October 4, 1864. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENEE. 



269 



The following are the annuals that I have found really 

 useful for the decoration of flower-beds in spring, and al- 

 though all of them do not flower sufficiently early to allow 

 of their being employed, yet the majority answer the pur- 

 pose on an average of seasons : — ■ 



Alyssum maritimum (Sweet Alyssum), flowers -white. 6 inches. 



Calandrinia specii'sa, pink. 1 foot. 



Campanula carpatica, blue. A perennial and not suitable for bedding, 

 but valuable for borders ; and so is Delphinium formosum, blue. 



Campanula Lorei, blue ; and its variety, alba, white. 1 foot. 



Clarkla pulehella, Tom Thumb, rosy piuk. 6 inches. 



C. pulehella, in variety. 1.^ foot. 



C, pulehella compacta. A smaller variety of the common kind- 9 inches. 



Cochlearia acaulis, lilac. 6 inches. 



Collinsia bartsirefolia, purple ; and Collinsia bartsiceflora alba, white. 

 1 foot. 



Delphinium cardiopetalon, bine. 1 foot 



Erysimum Peroffskianum, orange. I5 foot. 



Eschscholtzia californiea. yellow. 9 inches to 1 foot. 



E. erocea, yellow ; and E.crocea alba. 9 inebes to 1 foot. 



Eucharidium granditiorum, reddish purple. 1 foot. 



Eutoca viscida, blue. 1 foot. 



Gilia nivalis, white. 9 inches. 



G. tricolor, tricolou'-ed. Collectively a bad white or grey. 1 foot. 



Gofielia teoella, purple. 1 foot. 



Gypsophila muralis, pink. inches. This is only half hardy. Sow in a 

 frame. 



Iberis umbellata (Candytuft), in variety. 1 foot. 



Kaul ussia amelloides, blue. 9 inches. 



Leptosiphon aureus, golden yellow or orange. 3 to 6 inches. 



L. lu'eus, yellow. 6 inches. 



L. densinorus, purple. 9 inches to 1 foot. 



Limnanthes Douglasii, yellow and white. 5 to 7 inches. Tl)i3 does better 

 sown in autumn than in spring. The white variety is excellent. 



Lupinus nanus, blue ; and its variety alba, white 9 inches. 



Malcomia maritima, red ; and its variety alba, white. 6 inches. 



Myosotis palustris azurea major, blue and yeliow. G to 7 inches. 



Nemophila insignia, blue. 3 to G inches. This sown in autumn does 

 much better than when sown in spring. It makes a charming bed. 



N. maeulata, white, spotted purple. 6 inches. 



CEnothera prostrata, yellow. G inches. Makes a good bed throughout 

 the season. 



Saponaria calabrica, pink; and Saponaria calabrica 'alba, white; fine. 

 9 inches to 1 foot. 



Sch'zanthus Priesti, white. 1 foot. 



Silene pendula, rose ; and S. penrlula alba, white. 6 to D inches. 



Venus's Looking-glass (Campanula speculum), blue and white varieties. 

 6 inches. 



Veronica syriaca, b'ue and white. Makes rather a pretty edging. 



Viscaria oeulata nana, pink ; and its variety, alba, white. 1 to 1J foot. 



Whitlavia grandiflora, purple. 1 foot. 



In point of utility for flower garden decoration I can only 

 accord annuals a secondary position, as they are uncertain in 

 their time of flowering, and cannot be depended on to survive 

 the winter, at the same time it would not be just to say that 

 they are of little value, though it must be admitted that 

 they are vastly inferior to early-flowering spring plants and 

 bulbs. Of flowering plants for spring decoration I shall have 

 something to say by-and-by. 



BULBS FOR FLOWER GARDEN DECORATION". 

 For the most part all hardy bulbs are easy of cultivation, 

 needing no particular soil or preparation beyond that re- 

 quired by hardy plants in general. Bulbs of all kinds, how- 

 ever, thrive best in soils that are free from stagnant water, 

 and which are moderately rich and porous. No general 

 rules can be laid down as to the successful cultivation of the 

 whole; but some hints on that of each genus may be of 

 service. 



SNOWDKOP. 



