594 



GLADIOLUS. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



GLADIOLUS. 



three characteristic blotches of G. triina- 

 culatus on the lower segments of the 

 flower. G. Colvillei is one of the prettiest 

 and hardiest of all, and is most valuable 

 for cutting, particularly the white variety, 

 which has many beautiful white flowers 

 in early summer. The time of flowering 

 depends upon the time of planting, but 

 the dwarf sections are the earliest. If 

 the varieties of G. rajnosus are planted 

 at the same time as the dwarfs, the dwarfs 

 are in flower a fortnight before the others. 



These early-flowering kinds are of simple 

 culture, and succeed best in well-drained 

 raised beds of good loamy soil, in a sunny 

 position. Some varieties, such as Colvillei, 

 are safe if undisturbed, but some persons 

 prefer to take the bulbs up and thoroughly 

 dry them, and then to plant them again 

 about November ; in which case they will 

 flower early in June. If the bulbs remain 

 in the ground through the winter, care 

 must be taken to protect them in severe 

 cold. Propagation may be effected rapidly 

 by seeds and offsets. By seeds, flowering 

 bulbs are produced the second season, 

 and can be left in the ground during 

 the winter, provided the soil is light and 

 dry and the bulbs are protected from 

 frost. These Gladioli are extremely useful 

 for pot culture, and, by gentle forcing, can 

 be had in flower at mid-winter, and, for 

 securing bloom between the flowering 

 of the forced plants and of the plants in 

 the open beds, they may be grown in cold 

 frames. For this purpose a bed of loam, 

 leaf-mould, and sand in nearly equal pro- 

 portions should be made up in October. 

 It should be about i ft. deep and well 

 drained, and in it the bulbs may be planted 

 thickly 4 in. in depth. The lights should 

 then be replaced, and air left on always, 

 except during severe frosts. No water 

 should be given until the leaves appear 

 (which will be about February, or earlier 

 if the season be mild), and then only 

 enough to keep the soil moist. The 

 lights should be removed during mild 

 weather, and altogether in April. During 

 the latter part of May and in June plenty 

 of bloom may be cut for decoration. 

 Besides those named, the following are 

 some of the best kinds : The Bride, Groot- 

 voorst, Rubens, Maori Chief, The Fairy, 

 Elvira, Rembrandt, Philip Miller, Beatrice, 

 Baron von Humboldt, Sir Walter Raleigh, 

 and Rose Distinctive. 



Another interesting race of hybrids 

 has lately been obtained between G. 

 gandavensis and G. purpureo-auratus, 

 a Cape species, with yellow and purple 

 flowers. These hybrids have large 

 flowers of a creamy-white and a deep 



; purplish-crimson. The named kinds are 



i G. hybridiis Froebeli, G. h. Lemoinet, and 



i Marie Lemoine. Although by no means 



so showy as many others, they are most 



graceful and distinct in port, and in the 



; shape and colour of their flowers. In 



I deep sandy soil they attain a height of 



nearly 5 ft., and the gradual development 



of the flowers renders them effective for 



at least five weeks after the first and 



lowermost blossom. As graceful plants 



they well deserve culture, being hardier 



than many home-raised hybrids ; but a 



warm deep soil and a sheltered position 



near the foot of a south or west wall 



are the most congenial to their strong 



growth. 



Gr. princeps is the latest gain amongst 

 the hybrids of garden value. Its flowers 

 of crimson-scarlet are intense in colour, 

 of great size and fine form. The bright- 

 ness of the flower is relieved by touches 

 of white, or frequently by a white stripe 

 across the centre of the lower petals, 

 which are very full and rounded. It 

 flowers late in August and September 

 when other kinds are on the wane. 

 Though expanding in slow succession, 

 and never having more than three or four 

 blooms open at the same time, the size 

 and quality of its flowers do much to 

 make up for this. 



A few of the wild species almost equal 

 the hybrids in beauty. One of the finest 

 is G. Saundersi, about 2 ft. high, with 

 large flowers of a brilliant scarlet and 

 a conspicuous pure white centre. It is 

 not often grown, though hardy and of 

 very easy culture, and only requiring a 

 sunny position in a light rich soil. It 

 is from this kind that a number of good 

 hybrids have been raised, such as Childsi, 

 Ben Hur, Columbia, Hoboken, Splendour, 

 William Falconer, and Yolande. 



The European Gladioli are pretty 

 plants for the mixed border. There is 

 a strong similarity among them, being 

 from i to \\ ft. high, and all bearing 

 rather small rosy-purple flowers. The 

 best-known are G. byzantinus, communis, 

 segetus, illyricus, neglectus, serotinus. 

 They like warm dry soil and a sunny 

 situation. They are of particular inte- 

 rest from their free and hardy habit, 

 which makes them as easy to grow as 

 native plants. They are admirable for 

 the wild garden as they thrive in copses, 

 open warm woods, in snug spots in 

 broken hedgerow banks, and on fringes 

 of shrubbery in the garden. 



DISEASE. This is frequently, if not 

 always, accompanied by some condition 

 of the fungus known as Copper-web, the 



