130 BRITISH FLORAL DECORATION 



give joy both to those who sell and those who buy 

 them, as they may be relied upon to give a good 

 show for one's outlay, 



Of all bulbs the numerous varieties of Liliums 

 are perhaps the most useful, and they are closely 

 followed by Irises. 



Of the two I think possibly the latter, when in 

 season, play the most important part in the daily 

 work of the florist, many of them being as 

 beautiful as the choicest Orchids, and possess- 

 ing in addition the invaluable quality of long 

 and upright stems ; but their season is compara- 

 tively short, as they are poor subjects for the 

 refrigerator. 



Montbretias, too, what could be more beautiful 

 in the autumn than they? Many of the newer 

 varieties, having stems from three to four feet long, 

 open floral possibilities which cannot be over- 

 estimated. 



It is a great pity that more attention and room 

 is not devoted to the cultivation of hardy bulbs in 

 England. There are numbers of beautiful things 

 which are scarcely ever seen except in large gardens 

 and collections, but which are infinitely more in- 

 teresting to even the small holder than the orthodox 

 bedding plants, which, unhappily, seem to have 



