36 



THE FLORISTS' MANUAL. 



some variation, which will be noted. 

 There is little doubt that the lilies (or 

 what may be called the loose-scaled 

 bulbs) are subject to injury through 

 being long exposed to the air, and they 

 really should not be long in a perfectly 

 dormant state. Notice the Lilium can- 

 didum in our gardens. Soon after the 

 flower stalk is gone the plant begins to 

 throw up a young crop of leaves, show- 

 ing it is but a short time dormant, if at 

 all. Not so with the more fleshy bulbs, 

 like tulips, which remain out of the 

 ground four or five months without the 

 slightest harm. 



bed, as desired. If lifted, the tops 

 should be about ripe before the bulbs 

 are disturbed. If lifted as soon as the 

 flower is faded, you have arrested the 

 formation of the bulb that was stor- 

 ing up its strength for the following 

 year. 



The early tulips and hyacinths bloom 

 with us early in May. As our bedding 

 plants do not go out till nearly or 

 quite June 1, there is nearly time to 

 give the bulbs a chance to mature. 

 Two weeks later, however, would be 

 much better if the welfare of the bulbs 

 was the main consideration. When 



Single Tulips. 



Bulbs for Bedding. 



The hyacinth, tulip and hardy nar- 

 cissus are usually planted in the open 

 ground in October and November. 

 They should always be planted a good 

 six inches deep. The closer together 

 the better the effect. A thinly planted 

 tulip bed looks badly and is not worth 

 doing. I call a foot apart thin. Six 

 inches apart will make a gorgeous bed. 

 Any soil will flower the bulbs one year, 

 for the flower bud is already formed; 

 it merely opens with you. But to grow 

 them so that they will flower again the 

 following, or third or fourth, year, a 

 good, deep, rich soil should be given 

 them. 



The great majority of our bulbs 

 when planted to succeed the flower 

 garden plants are intended to flower 

 only one year, and that suits the florist 

 who supplies the bulbs very well, but 

 that is no reason why the bulbs should 

 be neglected or thrown away. The 

 bulbs may either be lifted or left in the 



first lifted, expose the bulbs and tops 

 to the air till they are ripe and the 

 tops wither away, when the tops can 

 be pulled off, the bulbs cleaned, and 

 stored away in a dry, cool place till 

 fall. I noticed this spring about as 

 good flowers produced by tulips the 

 second year as by those freshly im- 

 ported. The bulbs will do very well 

 if left in the ground, which it is some- 

 times convenient to do, in the mixed 

 border, for instance. If in beds, you 

 can sow some summer annuals over 

 them, such as California poppy, with- 

 out much harm. 



There are always some inquiries as 

 to "When shall I cover my tulip bed?" 

 These and the hyacinths are perfectly 

 hardy and no covering is necessary till 

 Christmas, when two or three inches of 

 stable manure or litter can be put on 

 the bed. It helps not so much to keep 

 fro;t out as to prevent the surface from 

 continuously alternating between a 

 freeze and a thaw, which often occurs 

 in the month of March. 



In planting a bed of bulbs to any set. 

 pattern or design, look out for time of 

 flowering of the several sorts. Crocus 

 are always best alone and should not 

 be used with the tulips and hyacinths. 

 Von Sion narcissus is about as early 

 as the hyacinths, which are several 

 days ahead of the earliest tulips, and 

 should not be in the same group. The 

 early single tulips (except Due Van 

 Thol, which should not be used) all 

 flower about the same day and go well 

 together. The early double tulips are 

 all right with the early single tulips. 

 We noticed La Candeur, the inexpen- 

 sive double white, planted with the 

 early tulips. That was a mistake, as it 

 is ten days later than the early tulips. 

 If a double white is needed with the 

 single varieties, Murillo is the sort; it 

 is early, and a grand flower. Yellow 

 Prince, Chrysolora, La Belle Alliance, 

 all the Pottebakkers, La Reine, Keiz- 

 erskroon, Proserpine, Vermillion Bril- 

 liant, Cottage Maid, Tournesol, in fact, 

 all the early single and double tulips, 

 can be planted in one combination and 

 will make a fine display. The little 

 blue scilla can 'be planted with the 

 crocus. It blooms with the crocus, 

 soon after the snow is gone. 



Bulbs for Forcing. 



Within 25 years, and with many 

 more recently, the forcing of tulips, 

 hyacinths and narcissus has become 

 a most important part of our winter 

 operations. About 12 years ago it 

 was at its zenith, but as the best 

 methods of forcing became widely 

 known and in consequence vast quan- 

 tities were imported and the blooms 

 thrown on the market the public be- 

 gan to tire of the flowers till during 

 the last few years they have dropped 

 seriously in price, and during the 

 last winter hundreds of thousands of 

 fine flowers were sold at about the 

 cost of the bulbs. We predict a much 

 smaller importation each year. 



These remarks do not apply to the 

 good old Dutch hyacinth that we 

 grow in a 4-inch pot. They have been 

 grown in pots and glasses for a hun- 

 dred years and always will be. There 

 are few sweeter flowers for the price 

 than a nice spike of hyacinth. Peo- 

 ple know them and don't ask "How 

 long will they last?" They think 

 rightly that they have received good 

 value for their money if they have 

 had a pot of hyacinth in their win- 

 dow for ten days. Large quantities 

 of fine hyacinths are also grown for 

 Easter in pans, from three to a, dozen 

 in a pan. The latter quantity of some 

 fine distinct variety in a 12-inch pan 

 is a rich affair and generally attracts 

 the purchaser who is looking for 

 something nice to send his or her 

 friend on Easter morn. The Von Sion 

 narcissus, or daffodils as they are 

 familiarly called, make also fine pans. 



Roman hyacinths are still flowered 

 in immense quantities and fashion 

 has not changed the demand. They are 

 graceful, waxy white flowers and can 

 be used in several ways, either by 



