interesting race of hybrids 

 has lately been obtained between G. 

 gandavensis and G. piirpureo-auratus, 

 a Cape species, with yellow and purple 

 flowers. These hybrids have large 

 flowers of a creamy-white and a deep 

 purplish-crimson. The named kinds 

 are G. hybridus Frcobeli, G. h. Lemoinei, 

 and Marie Lemoine. Although by no 

 means so showy as many others, they 

 are most graceful and distinct in port, 

 and in the shape and colour of their 

 flowers. In deep sandy soil they 

 attain a height of nearly 5 feet, and the 

 gradual development of the flowers 

 renders them effective for at least 

 five weeks after the first and lower- 

 most blossom. 



G. PRINCEPS is the latest gain amongst 

 the hybrids of garden value. Its flowers 

 of crimson-scarlet are intense in colour, of 

 great size, and fine form. The brightness 

 of the flower is relieved by touches of 

 white, or frequently by a white stripe 

 across the centre of the lower petals, which 

 are very full and rounded. It flowers late 

 in August and September, when other 

 kinds are on the wane. Though expand- 

 ing in slow succession, and never having 

 more than three or four blooms open at 

 the same time, the size and quality of its 

 flowers do much to make up for this. 



A few of the wild species almost 

 equal the hybrids in beauty. One of 

 the finest is G. Saundersi, about 2 feet 

 high, with large flowers of a brilliant 

 scarlet and a conspicuous pure white 

 centre. It is not often grown, though 

 hardy and of very easy culture, and 

 only requiring a sunny position in a 

 light rich soil. 



The European wild Gladioli arc 

 pretty plants for the mixed border. 

 There is a strong similarity among 

 them, being from i to i feet high, 

 and all bearing rather small rosy- 

 purple flowers. The best known are 

 G. byzantinus, communis, segetus, illy- 

 ricus, neglectus, serotinus. They like 

 warm dry soil and a sunny situation. 

 They are of particular interest from 

 their free and hardy habit, which makes 

 them as easy to grow as native plants. 

 They are admirable for the wild garden, 

 as they thrive in copses, open warm 

 woods, in snug spots in broken hedge- 

 row banks, and on fringes of shrubbery 

 in the garden. 



GLAUCIUM (Horned Poppy}. - 

 Plants of the Poppy family, usually 

 biennials. G. luteum is quite hardy 

 and has handsome silver foliage. The 



