PLANTING HARDY BULBS. 



on him if the plants begin to sicken at 

 an early date. With the exception of 

 water plants nothing will do well in a 

 vessel where water stagnates about the 

 roots. 



Sanseveria Zealanica is one of the 

 most enduring plants we have ever 

 come across ; it will stand extremely 

 dry air, and getting dry at the roots 

 does not seem to bother it much either. 

 On the other hand we have seen fine 

 large specimens destroyed and rotted in 

 three weeks by overwatering. Arauca 

 ria exce/sa, the Norfolk Island pine, is 

 one of the most ornamental of all Coni- 

 fers ; it grows quickly and holds its 

 charming tree-like form surprisingly. It 

 is not hardy. The dwarf Otaheite 

 Orange is a beautiful pot plant ; it is 

 hardly ever without flowers, and when 

 the pigmy plants bear a load of their 

 bright, small-sized fruit they are always 

 admired. Geraniums are old-time fa- 

 vorites because of their easy manage- 

 ment and persistent flowering. 



Cuttings rooted last month and grown 



along as rapidly as possible will make 

 far better plants for the winter than the 

 bare ungainly plants lifted from the 

 flower beds. 



Flowering Begonias are among the 

 most satisfactory plants we can mention. 

 The variety of flowers and foliage is very 

 great ; in fact, one might fill a green- 

 house with specimen plants, one of a 

 kind, and still not include them all. 

 The old variety, Metallica, is the pro- 

 genitor of a large family of seedlings 

 and hybrids. Velutina, which is per- 

 haps the most magnificent of these, bids 

 fair to be eclipsed by the new variety, 

 Haageana, the subject of the photo en- 

 gravure. The leaves of this variety are 

 larger and more handsomely shaded, 

 and the growth is more compact. Er- 

 fordii is another new gem among the 

 Begonias ; a neat compact grower, pro- 

 ducing its loads of pretty pink flowers 

 almost incessantly. 



Webster Bros. 

 Hamilton, Ont. 



PLANTING HARDY BULBS IN THE FALL. 



& f^HERE is no other class of 

 flowering plants that gives as 

 little trouble or can be so suc- 

 cessfully managed by the ama- 

 teur flower-lover as the bulbous class. 

 The culture is extremely easy, as through- 

 out their growing time they require no 

 more care or labor than does a potato 

 to bring it to maturity, and during their 

 time of rest no attention whatever is 

 necessary. 



Of all the bulbous plants, the spring- 

 flowering bulbs are most to be desired. 

 These, which are generally called 

 " hardy " or " Holland " bulbs, come 

 into bloom early in the spring, some of 

 them even showing their dainty flowers 



while the streamlets are still frozen in 

 the woodlands and the snowdrifts hang 

 along the mountain's brow. After 

 months of intense cold, cloudy days and 

 seeming endless nights, there is nothing 

 more pleasant to the eye or that gives 

 more genuine pleasure to the heart than 

 to see the dainty spring blooming bulbs 

 forcing their heads through the recently 

 frozen earth, and defying the ice king to 

 again venture on his death-dealing mis- 

 sion. They come at a time when it is 

 impossible to have any other plant out- 

 of-doors. The house plants cannot stand 

 the frosty nights, the perennials are just 

 beginning to grow, and the seeds of 

 the annuals have just been planted in 

 403 



