236 FLOWER GARDENING 



In warm climates bulbs may be set out any time between the 

 last of September and the middle of November, and this will give 

 them time to establish themselves well before the winter begins. 

 In cold climates the bulbs should be dug up and stored where they 

 will not freeze. 



In making beds for bulbs we must have good rich soil and 

 good drainage. The ground should be well spaded and mixed 

 thoroughly with loam, sand, and well-rotted manure. Some gar- 

 deners dig out a deep pit and place at the bottom of this a loose 

 layer of coarse gravel and then fill the pit with soil prepared as 

 suggested above. This drains off the surplus water, which would 

 hinder the growth of the bulbs. If the bulbs are left in the 

 ground over winter, they should be covered in the fall with six to 

 eight inches of straw litter or dry leaves in order to protect them 

 from freezing. 



Bulbs can be used to good effect to dot the border of shrubs and 

 rose bushes, and many prefer this arrangement to having them in 

 beds. 



Corms resemble bulbs and are often called bulbs, but they are 

 really very short and thick fleshy subterranean stems having 

 buds called coimels which usually grow out 

 from the base and become independent 

 corms in a single season. Common ex- 

 amples of corms are found in the Indian 

 turnip or Jack-in-the-pulpit and the crocus. 

 In general, corms may be handled in the 

 same way as bulbs. They produce attrac- 

 tive showy spring flowers and should be 



A gladiolus corm. J 



found in every garden. The crocus is one 



of our earliest spring flowers, which produces dense masses of 

 richly tinted blossoms. Other attractive plants produced from 

 corms are the cyclamen, the common gladiolus, the giant-flowered 

 gladiolus, and the butterfly gladiolus. 



Tubers are short, thick rootstocks having eyes or buds along the 

 sides of the underground stem. They grow best in rich, sandy, and 

 well drained soil. In this list may be mentioned the different 

 varieties of begonias and the tuberose. 



A rhizome is a creeping stem or branch growing beneath the 



