GARDEN FLOWERS. 



167 



A well-known and valued bulb for spring effect is the 

 crocus. Members of this genus bloom in the fall, but I 

 shall only speak of the spring- 

 flowering kinds. 



They come so early in the spring, 

 out of the very snow sometimes, 

 that they are a surprise and delight 

 to us. When the crocuses appear, 

 spring seems to be actually at hand. 

 They are white, purple, and yellow, 

 but to me the yellow is most pleas- 

 ing. There are several species in use 

 in gardens, but they are variable and not 

 to be depended on, so that it is as well 

 to buy the mixed sorts and let them 

 come up white, yellow, or purple, as they 

 will. They should be planted two or 

 three inches deep and close together, 



even an inch or two 



apart, to get their 



best effect. Every 



three or four years 



they require to be 



lifted and reset. 



They are charming 



planted in the grow- 

 ing grass of greensward, but they run 



out in a few years, having a much less 

 robust constitution than the daffodils, which often linger 

 here and there in grass for many years. The best so-called 



FRAGRANT JONQUIL. 

 (NARCISSUS ODORUS.) 



DAFFODIL. 



(NARCISSUS PSEUDO-NARCISSUS.) 



