1060 



NARCISSUS 



NARCISSUS 



stout 2-edged peduncle: fls. 1-3, usiially 2, white, with 

 a pale yellow cup, the tube greenish white and 1 in. 

 long, the segments broad-obovate and overlapping, the 

 corona % in. long, with a crisped edge. Var. ^Ibus has 

 white fls. S. Eu. B.M. 197. -This plant has a wide 

 range in the wild state, but some persons regard it as 

 a hybrid of iV. Tazetta and iV". poeticns. Apparently 

 little known in this country. 



12. posticus, Linn. Pheasant's Eye. Figs. 1461, 1462. 

 Strong-growing species, sometimes ll'z ft. high, the bulb 

 about 1 in. thick, the Ivs. equaling or exceeding the 2- 

 edged peduncle and K in. broad, somewhat glaucous: 



1462. Double White Narcissus — N. alba plena ordorata, 

 a form of N. poeticus ( X /a). 



fl. solitary (rarely 2), fragrant, wide open, the obovate 

 overlapping segments white, the very short, yellowish 

 corona much crisped and red-edged. Mediterranean 

 region. — An old favorite, recognized by the red-mar- 

 gined, short corona. A double form of this {Fig. 1462) 

 is a pure white, a rare color amongst double narcissi. 



Var. radiifldms, Burbidge (iV. radiifldrus, Salisb.). 

 More slender and Ivs. nai*rower: corona narrower and 

 more erect: segments narrowed below so that they do 

 not overlap. L_ H, B_ 



Culture of the iVarHssws. — Narcissi are among the 

 oldest of cultivated plants, but were much neglected for 

 many years. During the last two decades there has 

 spread a renewed interest in the family, with the usual 

 result in such cases that the habitats have been closely 

 searched for new forms , and new hybrids have been 

 raised till we have now a surprising number of beauti- 

 ful flowers :iv:iilable. Recently manv of these have 



become so plentiful that they are within reach of the 

 most impecunious gardener, and there is no reason why 

 American gardens should not be filled with good collec- 

 tions of these beautiful flowers, or why florists should 

 not force a more interesting list. With few exceptions 

 the Narcissi are hardy and strong-growing under ordi- 

 nary cultivation. The "bunch-flowered " or Polyanthus 

 Narcissi and Corbularias are better grown under glass. 

 The Moschatus varieties, which are white (or properly 

 sulfur-white) forms, seem to be of rather tender 

 constitutions in most gardens. Otherwise the Nar- 

 cissi as a rule succeed in good turfy loam, but no 

 manure, rotted or otherwise, must touch the bulbs. Of 

 course drainage should be good, and moisture plentiful 

 in growing season. In the garden it is well to plant the 

 bulbs say 6 or 8 inches deep, and 3 inches at most apart, 

 and allow them to remain till they form strong groups, 

 or till they show signs of too much exhaustion from 

 numerous offsets. As decaying foliage is unsightly in 

 the garden, a good plan is to dress the beds in the fall 

 with some rich manure, either animal or chemical, and 

 in early spring start seedlings of annuals to cover the 

 beds when the Narcissi are through flowering, the 

 dressing being necessary for the sxisteuance of the 

 double crop. Too strong a cultivation of the Narcissi 

 is not to be recommended, an extra vigor of growth 

 being detrimental to the purity of the color of the 

 flowers. If the object is to increase one's stock as 

 quickly as possible, biennial or even annual lifting and 

 separation of bulbs is advantageous. For naturalizing 

 in waste places, in the grass, or near water, many of the 

 strong-growing kinds will succeed perfectly. What to 

 select is somewhat experimental for, as every gardener 

 knows, plants equally hardy and vigorous will not grow 

 in every garden. 



The proper time to plant is in late summer or early 

 fall, and the Poeticus kinds should not be kept oul of 

 ground longer than possible; knob-like excrescences 

 at the base of the bulbs indicate that growth is com- 

 mencing and that planting should not be delayed. All 

 Daffodils force easily after being well rooted, and should 

 be brought on in a moderate temperature, as they are 

 naturally low temperature plants — so much so, in fact, 

 that in the open the flowers are very apt to be ruined 

 under our sunny skies, especially if exposed to drying 

 winds. A most satisfactory planting of Narcissi for 

 house decoration is the use of flat lily pots, say 8 inches 

 in diameter, placing the bulbs closely together. The 

 flowers carry best and keep better if cut when half open. 

 The intending collector will perhaps be confused 

 when he opens a list of say 200 varieties, and it may be 

 as well to say that a moderate commencement may be 

 made by selecting a few of each section into which these 

 are usually divided in good lists, bearing in mind that 

 price is not an indication of the beauty or usefulness. 

 As a matter of fact, the lower price is usually an indica- 

 tion that these are not uncertain and are probably more 

 valuable in the garden. There are a few forms, such as 

 y. Horsfieldii, Emperor Maximus, Mrs. J. B. M. Canim, 

 Stella, and all forms of Poeticus, which no well-consti- 

 tuted garden should be without, but one can scarcely go 

 amiss. J. N. Gerard. 



In Europe, the Narcissus, next to the tulip, is the 

 most extensively grown and popular of the spring-flow- 

 ering bulbs for outdoor culture. Probably owing to 

 many varieties not proving hardy in our climate of ex- 

 tremes of temperature, it has never occupied the posi- 

 tion it deserves in American gardfns. Though many 

 varieties are not hardy here, there are enough that can 

 be successfully grown to make them among the most 

 desirable of our spring-flowering bulbs. Though our 

 hot suns ripen them much faster than in the equable 

 climate of Britain, still a good selection of varieties 

 will produce a greater profusion of bloom for a season 

 of five weeks than any of our bulbous plants. 



Most varieties are very accommodating in the matter 

 of soil, succeeding well in any good garden that is not 

 very sandy or a stiff clay, but good drainage is always 

 essential. As they can occupy the same place for five 

 or six years, it is well to prepare the bed by deep dig- 

 ging and liberal fertilizing with well-rotted stable ma- 

 nure. The bulbs should be planted from 4 to 5 inches 

 deep from the upper end of the bulbs to the surface. 



