THE GARDEN WEEK BY WEEK 



Oct. wild garden. The plant known as Galatithus Elwesi is 



^ really a giant Snowdrop, and Galanthus Plicatus is 



another interesting species. These special Snowdrops 



are worthy of positions in the rock garden, where they 



will make pretty winter patches. 



The Snowflakes (botanically LeucojU7ns), are as pretty 

 as the Snowdrops, with their white, green-tipped flowers. 

 Vernum, the Spring Snowflake, and Aestivum, the Sum- 

 mer Snowflake, are both spring bloomers, but the former 

 is earlier than the latter. Leucojum Vernum Car- 

 pathicum is a charming winter - flowering Snowflake. 

 Vagneri is another fine variety of Vernum. They are 

 all nice flowers for the rockery, or for patches in beds 

 and borders. 



Tulips. — The richly-painted Tulip is a noble plant 

 for the spring flower border, making grand breaks of 

 colour. The May-bloomers are majestic plants, with 

 thickets of luxuriant leaves, stems nearly as strong as 

 those of Flag Irises, and huge, globular flowers of 

 splendid colour and substance. The Tulip specialist 

 can have some of his favourites in bloom throughout 

 the whole of spring, for the earliest of the dwarf Dutch 

 varieties begin flowering about Easter, and the Darwin 

 and Cottage varieties last till June. There are, too, several 

 pretty species, notably Clusiana, Gesneriana and its varie- 

 ties (magnificent plants these), Leichtlini, Greigi, Linifolia, 

 Macrospeila, Retroflexa, Sylvestris, and Vitellina. They 

 are all spring bloomers, but the majority flower in May. 

 The Parrot Tulips are a singular class, with their beak- 

 like petals. The " Florist's " Tulips are a dying class ; 

 they are handsome flowers, with petals of great sub- 

 stance and beautiful colour-markings, but they are not, 

 as a whole, suitable for giving beautiful blocks of colour, 

 and are scarce and dear. The early Dutch Tulips are 

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