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October 3, 1907. 



The Weekly Florists' Review* 



TULIPS FOR BEDDING. 



Soil and Fertilizer. 



For bedding purposes tulips are far 

 preferable to hyacinths. They are less 

 expensive, give more brilliant and tell- 

 ing color effects and last much longer in 

 flower. It is not surprising that their 

 use outdoors is advancing with leaps and 

 bounds, for they are not by any means 

 fussy as to soil and location, as are some 

 of the hardy bulbs, for while a sandy 

 loam of good depth suits them best, they 

 will give excellent results in any good 

 soil which has been well worked over and 

 in which a good proportion of well de- 

 cayed manure has been incorporated. 

 Fresh manure is positively hurtful to 

 tulips and all other bulbs. Cow manure 

 is the best animal fertilizer to use. 

 This is used almost exclusively in the 

 HoUaad b'ulb fields. 



In planting beds a depth of four to 

 five inches to the bottom of the bulbs, 

 varying according to their size, and five 

 to six inches apart each way is about 

 right if a really good effect is wanted. 

 (Jare should always be taken to plant 

 the bulbs at an even depth, so as to 

 liave them all bloom together. Use some 

 sand below the bulbs in stiff soil. In 

 sandy soil tulips always make the finest 

 and cleanest bulbs. Good drainage is 

 I'ssential to success, for while tulips love 

 moisture, water must not stand where 

 rhpy are planted. 



Planting and G>vering. 



The time to plant depends on the lo- 

 cality: In the more northern states, 

 from the end of September until the end 

 of October, and a month later farther 

 south. While tulips are one of the 

 hardiest of bulbs, they are benefited by 

 a winter mulch of leaves or strawy ma- 

 nure, which should not, however, be 

 placed on the beds until they are well 

 frozen ; and care must be taken to remove 

 it carefully early in the spring. A heavy 

 covering is not wanted; just suflBcient to 

 prevent continual heaving of the ground 

 from frost, especially in February and 

 March. 



A common query asked by customers 

 who have purchased a few bulbs is, 

 • ' Will they bloom all right a second 

 year?" Of course it is not to a deal- 

 er's advantage to have the bulbs carried 

 a second season, and few ever do so, or 

 succeed if they try, but if the flowers 

 are removed early and the plants allowed 

 to well mature the bulbs before lifting 

 and storing, good results may be at- 

 tained in succeeding years. But where, 

 as is usually the case, flowers are left 

 on, seed pods allowed to develop and the 

 bulbs dug up as soon as t^e blooms are 

 gone, it does not pay to plant a second 

 season.. The early bedding tulips do not 

 wear so well in America as do thf< Dar- 

 wins and other late varieties. 



Best Single Bedders. 



For bedding purposes the single va- 

 rieties are mvch superior to the double 

 ones, although some few of the latter 

 are worthy of culture. A, selection gf 

 the best singles is as follows: ,/" 



Four splendid whites are Joost Van 

 Vondel, White Hawk, White Pottebak- 

 ker and White Swan. , The last named 

 blooms later than the other sorts. Of 

 the four sorts I consider the first named 

 the best. . 



In pinks the best is undoubtedly the 

 beautiful satiny rose-col6red Queen of 

 the Netherlands. The rose and white 

 variety Pink Beauty is also superb. Both 

 these are still rather high priced. 

 Cheaper varieties are Cottage Maid and 

 Bosamundi Huikman. In reds and crim- 

 sons General Gould (syn. : Sir Thomas 

 Lip ton) is a magnificent deep scarlet, 

 but not listed by many dealers. Maes 

 is fine. Of inexpensive sorts Vermilion 

 Brilliant and Belle Alliance are good. 

 Couleur Cardinal is a fine rich crimson, 

 very effective in a solid bed. 



The orange shades are immensely pop- 



Standiird, wliite and criinson, arc unrthy 

 of a place in every garden. 



Among doubles, Murillo, white shaded 

 rose; Couronne d'Or, old gold; Ittj- 

 perator rubrorum, crimson scarlet, and 

 TTournesol, scarlet, ^' edged yellow, are 

 good, the two firs^' named being the 

 most desirable. j- ' , », - 



Late-flowering an4 Darwin Sorts. • 



In the late-flowefftig class the follow- 

 ing singles are deserving of increased 

 use; they bloom when the early tuUps 

 are gone, have longer, stems and last a 

 long time in bloom: Bouton d'Or,i fel- 

 low; Gesneriana, scarlet; Elegans, scar- 

 let; Picotee, white and carmine; Paris- 

 ian Yellow, bright yellow; Isabella,, 

 cream shaded rose; Vitellina, creamy 

 yellow, and Golden Cream, yellow, edged 

 red. 



In the magnificent Darwin section such 

 varieties as Gretchen, Edmond Rostand, 

 Glow, Gretchen, Fire King, and Pride 

 of Haarlem are a few specially fine 

 ones. These latter, in my estimation, 

 quite outclass the early flowering sorts 



Tulip Proserpine, Gumine-rose. 



ular. Of these Prince of Austria and 

 Thomas Moore are excellent, the latter in 

 my estimation being the more effective. 

 The old Duchess of Parma, red, edged 

 with yellow, is also very desirable. In 

 golden yellows Chrysolora is the best of 

 the low priced varieties. Yellow Prince 

 and Gold Finch are better for forcing 

 than bedding. Ophir d'Or and Mon 

 Tresor both are fine. In jother shades, 

 Proserpine, carmine rose; Keiierskroon, 

 scarlet, bordered yellow, and Royal 



and it is astonishing that they are yet 

 so little seen in our public parks and 

 private gardens. 



Arrangement of G)lors. 



Mixed beds of single tulips are quite 

 pleasing, better far than many of the 

 distressing color creations secured from 

 planting lines and circles of a variety of 

 shades. One variety in a bed is much 

 better than if the bed is treated like a 

 piece of carpet bedding. The Boston 



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