CHAPTER IX. 



Narcissi. 



It would ill become flower-lovers to neglect the beautiful 

 Daffodils, when considering the plants wherewith to 

 furnish their rock gardens, on no better ground than 

 that many of the species are wildings, and among the 

 commonest flowers of beds and borders in spring ; or 

 even for the more compHmentary, but still unconvincing 

 reason that they are one of the highly specialised 

 flowers of florists. Neither of these points of view is a 

 practical one. There is more reason in the objection 

 that the plants are bulbs, which leave the ground bare 

 for several months in autumn and winter, and the 

 foliage of which begins to decay and become unsightly 

 soon after the flowers are over. 



Narcissi are the great flowers of spring, and though 

 some are common, others are specialised, and all are 

 subject to the objection of early leaf decay, still we 

 must study them and devise means of utilising them 

 for the adornment of rock gardens. 



Those who grow this splendid plant in the florists' 

 way, give most of their attention to producing fine 

 examples of modem sorts which possess certain points 

 of superiority over the older kinds when considered as 

 individuals. This is entirely beside the object and 



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