8o THE BOOK OF BULBS 







They are also lovely pot plants, and can be well grown 

 in the cool greenhouse or conservatory. In some places 

 they are hardy and may be left without much attention, 

 but, as a general rule, they need the little care now 

 recommended to bring them to perfection. For their 

 cultivation, a bed with a south aspect, of rich, light 

 loam, raised six inches above the level of the garden, 

 is to be preferred, special care being taken that the 

 drainage is perfect. The bulbs should be planted from 

 October to January, at a depth of from three to four 

 inches, and about three inches apart. If the foliage 

 does not appear until spring, a little dry litter is all the 

 protection required, but should it pierce through the 

 soil earlier, a mat or two may be placed over the bed in 

 frosty weather. When the foliage dies down after 

 flowering, the bulbs may be lifted and dried off. For 

 pot work, from five to six bulbs are enough for a five- 

 inch pot, and loam, leaf-mould, and silver sand form a 

 ood compost. The best time to plant in pots is from 

 eptember to December, and the soil should be slightly 

 moist, but not so wet as to be adhesive. After making 

 the compost firm about the bulbs, place the pots, 

 plunged in cocoa-fibre or ashes, in a cold frame until 

 the plants appear, when water may be given very 

 moderately, and the lights kept off in all favourable 

 weather. When the plants have made some growth, 

 remove the pots to the greenhouse or conservatory, 

 keeping them near the glass and giving a sufficiency of 

 water. 



The Ixia, or African Corn Lily, is a charming plant, 

 with long racemes of brilliantly coloured flowers, whose 

 dark centres add much to their beauty. Mixed varieties 

 can be bought very cheaply, and will give* many beauti- 

 ful flowers. Bulb dealers also offer named collections 

 at moderate prices. Azurea, blue ; Beauty of Norfolk, 

 yellow; Conqueror, yellow ; crateroides, bright scarlet, 



