OCTOBSB 12, 1911. 



The Weekly Florists' Review^ 



18 



FOR BEDS AND BORDEBS. 



A Big Increase in the Demand. 



From the beginning to the end of 

 October, according to latitude, Dutch 

 bulbs for bedding should be planted. 

 The work in the more southerly states 

 <5an be done even later, but it is un- 

 wise to keep the bulbs too long out 

 of the soil, as in a dry state they frit- 

 ter away much of their strength. I 

 liave planted tulips and narcissi in De- 

 cember and they have flowered fairly 

 well, but the quality would have been 

 "better if they had been in the soil at 

 least a month earlier. This year frosts 

 have come unusually early in some sec- 

 tions and, with tender bedding plants 

 killed, thmre is no good excuse for de- 

 laying the bulb planting. 



While the demand for forcing bulbs 

 iias not shown any great gains in late 

 years, there is a tremendous increase 

 in the numbers sold for bedding and 

 naturalizing. Every retail florist with 

 the facilities at command should plant 

 ■a bed or border of these hardy bulbs. 

 They improve the appearance of his 

 place and prove an excellent adver- 

 tisement. With a steadily growing call 

 for all sorts of hardy bulbs, here is a 

 line which every live florist might well 

 take hold of and develop. One or two 

 tasteful plantings are bound to bring 

 added orders another season. We are 

 still far behind Europe in bulb plant- 

 ing, but there are no reasons why this 

 flhould be so, as bulbs here are as eas- 

 ily cultivated as there and no class of 

 flowers furnish greater enjoyment. 



The Soil to Use. 



Bulbs are not at all fussy subjects 

 to grow for bedding. They like soil 

 well enriched with rotted manure. Do 

 not on any account use fresh manure, 

 as the ammonia is harmful to nearly 

 all bulbs. Stiff, clayey soil can be im- 

 proved by adding road grit, sand or 

 fine coal ashes to give it porosity. In 

 tight, sandy soil it is also advisable 

 to plant the bulbs more deeply than 

 in heavier loams. If at all acid in 

 nature use some lime in the soil. 



The depth at which bulbs should be 

 planted varies according to their size. 

 Hyacinths should go in eight inches 

 apart and be covered four inches, 

 though somewhat less is better in stiff 

 «oil. Early tulips can also be covered 

 four inches. For mass bedding four 

 inches apart each way will do. The 

 late varieties are better set 4x6 inches. 

 Narcissi, such as Emperor, Victoria, Sir 

 Watkin and other big bulbed sorts, 

 want covering five inches. Smaller 

 «orts, as poeticus, the Leedsiis, Harris 

 and some of the other types, can go in 

 three inches over the tbps of the bulbs. 

 The distance apart depends upon 

 whether they are to be lifted or not. 

 If lifted each season they should be 



four to six inches each way, according 

 to variety; if left where they are, and 

 nearly all narcissi fiower much better 

 the second season and increase rapidly, 

 8x12 inches should be allowed large 

 bulbed sorts, with 6x6 for the smaller 

 ones. 



Some Oood Bedding Tulips. 



Tulips still reign supreme as the 

 most popular Dutch bulbs for bedding. 

 Their gorgeous colors have a peculiar 

 charm and are not surpassed by kny 

 other spring flowers. Also, by grow- 

 ing an assortment of both the early 

 bedders and the late flowering section, 

 quite a lon^ flowering season is secured. 

 Some of the best bedders are: 



Joost Van Vondel is the finest of all 

 early white tulips. Other good whites 

 are White Pottebakker, La Beine, also 

 called Queen Victoria, and White Swan. 

 The last named flowers later than the 

 others. It is really intermediate be- 

 tween the early and late tulips. 



In yellows we have Chrysolora, a su- 

 perb bedder; Golden Queen, a splen- 

 did sort, with big flowers; Mon Tresor 

 and Ophir d'Or. Among orange shades 

 Prince of Austria and Thomas Moore 

 are fine and each possesses a delight- 

 ful odor. 



In pink the old Cottage Maid is good, 

 but Queen of the Netherlands, with its 

 large and beautiful satiny pink flowers, 

 Pink Beauty, glowing rose pink, and 

 Flamingo, rosy red on a white ground, 

 are the finest trio in their shade. 



Keizerskroon, with its big scarlet and 

 yellow flowers, still is one of the finest 



of bedding tulips. In scarlets, Vermil- 

 ion Brilliant, Scarlet Pottebakker and 

 Sir Thomas Lipton are good. Couleur 

 Cardinal and Dusart are the best of 

 the deep crimscm scarlets, and Proser- 

 pine of the deep rose varieties. Dark 

 purples, such as Wouwerman and Presi- 

 dent Lincoln, are not particularly popu- 

 lar; their colors are dull by themselves 

 but in a border with some white and 

 yello,w sorts associated they show up 

 well. All the foregoing are the single 

 early tulij>s. 



^ Solid Colon Are Best. j 



Beds of mixed tulips look well, while 

 mixtures of hyacinths are just the ,re- 

 verse. Tulips are not of a unifoirm 

 height and these unacquainted with 

 them sh'buld study heights a little when 

 doing any massing or ribbon border 

 work. A bed of scarlet, such as 

 Couleur Cardinal, looks well with a 

 broad band of Chrysolora, yellow, 

 around it. Similarly, the latter used in 

 the center with a scarlet border is! in 

 good taste. The high colored varieties 

 should be kept away from the beds of 

 pinks, whites and yellows. A circular 

 bed of scarlet quartered by a band of 

 yellow with a band of yellow around 

 it is effective. Single rows of one 

 color are ineffective. Three, four or 

 more rows should be used, according 

 to the size of the beds. 



The following tulips look well 

 together: Chrysolora and Dusart; 

 Yellow Pottebakker and Thomas Moore; 

 White Joost Van Vondel and Sir 

 Thomas Lipton; White Pottebakker 







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Tulip Proserpine, Carmine-rose. 





