IN MY LADY'S GARDEN 



and the lovely dwarf anemone from the Apennines (A. 

 apennina) forms a sheet of soft blue, preferring a rather 

 shady position. Various spring bulbs, too, are pushing up, 

 such as the early-flowering gladioli (the Bride, &c.), which 

 often do better in a well-drained rock border than elsewhere 

 in a heavy moist soil. 



This is the time ot tulips. Van Thols, of course, are 

 over long ago, with the rest of the early flowering varieties, 

 which will bear a little forcing ; but the garden is now bright 

 with dwarf single and double tulips, whilst the curious blos- 

 soms of the dragon or parrot tulips, in richest tones of crim- 

 son, green, and yellow, and the long-stemmed May tulips, 

 will carry on the show for many weeks with masses of rich 

 colour. King of the Yellows, Cottage Maid, in carmine 

 and cream ; Proserpine, rich salmon - pink ; Joost von 

 Vondel, silvery white ; Silver Standard, striped crimson and 

 white ; and Prince of Austria, in glowing orange, are amongst 

 the most telling of the single tulips ; whilst Lady Palmer- 

 ston, in rich pink flushed with apricot in the centre, is a very 

 beautiful double variety, with Salvator Rosa in deep pink 

 and Albano Murillo, in paler pink tones, and Blanche Hative, 

 in pure white. Fireball is a fine scarlet variety ; Yellow 

 Tournesol and Velvet Gem, in deep crimson, edged with 

 yellow, are all good, but they lack the delicate beauty of the 

 pink varieties, although gorgeous in colour. When grown 

 under glass, double tulips need to be kept very cool ; any- 

 thing like strong forcing will make the buds shrivel away 

 instead of opening, but for a cool greenhouse or a glass 

 porch without fire heat they are very beautiful early in 

 March, although seldom quite so sturdy in growth as those 

 which bloom in the garden in April. 



The old English May tulips are quite as effective, 

 especially when grown in broad, irregular masses in the 

 herbaceous border, Gesneriana, an enormous flower, in the 

 most glowing crimson scarlet, with a blue-black centre; 

 Bouton d'Or, golden yellow ; Picotee, creamy white, edged 

 with carmine ; White Swan, and the rich maroon of the 

 Sultan being a good selection. The bulbs should not be 



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