34 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



November, 



Selection of Spring Flowering Bulbs. 



A. M. DUNNING, CATTJGA CO., N. T. 



The season for planting bulbs for spring 

 flowering is upon us. And for those who 

 study the florists" catalogues the array of 

 names is almost bewildering; and yet named 

 varieties are quite essential to the lover of 

 flowers, and give far more satisfaction than 

 the promiscous lots usually sold as bed- 

 ding varieties. 



After an experience of a number of years 

 in testing a great many varieties, the writer 

 has settled down on the following as giving 

 the best satisfaction. The requirements for 

 outside bedding are uniformity of bloom, 

 uniformity of hight, beautiful colors, good 

 constitution and cheapness. 



Tdlips. For the very earliest of these a 

 bed of Due A''an Thols is desirable. They 

 come in good colors of red, white, yellow, 

 and meet all the above requirements, but 

 are rather small and fade early. 



For the next early single Tulip the best 

 three are Artus, red. La Reine, white, with 

 sometimes a faint tinge of blush, and Yel- 

 low Prince. These can be planted in rings 

 and make a beautiful bed together. Two 

 other beautiful kinds are Rose Grisdelin, 

 a delicate shaded 

 rose, and Proserpine 

 a beautiful carmine 

 ro.=e color. It these 

 are planted in the'^^>/:)>, 

 same bed with the 

 three others the Rose 

 Grisdelin should be 

 around the outside, 

 as it is a little short- 

 er, and the Proser- 

 pine in the center, as 

 it is slightly taller 

 than the others. They 

 all bloom together 

 and make a magnifi- 

 cent show. 



Some of the late 

 double Tulips are 

 very satisfactory, the 

 three best being Rex 

 Rubrosum, red; La 

 Candeur, white; and 

 Yellow Rose. The 

 latter should be on 

 the outside, as it does 

 not stand quite as 

 erect as the others, 

 but it is greatly ad- 

 mired, a great golden 

 ball with the fra- 

 grance and form of 

 the white Water Lily. 

 ■ Tulips should nev- 

 er be planted in the 



same bed two years in succession, unless 

 the earth is changed to a depth of a foot or 

 more. They should be placed about four 

 inches apart and not less than three or four 

 inches in the earth. 



Htacinths. Of these the German growers 

 catalogue several hundred varieties. Hya- 

 cinths at best are somewhat slift' in form, 

 but the single are so much better than the 

 double in this respect that I have discarded 

 the latter entirely. The best single varieties 

 are as follows: Marie, for dark blue; La 



ties by themselves with Amy in the center, 

 and the three last with Ida in the center. 



Hyacinths should be planted six inches 

 apart and five inches deep, and should have 

 a light covering of compost thrown over 

 them as soon as the ground freezes. 



Crocus can be planted in the same 

 bed with Tulips and Hyacinths, as they 

 bloom about a month earlier and before the 



THE VINE-LEAVED ABUTILON. SEE OPPOSITE PAGE 



j others come on. The blue Scilla Siberia 



can be planted the same as Crocus. They 



are very desirable and quite a novelty. 



I In planting Tulips and Hyacinths the 



j earth should be removed to the proper 



I depth, and then the bulbs placed on the 



surface and pressed in enough too keep 



' them in place. Then scatter the earth 



1 evenly over them; and if Crocus are to be 



planted in the same bed, before putting on 



all the earth, smooth over the bed and place 



' them .so they will be at about two inches be- 



Grandesse, the best white; Amy, a deep j low the final surface. Planting can still be 



carmine, tall and showy; R; Steiger, a lighter 

 shade, a little shorter; Ida, the only good 

 yellow; Lord Derby, light blue, a beautiful 

 shade, large bells; Gigantea, a pleasing pink 

 with large truss and bells. 



The two latter are magnificent. The above 

 all bloom together, and can be mixed up 

 promiscuously in plantmg, or planted in 

 rings of separate colors. A still better way 

 is to plant an oval bed with a diagonal bar 

 across the center with one kind, and each 

 end with other kinds. In this way a good 

 arraagement is to plant the three first varie- 



done in November, if not done before. 



All of these bulbs can be taken up as soon 

 as the tops show signs of ripening, say in 

 June, and stored in a cool, dry place for 

 planting the succeeding autumn, but better 

 results will be obtained by planting new 

 bulbs each year. They all soou run out if 

 left permanently in the ground. They are 

 so well grown now, and are so cheap (they 

 would be still cheaper if the 20 per cent duty 

 was removed) that they ought to be more 

 widely disseminated to gladden the hearts 

 of more people every spring. 



The Clematises: History and Uses. 



FRANCIS FELL, LONDON, ENGLAND. 



iCmicluded from paye 11.) 

 The Clematises rank amongst the noblest 

 of climbers for forming an avenue, or a shady 

 walk, in a more formal flower garden. 

 When used for this purpose the young 

 shoots should be tied and regularly divided 

 until they meet at the top, but when once 

 firmly fixed, very little attention is required, 

 except removing the weakly and ill-ripened 

 portion of the one-year-old wood. A similar 

 effect will be produced when used for 

 festooning, or when trained over verandas, 

 etc. In all cases a liberal annual top-dress- 

 ing of well-rotted manure is highly benefi- 

 cial, and should never be neglected if strong 

 growth and large flowers are required. 



As a bedding plant, it is diflScult to 

 imagine anything more striking. The effect 

 produced by the masses of blue, white and 

 purple-shaded flowers either associated with 

 the general arrangements of bedding plants 

 or isolated on the lawn, is beyond descrip- 

 tion. The beds should be prepared during 

 the winter months, the soil should be well 

 treuched, and a liberal dressing of compost 

 worked in. In order to show the flowers to 

 the best advantagei 

 the soil should be 

 raised gradually 

 towards the centre .so 

 as to give a convex 

 surface to the bed; 

 also large roots or 

 branches of trees can 

 be used for raising 

 the bed towards the 

 centre. Whatever 

 plan may be adopted, 

 the plants must at 

 first be trained until 

 they have furnished 

 the space to be cov- 

 ered, when they may 

 Ije allowed to grow 

 more at random. 



The young plants 

 can be planted at any 

 time, about two feet 

 apart, during open 

 weather until the 

 end of March, but in 

 order to start the 

 lower buds, the 

 plants should be cut 

 down to within six 

 or eight inches from 

 the base. Although 

 the first outlay for 

 such beds is a trifle 

 more than for ordi- 

 nary bedding plants, 

 it is by far the cheapest in the long run, 

 considering the gorgeous efl'ect they are 

 capable of producing tor many years to 

 come without the incurring of any further 

 expense. 



Many other ways in which Clematis may 

 be fitly introduced could be mentioned, but 

 as we have already pointed out the most 

 suitable places, it will be sufficient to say 

 that they are no less at home in wilderness 

 scenery,or amongst grotesque arrangements 

 of old tree stumps. In fact the bed, the 

 pillar, the wall, the rocks, or whatever it 

 may be, is merely a skeleton, or foundation, 

 on which thegloriousbloomsof the Clematis 

 are to be displayed. 



A long list could be made of each of the 

 different sections in which they are divided, 

 but as it is advi-sable to plant only the best, 

 I shall enumerate a few of the most useful 

 and striking varieties which can be easily 

 grown l)y anyone who has a garden or a 

 green-house. The following sorts we con- 

 sider to be the most meritorious and best 

 adapted for the purposes indicated by the 

 special headings : 



