130 POPULAR GARDEN FLOWERS 



has been carried by wanderers all over the world, stolen 

 by patriotic adventurers, and has maintained one of the 

 oldest industries known to civilisation. 



Educated people will not grow the Crocus less 

 frequently in their gardens for knowing the part that it 

 has played ; on the contrary, they are likely to give 

 greater attention to it than they have done hitherto. 

 And, when they have begun to study it, they will find 

 species of a beauty that they had never suspected. 

 Probably seven out of ten of the growers of Crocuses 

 know them only through the " Dutch " varieties 

 popular yellow, lilac, blue, white, and striped sorts, 

 which are sent over from Holland in autumn in 

 millions, to be sold by bulb dealers and auctioneers 

 at a cheap rate, and to flower in February and March 

 of the following year. The fact that they sell in such 

 enormous quantities is a sufficient proof that they are 

 appreciated, and their beauty is undeniable ; but, after 

 all, they give only a very meagre idea of the variety and 

 the beauty of the genus. They do not, for instance, 

 touch the autumn bloomers at all, and they only 

 represent the late winter or spring bloomers with 

 moderate success. 



Crocuses for Rockwork and Pots. In years gone by 1 

 grew a collection of Crocuses, which included some of 

 the. best species, in a London suburb. I learned thereby 

 two things : that the Crocus is one of the best of town 

 flowers, and that it includes plants the beauty of which 

 far exceeds that of any of the Dutch varieties. I grew 

 some of my Crocuses in the garden, and some in pots in 

 the greenhouse. Their low growth suggests that the 

 rockery rather than the open bed is the place for them 

 outdoors. Given pockets to themselves in the rockery, 

 and labelled, there is no risk of their getting overgrown 



