Gardening for Amateurs 



653 



spring, they soon make good plants. Plant 

 3 inches deep and 6 to 8 inches apart. Mont- 

 bretias are usually planted in groups of a 

 dozen bulbs or more towards the front of the 

 flower border ; they are useful, too, in a 

 shrubbery border and for filling beds on the 

 lawn. The flowering season extends from 

 July to the end of September. In a cut 

 state the long branching sprays are very 



bulbs. Flowering from the end of February 

 to the end of May, the various sections con- 

 tain a very wide selection of colour, size and 

 shape to suit all tastes and fancies, from the 

 dainty Due Van Thol, 4 inches high, to the 

 stately Darwins, some of which are 30 inches 

 in height. Tulips will grow in most garden 

 soils, the best being light loam enriched with 

 leaf-mould and crushed bones or basic slag. 



The Siberian Squill (Scilla sibirica). 



effective in large vases and last well in water. 

 Half-a-dozen of the best modern sorts are 

 Prometheus, West wick, Tragedie, Here ward, 

 George Davison, and King Edmund. Among 

 the older varieties the following are good : 

 Pottsii, Etoile de Feu, Drap d'Or, Eldor- 

 ado, Rayon d'Or, and Bouquet Parfait. 

 The colours comprise numerous shades and 

 mixtures of yellow, golden yellow, orange, 

 bronze and apricot. 



Tulipa (Tulip). Tulips are the most 

 brilliantly coloured of all spring-flowering 



Plant the early sorts in September and 

 October, and the May - flowering varieties 

 early in November. Cover the bulbs with 2 

 to 3 inches of soil, planting the small- 

 growing sorts 4 inches and the remainder 

 6 inches apart. The positions in the garden 

 where one may grow Tulips are numerous and 

 varied. For preference plant the bulbs in 

 sunny situations, though a little shade during 

 a portion of the day does not matter. Tulips 

 may be planted alone or in association with 

 other spring-flowering plants in beds, borders, 



