Gardening for Amateurs 



6 47 



spring - flowering Magnolia stellata. The 

 question of soil presents no difficulty, as 

 they thrive in most gardens. Plant the 

 bulbs 2 to 3 inches deep, and the same 

 distance apart, in August or September. 

 Increase is by offsets removed at that time. 

 The best sorts are M. azureum, Cambridge- 

 blue flowers in February, amphibolis and 

 robustum are varieties ; M. botryoides, the 

 Italian Grape Hyacinth, dark blue flowers in 

 March and early April, there 

 is a white variety, album, and 

 pallidum, pale blue ; M. como- 

 sum, the Tassel Hyacinth, 

 has tassel-like heads of deep 

 blue flowers. M. conicum. 

 heavenly blue, bears lovely 

 gentian-blue flowers from 

 March to May ; if only one 

 Grape Hyacinth can be grown, 

 this is the one to select. M. 

 neglectum majus, an early- 

 flowering kind, has blue-black 

 flowers. M. plumosum, the 

 popular Ostrich Feather or 

 Plume Hyacinth, bears large 

 plume-like mauve spikes ; M. 

 praecox is a dwarf early kind 

 with sky-blue flowers. They 

 grow from 4 to 8 inches high. 



Narcissus (Daffodil). Xo 

 bulbous plant is of greater 

 value to the garden than 

 Xarcissus. There are varieties 

 suitable for beds, borders, and 

 the rockery, and for naturalis- 

 ing in the woodland, orchard, 

 and outskirts of the lawn. 

 Daffodils are a great success 

 in grass ; the most important 

 point to remember is not to 

 mow the grass until the leaves 

 have completely died down. The flowers, 

 if cut when half expanded and placed in 

 water, are brighter in colour and last in 

 good condition longer than if left to open 

 on the plants before being gathered. 



Narcissi thrive in ordinary garden soil, 

 except that which is very heavy and wet. 

 This, however, can be made suitable by 

 working in plenty of old mortar rubble, 

 leaf-mould, wood ashes, and road sand. To 

 grow Daffodils for exhibition a deep loamy 



soil is best. It is not desirable to use fresh 

 manure in the ground just previous to plant- 

 ing the bulbs. In beds and borders intended 

 for Daffodil bulbs in autumn the manure 

 should be dug in before planting the summer 

 flowers, say, in May. Good manures for 

 Daffodils are soot, lime, crushed bones at 

 the rate of 1 Ib. to 10 square yards, and 

 basic slag 1 Ib. to 5 square yards. Sulphate 

 of potash is another useful manure, especially 



The white Grape Hyacinth (Muscari botryoides album). 



in growing Daffodils for exhibition, giving 

 colour to the flowers ; J Ib. is sufficient for 

 6 square yards. Plant the bulbs of Xarcissus 

 from August to October. Cover the smaller 

 bulbs with 2 inches, the larger ones with 

 3 inches, of soil.' The distance apart to 

 plant may vary from 2 inches for the smaller 

 kinds to 6 or 8 inches for the giant Trumpet 

 Daffodils. The flowering season extends 

 over a period of about five months, from 

 January to the end of May. 



