178 THE NEW GARDENING 



them, this can only be ensured by clearing the whole bed 

 while the Daffodils are still growing and replanting it. 

 This is not good for the bulbs, and, what is more, it takes 

 up a great deal of time. Therefore I say : Abjure the 

 line system, and plant the Daffodils in clumps. Do not 

 crowd the clumps, leave good, hearty spaces between 

 them. A bed of clumps looks as well as a bed of lines, 

 and it has this advantage, that in the spring or in the 

 autumn for the matter of that there can be put between 

 the clumps seedlings of some favourite flower which will 

 make the bed beautiful in summer. 



It is wrong to carry the specialization of any flower to 

 such an extreme that through the precious summer 

 months large areas of ground are bare. One who practises 

 this may be a good Daffodil-grower, but he is a very poor 

 flower-gardener. He should, however, be good in both 

 capacities. To mention only one plant that is suitable 

 for setting in Daffodil beds for summer beauty there is 

 the Sweet William, which has found a new lease of life in 

 the beautiful self forms, particularly salmon-pink and 

 scarlet, which have been developed, and which come 

 true from seed. Why not a reserve bed of Sweet Williams 

 in every flower-garden, sown in early summer, and 

 drawn from as occasion arises ? 



Even when we make beds for Daffodils we are still 

 embarrassed with the multitude of sorts. One hesitates 

 to say that there are too many, since all are beautiful, 

 but the problem of choice becomes yearly more acute. 

 In picking out a few varieties I can but say that they are 

 good, I cannot say that they are the only ones worth 

 growing. 



What under the old classification was the Medio class 

 gives us some of the most beautiful of our Daffodils. I 

 may instance Lady Margaret Boscawen, white with 



