WINTER BLOO^f. 73 



hardy and common Daffodil and Jonquil. Of the Tulips 

 only a few kinds are recommended as suitable, among 

 which are the Due Von Tlwl, and the Tournesol All 

 these bulbous plants have so many varieties in the form 

 and coloring of the flowers, as to leave you the largest 

 liberty of choice. 



5. Lilies of the Valley Convallaria majalis have so 

 many excellent qualities as to be well worthy the honor of 

 winter-bloom. As they are hardy perennials, having a 

 place in many common gardens, where their roots are 

 rapidly extended, it is necessary only to transfer them in 

 clumps to pots of any size desired. If, however, you 

 must obtain them in their marketable form as " crowns" 

 or "pips," select only the strongest, put half a dozen in 

 a six-inch pot, and allow a month for the roots to form. 

 Strange to say, " several severe freezes " are recommended 

 as an important, if not necessary, part of the " prepara- 

 tion." So you may safely leave the pots in any accessi- 

 ble place, and take them to your rooms in succession, or 

 as desired through the winter. They need but little 

 direct sunshine, that of the morning being the best. In 

 the spring, plant them out in a shady garden-bed, and 

 after two or three years they may be taken again for 

 winter use. 



6. Azaleas white, rose-colored, and red are shrubby 

 greenhouse perennials which grow in beauty with the 

 years. They need a light soil of sandy loam with one- 

 third or one-half of leaf -mould from the woods. In May, 

 they should be repotted without disturbing the roots, 

 trimmed only enough to keep them in good shape, and 

 then "plunged" in some partly shaded place in the gar- 

 den. In September, they should be brought under cover ; 

 and as cold weather approaches, they may be put at once 

 in the room, or stored in the cellar to be kept dormant 

 like Eoses, and taken to the window for flowering in suc- 

 cession from February to May. 



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