104 THE CROCUS. 



* 

 Crocus do not thrive well under the shade of trees, as 



they do not seem to mature their foliage before the sunlight 

 is shut off from them. 



Imported bulbs should be planted as soon as possible in 

 the autumn ; the earlier the better. 



There is no better plant for clumps, lines, masses, or 

 even whole beds, for the early spring-garden ; and very 

 striking effects may be produced by judicious planting. 

 With this flower, as with most others, there is nothing 

 gained by mixing varieties or colors : each color should be 

 in a mass or line by itself, and should contrast strongly with 

 those on either side. We clip the following directions for 

 planting beds from an article in an English magazine : 



u Very fine beds may be formed by planting a double row 

 of Mont Blanc, white, six inches from the edge ; six inches 

 from that, again, a double row of Prince Albert, blue ; then, 

 at a like distance, Dutch crocus, yellow ; a fourth, of La 

 Hajesteuse, striped ; a fifth, of Othello, dark violet ; and 

 Giant Yellow in the centre. This will be splendid for a 

 circular bed seven feet across. For a border six feet 

 wide, we have the first row six inches from the edge ; a 

 double one, white, Queen Victoria: the others being, second, 

 Cloth of Gold, yellow ; third, Garibaldi, purple ; fourth, 



