Iris mixed should be handy ; a pinch must be put under each bulb 

 Reticulata and a handful on the top, and then the grass be pressed back 

 into place. In really thick grass a heavy iron bar about 

 4 ft. 6 in. long, with a blunt point at one end, is a very useful 

 weapon for putting in bulbs ; if raised a little and then 

 dropped, its own weight drives it into the ground several inches, 

 and by a twisting movement the hole is easily made big enough 

 even for Narcissus bulbs. 



Besides these Dutch kinds, which lend themselves so well 

 to massing, there are many rare kinds flowering earlier, which 

 must be treated as treasures. By the bestowal of a little care 

 it is possible to have Crocuses in flower from the end of August 

 to April. 



On a warm bank Iris reticulata and Mont Blanc Crocus 

 are making a charming group, the white throwing up the rich 

 purple and orange of this Iris. It belongs to the bulbous section 

 of Irises or Xipbions, and only grows about 10 in. high, but 

 flowers are so precious in February and March that it is worth 

 while planting a good big clump of them. The blossoms 

 last in water a week or ten days, and have the great merit of 

 being very sweet-scented. For some time it was a disappointing 

 plant with us, as it flowered only the first year in the borders 

 and then disappeared, but it seems to appreciate its present 

 position on a dry bank facing west. For success it must have 

 good drainage, some sand, plenty of sun, and protection from 

 slugs. It can be increased from seed, but it takes three years to 

 form a bulb, and the quicker way is to take the off-sets from 

 the old bulbs, disturbing them as little as possible, and planting 

 the babies early in the Autumn. There are other early kinds 

 which flower at the same time and want a similar treatment ; 



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