280 BULBS AND TUBEROUS-ROOTED PLANTS. 



difficult to manage, not thriving in the open border, as 

 they must be amply protected against frost and too much 

 moisture, and in the greenhouse they do not make suffi- 

 cient root growth to supply the leaves with nourishment. 

 The genus seems adapted only to its native habitat. 

 The species were formerly included with th^ Ixias (Page 

 166), and similar treatment is very near to their necessi- 

 ties. See also Montbretia, Page 233. 



T. aurea. Also known as Crocosma aurea, is 

 the easiest to manage, and the one most generally culti- 

 vated. They succeed well as border plants, in light soil, 

 perfectly drained, but they must be protected against 

 frost. Although they do not flower until August or 

 September, the bulbs must remain in the ground during 

 winter, as they cannot remain long out of ground with- 

 out injury. To keep them dry during winter would be 

 fatal to them, so the only resource left is to protect them 

 in the bed, or take them up after flowering and keep 

 them in pots. Neither of the methods will find favor 

 with the American gardener, who has so many resources 

 from which to draw, either for the garden or greenhouse. 



TEOP^EOLUM. 



Nasturtium. 



The tuberous species of this genus are very interest- 

 ing plants, the best known being : 



T. tricolor um. So named because of its three- 

 colored flowers, orange, red and purple. The tubers of 

 this species are about an inch in diameter, and should 

 be planted on the surface of the soil, either in pots, or 

 on the greenhouse bench, in light fibrous soil. From 

 these tubers will arise delicate hair-like stems, which 

 increase in size as they grow, being three times the 

 thickness at a distance of six feet from the bulb. These 

 stems are so delicate that it is necessary to provide a 

 frame or trellis for their support, as they are entirely 



