NARCISSUS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN, NARCISSUS. 



manure ; but it is as well to remem- 

 ber that no manure should be used in 

 its raw or crude state, and that wild 

 species and wild - collected varieties 

 suffer and often fail if planted at once 

 in heavily manured soils. 



In naturalising the Daffodil en the 



frass, the Poet's Narcissus, or the 

 tar Narcissus ( N. incomparabilis in all 

 its forms), do not begin as late as 

 November or December by planting 

 the sweepings out of the bulb-stores, 

 since such bulbs are weak and flabby, 

 and are liable to rot in the frozen 

 ground. The time to begin planting 

 is June and July, and it is a good rule 

 to refuse to plant in quantity after 

 August or September. 



In grouping border Narcissi it \\ill 

 usually be found advisable to lift and 

 replant the clumps every three or four 

 years, but if any delicate varieties do 

 not flower well, or if they show signs 

 of weakness or of disease, they should 

 be lifted not later than July, and after 

 being cleaned, at once replanted in 

 fresh and good soil, and, if possible, in 

 shady or gravelly loam free from fresh 



Narcissus calathiniis. 



manures. It is better to dig and 

 replant Daffodils too soon than too late. 

 The best time is when the leaves turn 

 yellow in June or July. On well- 

 drained loams resting on gravel, the 

 bulbs lose both leaves and roots in 

 June or July, and may be taken up 

 and removed with advantage ; and, 

 indeed, where good round presentable 

 sale bulbs are grown, the rule is to dig 



them every summer as soon as the 

 leaves wither. Whenever an amateur's 

 stock of bulbs is divided, it is wise to 

 replant some in fresh ground, and any 

 surplus may be naturalised in grass. 

 The rate of increase on good soils 

 is surprising, such splendid sorts as 

 N. John Horsfield, N. Empress, N. 

 Grandee, N. Emperor, and N. Sir 

 Watkin actually trebling themselves 

 the second year after planting. The 

 depth at which the bulbs should be 

 planted varies according to the tex- 

 ture and the drainage of the soil. In 

 strong or wet and retentive soils, 

 shallow planting, say 3 to 5 inches 

 beneath the surface, is ample, but on 

 light, sandy, and well-drained soils, or 

 on what are known as warm soils, the 

 depth may vary from 6 to 12 inches 

 in a word, the bulbs should be as far 

 as possible below the drought and 

 frost line. The best grown private 

 collections of these flowers I have 

 seen are those at Great Warley, Essex, 

 and at Totley Hall, near Sheffield, 

 where the best kinds are grouped 

 boldly by the thousand. 



If cut flowers are desired, then bold 

 groups on borders, in beds, or on 

 grass sheltered by hedges or shrubs 

 are desirable. The first crop can be 

 obtained from pots or boxes in the 

 greenhouse, and these will be followed 

 by fully formed and bursting buds, in 

 sheltered and sunny- places. These 

 buds will open large, fresh, and fair 

 if placed in pots of water in a warm 

 greenhouse or a sunny frame or 

 window. In March and April comes 

 the prolific harvest of golden open-air 

 blossoms. In cutting Daffodils or 

 Narcissi for indoor decoration, cut the 

 flowers when the buds are opening, or 

 even just before, and let the stalks 

 be long, as the flowers group better 

 with long stalks. Do not cut the 

 leaves of choice kinds, but use leaves 

 of common sorts with choice flowers. 

 Put each kind in a separate glass, but 

 put together as many of the same kind 

 as you like. 



Such delicate southern kinds as N. 

 Bulbocodium, N. triandrus, N. cala- 

 thinus, N. juncifolius, and most of the 

 varieties of N. Tazetta may be grown 

 in front of sunny walls on prepared 

 peaty or on sandy borders, or else in 

 glasshouses in the garden ; but even 

 in such places their flowers often suffer 

 from spring storms, and the surest 

 plan is to adopt pot-culture in a sunny 

 frame. N. viridiflorus, N. serotinus, 

 N. intermedius, N. elegans, N. pachy- 



