256 SATURDAY IN MY GARDEN 



which he is only too ready to give ; be prepared to pay a fair price 

 for a good article, and then give it the best treatment by way of 

 cultivation of which you are capable. Herein, I am confident, 

 after a long and sometimes painful experience, lies the secret of 

 successful bulb forcing. 



But the amateur who has never yet attempted the practice of 

 this delightful branch of the art of gardening will naturally desire 

 to be advised as to the most suitable bulbs to use. His choice is 

 a wide one. For a start, however, he would perhaps be wise to 

 confine his selection to narcissi, Roman hyacinths, freesias, jon- 

 quils and tulips. 



Of the narcissi, the best-known early forcer is Paper White, the 

 bulbs of which are fairly cheap, but a selection from other suit- 

 able varieties, such as Sir Watkin, Stella, Golden Spur, Bicolor 

 Horsfieldii, White Perfection, Soleil d'Or, Madame de Graaf, Jaune 

 Supreme, and Sulphur Phoenix, may also be made if greenhouse 

 accommodation and depth of pocket permit. 



The earliest hyacinth to come into bloom is the white Roman, 

 and this is followed soon afterwards by the charming shell-pink 

 Italian. 



Tulips in great variety lend themselves readily to forcing, The 

 best known are the Due van Thol varieties in many shades of 

 colour. These, however, are rather small, and if larger flowers are 

 desired it may be advisable to purchase a few bulbs of each of 

 the following : Monsieur Tresor (yellow, 11 in. high), Primrose 

 Queen (clear lemon, 9 in. high), Proserpine (rosy carmine, 12 in. 

 high), and Vermilion Brilliant (scarlet, 10 in. high). A good white 

 variety is White Pottebakker. 



No bulb collection for early forcing is complete unless it contains 

 a few pots of freesia. The pure white Freesia refracta alba is well 

 known, and is deservedly popular owing to its delicious fragrance, 

 but several new forms have been introduced in recent years, and 

 of these the best are F. Chapmanii (yellow blotched with orange), 

 F. alba citrina (white with a greenish shade), and Rose Queen (a 

 delightful pink). 



All these bulbs are familiar to the experienced amateur gardener, 



