SHRUBBERIES AND FLOWER-GARDENS. CHAP. 



450. CROCUS. Lat. C. vernus.Fr. Safran Printanier. 

 Indigenous bulb ; and one of the earliest ornaments of 

 our flower-gardens. There are several varieties j yellow, 

 pale yellow, blue, striped, and white. All are handsome, 

 but none make so great a show in the border as the deep 

 yellow, which should always be planted in clumps often 

 or a dozen plants in a clump, the bulbs at three inches 

 from one another, and the clumps should be in the front 

 of borders in which there are shrubs, or between the 

 shrubs so as not to be out of sight, Planting them in 

 long rows spoils the effect ; but having alternate clumps 

 of yellow and blue gives an additional variety, and adds 

 somewhat to the gaiety always produced by this hand- 

 some little plant. Do not cut off the leaves of your 

 crocuses when they are overblown j as this only weakens 

 the plant. Move them when their leaves are dying down 

 in autumn, but not more than once in three years. Sepa- 

 rate the offsets then, which you will find abundant, and 

 thus, with little trouble, you propagate them. The crocus 

 likes a good, rather light, and not wet, garden soil j and 

 it should be planted two inches deep in the ground. 



451. CYCLAMEN, or sow-bread. Lat. Cyclamen Euro- 

 pcewm. Fr. Cyclamen d'Europe. A perennial frame plant 

 from Austria. Blows, in April, a flower that is white, 

 shaded with pink. Propagated by seed, sowed as soon as 

 gathered. Likes a sheltered situation, and a south-east 

 aspect. Does best in heath-mould. Blows the third or 

 fourth year after sowing. 



452. DAFFODIL, the onion- leaved. Lat. 4sphodelus 

 fistulosus.Fr. Asphodelefistuleuse.k. perennial plant, and 





