NARCISSUS— OLEANDER 383 



PoeVs narcissus ( A^. poeticus) . Flowers white, with yellow cups 



edged crimson. Very fragrant. 

 Jonquils (N. Jonquilla), These have very fragrant yellow flowers, 



both double and single, and are old garden favorites. 

 Polyanthus narcissus {N. Tazetta). These include paper-white, 



Chinese sacred lily (var. orientalis), and others. 

 Primrose Peerless {N. bijiorus). 



Narcissi may be forced into flower through the winter, as described 

 on p. 345. A popular kind for winter bloom is the so-called 

 Chinese sacred lily. This grows in water without any soil whatever. 

 Secure a bowl or glass dish, about three times the size of the bulb; 

 put some pretty stones in the bottom; set in the bulb and build up 

 around it with stones so as to hold it stiff when the leaves have grown ; 

 tuck two or three small pieces of charcoal among the stones to keep 

 the water sweet, then fill up the dish with water and add a little every 

 few days, as it evaporates. Set the dish in a warm, light place. In 

 about six weeks the fragrant, fine white flowers will fill the room with 

 perfume. The Paper-white, closely allied to this, is also forced, and is 

 one of the few good bulbs that may be bloomed before Christmas. The 

 Van Sions, single and double (a form of daffodil), are also much forced. 



Oleander. — An old favorite shrub for the window-garden, and much 

 planted in the open far South. 



While there are many named varieties of the oleander, but two are 

 often seen in general cultivation. These are the common red and white 

 varieties. Both these, as well as the named varieties, are of easy man- 

 agement and well adapted to home culture, growing in pots or tubs 

 for several years without special care. Well-grown specimens are very 

 effective as porch or lawn plants, or may be used to good advantage in 

 mixed beds of tall-growing plants, plunging the pot or tub to the rim 

 in the soil. The plants should be cut back after flowering. They 

 should be rested in any out-of-the-way place through the winter. 

 When brought out in the spring, they should be given sun and air in 

 order to make a sturdy growth. 



Propagation is effected by using well-ripened wood for cuttings, 

 placed in a close frame ; or the slips may be rooted in a bottle or can 

 of water, care being taken to supply water as evaporation takes place. 



