54 BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS 



other well-known "bulb." It consists of a number of claws 

 springing from a flattish plate, which is the point from which the 

 growth starts ; the claws, therefore, must go downward. The 

 tubers are procurable in autumn, and may be planted then or 

 towards the end of winter, about an inch deep. If planted in 

 autumn litter or bracken ought to be spread over the bed. They 

 will thrive in most kinds of soils, but those growers who want to 

 have them in perfection will take care to work the ground well, 

 and to add leaf-mould, road grit, and loam if available, if the soil 

 is very stiff. Several strains are offered by dealers, and the Turban 

 and the Persian may be chosen, although the French are larger. 

 Tubers can be bought in mixture, or varieties can be got under 

 names. They flower in late spring and early summer. 



Scillas are very modest flowers, but they have their uses. 

 Sibirica, the blue Squill, is a pretty and serviceable little plant. 

 It blooms, together with its white variety, in February. Bifolia 

 is a charming little plant, which flowers in March. There are 

 several varieties of it, including a white (alba) and a pink (Pink 

 Beauty). The wild " Bluebell," or Wood Hyacinth, is a Scilla, and 

 its specific scientific name is variously given as nutans and festalis. 

 There are pink and white varieties of this also. It is an April 

 bloomer. The Spanish Squill (Scilla hispanicd), blue, and its 

 varieties bloom in March. There are several different shades of 

 blue, likewise red, rose, and white. Peruviana is a handsome 

 May-blooming Scilla, with lilac flowers; there are blue and white 

 varieties. They are not quite hardy, and if grown out of doors 

 must have a sheltered place. 



Tigridias are not largely grown, but one sometimes sees a 

 bed of them in a park or botanical garden, where they set the lay 

 tongue wagging. There are few flowers brighter and more glowing, 

 and, on the other hand, few more fleeting. The Tigridia is here 

 to-day and gone to-morrow. Pavonia and its varieties, aurea, yellow ; 

 alba, white; and conchiflora, deep yellow, are the best known. 



