184 How to Make a Flower Garden 



Narcissus pocticiis ornatiis, six Spanish iris, six Paper White narcissi, six 

 Giant White narcissi, six grape hyacinths, and four cyclamens. 



And this was the order and duration of their bloom : Giant and Paper 

 White narcissi, December loth, for four weeks; white hyacinths, December 

 20th, for three weeks; cyclamen, January ist to May 15th; freesia, 

 January loth, for six weeks; blue hyacinths, January 20th, for 

 two weeks; pink hyacinths, February ist, for two weeks; Narcissus 

 gloriosus, February ist, for four weeks; yellow hyacinths, February loth, 

 for two weeks; Narcissus Horsficldii, February loth, for six weeks; 

 grape hyacinths, February 27th, for three weeks; Narcissus Emperor, 

 February 28th, for three weeks. 



We planted the bulbs in pure sandy leaf -mould mixed with a little 

 commercial fertihser, first placing good drainage (stones) and plenty of 

 charcoal in the bottom of the pot. One season we used garden soil, and 

 were miuch troubled with caking, worms, and insects. With the leaf-mould 

 we have not been troubled with worms or insects of any kind, and the earth 

 has been perfection as far as consistency goes. 



We planted three Roman hyacinths in a six-inch pot (and we learned 

 that it is wise to plant only one colour in a pot, as they bloom at different 

 times), two Horsfieldii, three Emperor, six Poeticus, and six Spanish iris, 

 each in eight-inch pots ; three Paper Whites, three Giant Whites, six freesias, 

 and three Gloriosus, each in six-inch pots; six grape hyacinths in five-inch 

 pot, and we found we might just as well have had twelve in the same sized 

 pot. We planted two scillas in an eight-inch pot, and were much interested 

 to see what they would do. The catalogue described them as bearing large 

 clusters of blossoms twelve inches in diameter. When these two bulbs 

 showed seven buds we decided that the entire family would have to move 

 out when they bloomed. It was by planting several bulbs in one pot that 

 we had such continued bloom. 



The Paper Whites were glorious, some bulbs sending up three flower- 

 stalks, each one bearing twelve to fourteen blossoms. Giant Whites differ 

 from the Paper AVhites only in being a little larger, sturdier, and a little 

 later. The white Roman hyacinths sent up many stalks from each bulb. 

 They have a profusion of leaves — cpite different from the common hyacinth 

 that one usually sees in the garden. The white was the first to bloom, the 

 blue following, then the pink, yellow, and red. The blue sent its flower- 

 stalks up very high, and the leaves were so long they curled over in many 



