2 5 6 



MY GARDEN. 



There is another bulb easily propagated by division, called the 

 Whitby Lily (Vallota purpurea, fig. 520). Nearly every house in 

 Whitby has specimens of this beautiful flower, which grows luxuriantly 

 and flowers freely in an ordinary dining-room. We usually place our 

 plants out of doors in the summer, and remove them to the turf-house 

 in October. They will not bear frost : I once lost a fine stock by 

 leaving them too long in the orchard-house, when the cold destroyed 

 them. This lily flowers in October, and therefore is so valuable that 

 many bulbs should be grown. The Jacobean Lily (A inaryllis formosis- 

 sima) is another charming plant of similar character ; but the whole of 

 this class of bulbs require care and skill to grow them, to rest them, 

 and to ripen the bulbs to ensure full success with their flowers. 



FIG. 520. Whitby Lily. 



FIG. 521. (Jyclamei 



FIG. 522. Mesembryantheinum. 



Cyclamens (fig. 521) are very beautiful greenhouse flowers which 

 blossom in early spring. To obtain them in the highest perfection 

 care must be taken with respect to their growth and rest. The best 

 plan is to sow the seed in March and transplant the little seedlings 

 into separate pots ; the next year they blossom well, and the succeed- 

 ing year freely. The bulbs are then in their prime, although with care 

 they will grow larger, and yield more blossom in future years. It is 

 preferable continually to rely upon fresh plants rather than to continue 

 in perfection very old roots. 



I have between twenty and thirty species of Mesembryanthcmnm 

 (fig. 522), which are mostly plants from the Cape of Good Hope, 

 They may be planted out in summer in borders. In Italy and in the 

 south of France these plants are much cultivated. One species is 



