CHAPTER III 

 THIRD WEEK IN JANUARY 



BLOSSOMS are perhaps less plentiful at this season than 

 at any other date in the year. The last of the chrys- 

 anthemums has gone the way of nature, the spring 

 flowers are awaiting fuller sunshine, and we must turn to 

 the early bulbs and the blossoms of warmer lands for our 

 mid-winter bouquets. 



The graceful hyacinths of Italy (white Roman, followed 

 by pink and blue Italian hyacinths) are easily forced, for 

 this is their natural blossoming time ; Van Thol tulips, too, 

 and the deliciously fragrant freesias of South Africa, have 

 been available since Christmas ; but the secret of success in 

 growing all these early-flowering bulbs is to start them early. 

 The freesias for Christmas were repotted in July, and the 

 tulips and hyacinths not later than the end of August, thus 

 allowing the autumnal sunshine to do its work in starting 

 their roots, when but slight fire-heat under glass from 

 October onwards will do the rest. 



Arum lilies, too, must be potted up in August for 

 early work, having spent the summer in the garden, and 

 lilies-of-the-valley are available throughout the winter if 

 retarded crowns are used until the end of January, for 

 ordinary crowns will only produce flowers without foliage 

 in mid- winter. 



What a delightful flower Iris reticulata is ! Blooming 

 early in the year, its rich colours are most welcome with 

 those of the polyanthus narcissi, for they form a fine con- 

 trast the creamy yellow of the narcissi with the deep blue 

 and purple, touched with white and gold, of this iris. The 



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