THE NEW TULIP-GROWING 167 



season of the year, and when we realize that we can 

 have these glorious displays while the garden year is still 

 young our cup of satisfaction is full. If space permits 

 the bulbs should be set nine inches apart in groups of 

 twelve, for then one gets beautiful blocks of colour ; but 

 in smaller borders six or even three may be planted. 

 The larger the groups the bigger the gaps when the bloom 

 is over, and this has always to be considered when plant- 

 ing. May-beauty would be dearly bought at the cost of 

 bareness throughout the summer. To reduce the gap 

 some growers plant the bulbs much closer together, but 

 this is a mistake, as both foliage and flowers are crowded 

 when in full beauty, and much of the effect is lost. It 

 would be better to increase than to reduce the space, but 

 at nine inches there is just room to set young seedling 

 Snapdragons or China Asters between the Tulips in 

 spring. A certain amount of unsightliness is inevitable 

 while the Tulips are ripening their foliage, but it does 

 not last long, and as soon as the foliage fades the yellow 

 leaves and flower-stems may be removed entirely. There 

 is, of course, the alternative of taking up all the Tulips 

 when they go out of bloom and replanting them in a 

 reserve bed to ripen ; but busy people will prefer the 

 more simple procedure already indicated. It is not really 

 necessary to take up the Tulips at any period, for they 

 give quite satisfactory results when left in the ground 

 from year to year ; and if the soil is good they maintain 

 their quality satisfactorily. 



It is after a dry summer that renewal is most likely to 

 be necessary, and in the fall of a year that has been 

 marked by great heat and prolonged drought I should 

 advise the careful examination of all the clumps that are 

 established in the borders. After the first autumn rains 

 they should be lifted with a fork and looked over, with 



