July High Summer 



The growths are slender and need support. The simplest 

 way of affording this is to place a few sticks round the 

 margin of the flower-pots and to pass raffia round the 

 sticks. No attempt must be made to force the plants 

 into bloom or they may not flower at all. A temperature 

 at night of 50 is high enough ; this will of course increase 

 naturally during the day, even when air is admitted, as it 

 must be, quite freely, in favourable weather. The secrets 

 of success are to give water rather sparingly until the pots 

 are full of roots and to keep the plants cool. The com- 

 monest kinds are Freesia refracta and its white variety 

 alba. But during recent years Freesias with blossoms of 

 various shades of colour have been obtained, and some of 

 them are very beautiful. An excellent selection consists 

 of Leichtlinii, pale yellow ; Amethyst, lavender; Chapmanii, 

 yellow ; and Armstrongii, rose. 



The Gape Cowslip, or Lachenalia, is a spring-flower- 

 ing bulb which has attractive, mottled leaves and spikes 

 of narrow, tube-shaped flowers, chiefly of red and yellow 

 colouring. It is of simple cultivation. The bulbs are 

 potted during July or early in August, in loamy soil with 

 which a little leaf mould and sand are mixed ; they are 

 placed from 1 to 2 inches apart, and are covered by about 

 J inch of soil. The pots of bulbs are watered and placed 

 in a shaded frame, .there to remain for six weeks or so, 

 until, in fact, signs of growth are apparent. The plants 

 are then gradually exposed to full light, and in September 

 are placed on a shelf in the greenhouse. They ought to 

 be fairly near the glass, say within 12 or 18 inches. The 

 Lachenalia is almost hardy and may be grown in an 

 unheated greenhouse ; so, too, may the Freesia, though 

 both really do better in a minimum temperature of about 

 50. 



The Scarborough Lily (Vallota purpurea) is a great 

 favourite with amateurs, who usually grow it in a sunny 

 window. Complaints are sometimes made that it does not 

 bloom freely, and these may often be traced to the fact 



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