species such as L. glaucina. Gladiolus grandis (big brown Afri- 

 kander) has flowers too delicate for full sunshine : in its nat ve 

 haunts it grows among rough grasses and bushes. 



Now for the bulbs that like to grow in summer and to go 

 dormant in winter. These come either from the Eastern Province 

 of the Cape, where rain may come at any time, or from farther 

 north where the rains come in summer and the winters are 

 cold and dry. 



Gladiolus Stanfordiae should never dry out. Of the nerines 

 only N. sarniensis likes to be dry in summer (and it must have 

 a thorough baking before flowering). The form of Brunsvigia 

 gigantea that grows at the Cape dries off in summer, whereas 

 those from " up country " are like B. banksiana in that they 

 flower in summer. 



The haemanthus species present the same problems. 

 Haemanthus coccimus likes to do its growing in the wet Cape 

 winters ; but most of the others like to grow in shade, getting 

 water in summer and flowering with their leaves. All species 

 of Haemanthus like good rich soil with plenty of leaf-mould 

 and compost, whereas if nerines are overfed they produce 

 nothing but leaves. They should be left undisturbed until 

 they literally burst out of their containers. The blooms improve 

 every year, and they respond to an application of liquid manure 

 just before flowering. When the leaves are growing, they are 

 then building up next season's flowers. Among the species of 

 Cyrtanthus, some require water all the year round. Among these 

 are Cyrtanthus Alackennii, C. O'Brienii, C. lutescens and their 

 hybrids. Most of the species grow in summer and like to get 

 water then and to be dry in winter. C. obliquus, C. Tuckii and 

 C. sanguineus belong to this group. 



I think that failure to observe the correct dormant season 

 is the chief cause of failure in growing South African bulbs ; 

 but there is another snag for beginners. When such things as 

 Gladiolus tristis, Moraea villosa or Romulea sabulosa germinate, 

 they can hardly be distinguished from the fine grass which so 

 persistently comes up in our seed boxes ; and many of the 

 prized seedlings have been pulled out as such. Also when 

 the seedlings begin to turn brown and eventually die down the 



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