944 



Gardening for Amateurs 



necessary nor desirable. In addition to the 

 varieties, several species or wild types are 

 adapted for pots, and without artificial heat 

 open their delicate blossoms during January 

 and February. The bulbs may be placed 

 fairly close together in the pots, six to nine 

 bulbs in a 4-inch wide (large 60 size) pot 

 and ten or a dozen bulbs in a 5-inch wide 

 (48 size) pot. Cover the bulbs only with 

 sufficient soil to hold them in position, say, 

 by about a quarter of an inch. Plunge the 

 pots to the rim in ashes, not covering them, 

 in a cold frame or a sheltered spot outside. 

 When the flower buds are pushing up bring 

 the plants into a greenhouse or room. Pot 

 the bulbs early in autumn. 



Suitable sorts for cultivation in pots are 

 David Rizzio, la vender -purple ; King of the 

 Whites ; Margot, white, shaded lavender ; 

 Fleur d'Or, golden yellow ; Mont Blanc, 

 pure white ; purpureus grandiflora, deep 

 purple ; Ne Plus Ultra, blue, lined white ; 

 and Prince Albert, violet. 



Among the species four of the best for 

 pots are biflorus, white, feathered violet ; 

 chrysanthus, golden-yellow ; Imperati, vio- 

 let, fawn and black, a delightful combin- 

 ation ; and Sieberi, lavender-blue, bronzy - 

 yellow base. 



Bulbous and Tuberous-rooted Irises. 

 These naturally flower outside from Novem- 

 ber to May, but one has only to remember 

 what bad weather we usually get for more 

 than the first hah* of this period to realise 

 how much better most of the early flowers 

 are when they open under glass, even though 

 it may only be a cold frame. Grow the 

 smaller Irises in 5-inch pots, and the larger 

 in 6-inch pots. Pot up the earlier-flowering 



kinds during August and September, and 

 the later ones in October. Plunge the pots 

 to the rim in ashes, but do not cover them. 

 For preference have the ash bed in a cold 

 frame. The first to flower (from November 

 to January) are alata, Vartani, reticulata 

 var. Histrio, and Histrioides. During Feb- 

 ruary the best are reticulata, persica, and Dan- 

 fordiae. In March caucasica, Siiidjarensis, 

 and tuberosa. In April pavonia, the Pea- 

 cock Iris, and in April and May the beautiful 

 Spanish and English Irises. There are many 

 varieties of these, but as a rule one is quite 

 safe in leaving the selection to the bulb 

 dealer. Should it be desired to grow a 

 considerable number of flowers of the Spanish 

 and English Irises to cut for room decoration 

 they should be placed in shallow boxes. 



Early Gladiolus. These beautiful flow- 

 ers are suitable for growing in pots for 

 the cool and cold greenhouse. They flower 

 during April and May. Place three to six 

 bulbs, according to their size, in 5-inch and 

 6-inch wide pots. Plunge the pots to the 

 rim in ashes in a cold frame or choose a 

 sheltered position outside. When growths 

 are pushing up freelv move the plants to a 

 shelf or other light position in a greenhouse 

 or leave them in a cold frame till the first 

 flowers are ready to expand. Pot the bulbs 

 in October for preference. 



A few of the best sorts are Colvillei The 

 Bride, white ; Blushing Bride (delicatissima), 

 Avhite, crimson markings ; Peach Blossom, 

 rosy-blush, deeper blotches ; Rosy Gem, 

 rose ; Prince Albert, red, white flakes ; 

 Fairy Queen, salmon-rose, white blotches ; 

 and Ackermani, salmon, white blotches, 

 shaded red. 



Anthemis nobilis is the common Chamo- 

 mile, and is of economic value, for its flower- 

 heads are the Chamomile of commerce. Cor- 

 rectly a wild plant in this and other European 

 countries, it is cultivated in many parts of 

 the world, and formed one of the features 

 of all old herb gardens. It grows well in 

 ordinary garden soil. 



Ada aurantiaca. A pretty and easily 

 grown winter- and spring-flowering Orchid, 

 ot which the blossoms, though not large, are 



of bright orange-scarlet colour. They are 

 borne in many-flowered spikes about 1 foot 

 in height. The leaves are narrow, very dark 

 green, and about 6 inches in height. It is 

 of an evergreen nature, and should be kept 

 well supplied with water. This Orchid 

 thrives well in a mixture of peat, osmunda 

 fibre, and sphagnum moss. Repotting 

 should be done in spring. It is grown in the 

 cool house, a minimum temperature of 40 

 to 45 being suitable. 



