110 FLOWERS AND THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



in spring, and taken up before frost can come. When 

 it is wished to make them flower early, take dormant 

 bulbs, pot them in sandy loam and leaf-mould, place 

 them in heat beginning at 50, and increasing gradually 

 to 60 or 70, and when the leaves grow, give plenty of 

 water. If it be considered desirable that seed should 

 ripen, the plants must be watered until the seeds are ripe, 

 but not so liberally as while the plants are in flower. 

 The seed should be sown directly it is ripe, in sandy 

 loam, and the pots should be placed in a moist house or 

 frame, near the glass. Pot off the little plants when they 

 are two inches high, shift them as often as they want 

 it, and they will reach a flowering size when about 

 a year and a half old : the pots should be well drained 

 with crocks. In the west of England, the Channel 

 Islands, and similar localities, the belladonna lily does 

 well in the open ground Planted near together, the 

 roots become a mass which need not be disturbed ; 

 and thus grown they look very well, as there are gene- 

 rally some roots with leaves in each clump, as well as 

 those in flower, and this takes off the bare look which 

 flowers without green always wear. 



Anemones, ranunculuses, tulips, hyacinths, and many 

 other flowers, coming into the category of the fleshy 

 rooted plants proposed to be included in this chapter, 

 have been already discussed. 



The Tritoma uvaria makes such fine showy clumps in 

 a garden that it should never be left out. Its tube- 

 shaped flowers, shaded from scarlet to pale yellow, are 

 produced in great abundance, and the roots may be 

 bought at one shilling or two shillings each. It came 

 to us from the Cape of Good Hope, flowers in summer, 

 remains in beauty a long time, delights in rich sandy 

 soil, and requires protection from wet and frost in winter. 

 It is increased by division, and by suckers from the 

 roots. 



Tritoma grandis is of stronger growth, flowers when 

 T. uvaria leaves off, and continues in flower quite into 

 winter. The two will continue in beauty five months or 

 more. 



