Gardening for Amateurs 



711 



of Haarlem, a fine cream-coloured flower. 

 Aubrietia Bridesmaid, with large blush-pink 

 flowers, and Leichtlini, rose coloured, are 

 both good. Pink and blue Hyacinths look 

 very well if carpeted with white Arabis, and 

 as a general rule the Aubrietias are most 

 satisfactory with the May-flowering Tulips, 

 as the two kinds are then in full bloom at the 

 same time. Violas are very showy spring- 

 flowering plants, and are suitable for planting 

 as a groundwork for beds of May-flowering 

 Tulips. Viola Maggie Mott, a lovely mauve 

 variety, associates with Tulip Clara Butt very 

 well. Wallflowers look well mixed, or beds 

 of one colour can be planted, and it may be 

 noted that they show to 

 advantage in beds of which 

 the centres are raised above 

 the ground level. Forget- 

 me-nots make a capital edg- 

 ing, and an effective arrange- 

 ment consists of Wallflower 

 Blood Red in the centre, 

 with Cloth of Gold planted 

 around it, and an edging of 

 Forget-me-not. Some of the 

 best varieties of Wallflowers 

 are Fire King, Cloth of Gold, 

 Vulcan, Faerie Queene, and 

 Eastern Queen, the latter 

 with apricot-coloured flowers, 

 changing to rosy -pink. Of 

 course Tulips, Hyacinths and 

 Narcissi can be planted in 

 beds by themselves, but it is 

 preferable to use some form 

 of evergreen plant for carpet- 

 ing, if only to give the beds 

 a furnished appearance in the 

 winter. The double Daisies 

 are especially desirable for the 

 purpose, in addition to the 

 plants previously mentioned, 

 and they are obtainable in 

 various colours from white to 

 crimson. 



How to Grow Spring 

 Flowers. The propagation 

 and cultivation of spring 

 flowers is an important matter when an 

 annual supply is required to replenish the 

 flower beds. It is necessary to have a 

 piece of reserve ground for the purpose, and 



the best plan is to set aside a portion of 

 the kitchen garden. As the plants used are 

 quite hardy they can be grown entirely in 

 the open, and on this account people possess- 

 ing quite small gardens without any glass 

 can easily produce a bright display of flowers 

 within the space at disposal. 



Alyssum. This plant can be increased 

 by division, but by far the simplest plan 

 is to take cuttings when the flowers are over. 

 Seedlings frequently make very good plants, 

 and seed can be sown in the open in May. 

 Self-sown seedlings often spring up around 

 the plants, and these may be planted on a 

 reserve border and grown there until aiitumn. 



An edging 



Saxifrage. 



Arabis. Cuttings root readily in light 

 sandy soil on a shady border if taken after 

 the flowers are over at the end of May. The 

 plants may also be divided when removed 



