THE BULB GARDEN 159 



ing in eighteen months from the time of sowing, 

 and afterwards giving little trouble. The gor- 

 geous though fleeting flowers of Tigridia pavonia 

 would be sorely missed from the autumn garden 

 by anyone who is accustomed to find them there. 

 They are not reputed hardy in all climates; but 

 it has been found in several distinct localities in 

 the southern counties that a few handfuls of ashes 

 will keep the bulbs safe from frost in the open 

 ground. The white variety with crimson spotted 

 centre is a welcome addition to the scarlet tiger 

 flower blossoms only of a day, yet each morning 1 

 greets the opening of new and fresh ones as long 

 as their season lasts. Tricyrtis hirta, which has 

 been given, not very appropriately, the name of 

 the Japanese toad lily, is another charming little 

 late-flowering plant not often met with. Its pale 

 lilac-freckled blossoms are very suggestive of an 

 orchid, for which it is often mistaken when grown 

 in pots. This also has been found quite hardy 

 on dry soils, and is so distinct and pretty as to 

 be worthy of a position near the eye in a choice 

 nook of the rock garden a portion of which may 

 sometimes be devoted to bulbs; but it flowers too 

 late to succeed in localities where early frosts have 

 to be reckoned with. 



Lilies, the crown and glory of the bulb garden, 

 have been left until the last. The subject is wide ; 

 books might be and have been written to illustrate 

 their loveliness. As a rule they are native to the 

 more temperate regions of the globe; therefore 

 many of them are well suited for cultivation in 

 England, and such familiar species as the white 



