October Looking Forward 



Tulips and vow that they are not too deep. Those of 

 us who grow flowers in a more commonplace way say 

 that you need only cover a bulb with rather more than 

 twice its own depth of soil. I believe that flower 

 connoisseurs are responsible for much of the doubt and 

 perplexity which exist among amateurs. They " take 

 up" a flower, and not satisfied with ordinary results, 

 they delve and dig and coddle and fuss to such a frightful 

 extent, that he who has grown similar flowers since he 

 was a boy rubs his eyes and wonders what topsy-turvy - 

 dom is this ! 



Ornamental Onions. Let us now look through such 

 a catalogue as I have mentioned, one in which figure 

 strange and familiar bulbs, and fashion from its bewil- 

 dering list a selection to suit the amateur who has a soul 

 above that of the jobbing gardener. First on the list is 

 Allium, which, in popular language, one may call orna- 

 mental Onion ; all of them thrive in ordinary soil. 

 The two commonest are Moly, which is yellow, and 

 Neapolitanum, white. A striking kind with broad, 

 oblong leaves and large round heads of rosy purple 

 blossom, is karataviense ; flavum with drooping heads 

 of yellow blossom, and ursinum, having white flowers, are 

 others to make a note of. All except karataviense are 

 suitable for naturalising in grassy corners and other odd 

 places. You have only to plant them from 2 to 4 inches 

 deep, according to the size of the bulb, and leave them 

 alone. 



Those who have space on a warm border should plant 

 the corms or roots of the South African Sword Lily 

 (Antholyza paniculata), a plant with handsome leaves 

 resembling those of Gladiolus, and bearing, in summer, 

 spikes of crimson blossom. This is not to be recom- 

 mended for indiscriminate planting, but for those who 

 like to possess uncommon flowers of real worth. The 

 border must be well drained, and the compost should 

 be of loam or turfy soil, with which leaf soil and sand 



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