FLOWERS FOR SUBURBAN GARDENS 363 



selections and hints on culture which are there given are followed, 

 a great charm should be added to gardens. 



Bulbs for Suburban Gardens. We have the lesson of the public 

 parks before us to prove that bulbs play a prominent part among 

 spring flowers. It is difficult to say what the park gardeners 

 would do without Daffodils, Tulips, and Hyacinths. These beau- 

 tiful bulbs come into a bedding scheme which consists of two 

 annual plantings one in autumn, the other in late spring. The 

 beds are cleared of the summer flowers in October, and planted 

 with bulbs, which make way in their turn in May for a fresh lot 

 of summer plants. Amateurs may put clumps of bulbs in their 

 mixed borders for the sake of a spring display, which will be at 

 its best when the herbaceous plants are only just starting to grow. 

 And they may also plant bulbs in beds, interspersed, if desired, 

 with Arabises, Aubrietias, and Forget-me-nots; all of which can 

 be cleared away in May to make room for half-hardy Annuals 

 or orthodox bedding plants, such as Tuberous Begonias, Zonal 

 Geraniums, and Ivy-leaved Geraniums and Mimuluses. We have 

 given full directions on the culture of bulbs, as well as hints 

 on the choice of varieties, in a previous section, and also copious 

 notes on bedding plants. 



Roses for Suburban Gardens. It is with deep regret that we 

 find ourselves unable to recommend Roses unreservedly as plants 

 for suburban gardens. Their beauty of form, their glorious 

 colours, their fragrance, render these magnificent flowers supreme. 

 Unfortunately the plants do not care for town life. Impure air 

 has a marked effect upon them. The leaves get coated with 

 smuts, and the buds refuse to open. The plants may flower fairly 

 well once or twice, but they steadily decline. Whether success 

 can be achieved in suburban gardens or not depends more on the 

 atmosphere than on anything else. We have failed to grow Roses 

 satisfactorily in a London suburb, and succeeded admirably near 

 a country town. If there are no factories close to the garden, and 