Simplicity and modesty are the peculiar charms of this 

 lovely flower. It will grow almost anywhere, but prefers a 

 free open soil, particularly if containing decayed vegetable 

 matter, such as that found in woods not too much encum- 

 bered by brushwood. It will also bear almost any amount 

 of ill treatment, and it is not unusual to see it transplanted 

 when in full flower, and be but little injured. Such treat- 

 ment, however, cannot be recommended. 



Ground intended to be planted with this bulb should be 

 dug or loosened to a depth of from 9 inches to a foot, and 

 if a little leaf mould can be spared to mix with it so much 

 the better. Immediately after the foliage decays take up 

 the roots and divide them, sorting out the large from the 

 small bulbs, it being a good plan to have three sizes — large, 

 medium, and small. The large bulbs will answer perfectly 

 for the most conspicuous places in the flower garden; the 

 medium-sized will do for mixed shrubbery borders in open 

 spaces, either in front of evergreens or under the shade of 

 deciduous trees ; and the small may be planted in woods, 

 by the sides of walks, and in parks, a clump here and there, 

 ■which will add additional beauties to such places. When- 



ever the Snowdrop is taken up it should be planted the 

 same clay. ' It is a native of Britain, and as such is not 

 benefited by the drying process. It is only plants from 

 warmer climates that are improved by drying, which pro- 

 motes the ripening of the bulbs — a process which cannot be 

 accomplished in our cold damp soil. 



They may be planted as margins to borders in lines about 

 6 inches from the edging, drawing a drill with a hoe 3 inches 

 deep, and placing the bulbs in this at an inch apart in a 

 double row, allowing 3 inches between the rows, and in quin- 

 cunx fashion, so that the first row may be 4YJ- inches from 

 the edging, pressing the root end into the earth, and then 

 covering with soil to a depth of 3 inches. In the same manner 

 they may be planted as margins to flower-beds ; but if the 

 lines are curved the distance between the rows should not 

 be greater than that between the bulbs, or from 1 to li-mch. 

 Double rows are much more effective than single, and treble 

 rows better still. The foliage will usually be sufficiently 

 decayed to allow of the Snowdrops being planted at the 

 time of preparing the beds and borders for their summer 

 occupants. Snowdrops may remain in the same place for a 

 number of years, annual removal doing the greatest possible 

 iniury to these bulbs, and all others from cool climates. If 

 removed more frequently they should not be planted so 

 deeply, from 11 to 2 inches being sufficient covering ; but 

 when left for years they annually get nearer the surface, 

 and unless top-dressed will ultimately throw themselves out 

 of the ground, for under cultivation they are deprived of 

 the annual deposit of vegetable matter which in nature 

 enables a plant to exist on the same spot for generations. 

 I was particularly struck with this on planting several roots 

 under trees, from the ground beneath which the leaves were 

 annually removed, and others in a spot where leaves and 

 herbage were allowed to remain. They were all planted at 

 nearly the same depth, but at the end of seven years the 

 bulbs in the former situation were level with the surface, 

 whereas the others were no nearer it than when first planted. 

 In planting, therefore, in dressed ground, it is not necessary 

 to remove them oftener than once in seven years, unless 

 they have increased to such an extent as to throw each, 

 other out of the earth or become irregular. The medium- 

 sized and large bulbs are those best calculated for planting 

 in clumps of twelve or more together, at from half an inch 

 to an inch apart. The small, planted in woods, on hedge- 

 banks, or any other suitable place, will in time gain strength 

 and afford additional charms to such spots. 



Dried bulbs should be planted if possible in September, 

 and not later than October, in order to secure a good bloom. 

 They may be planted close to the stone edgings of beds, 

 and in all beds and borders, without infringing on the space 

 allotted to Crocuses, Tulips, &c, and they do not interfere 

 in the least with the summer planting of the beds or borders. 

 The single Snowdrop (Galanthus nivalis), is the most 

 graceful, usually commencing to bloom in January — never, 

 so far as I have seen, before that time ; the double-flowered* 

 (Galanthus nivalis flore pleno), succeeds it. Galanthus 

 plicatus, or the Crimean Snowdrop, is double the size of our 

 common English species, and possesses the same exquisite 

 purity of colour, flowers at the same time, and has broad 

 leaves, and flower-stems 9 inches or a foot high. It is a 

 welcome addition to our earliest spring flowers, and must 

 find its way into every garden. 



I must now advert to what I consider a valuable acqui- 

 sition — namely, Colchicum alpinum, a very dwarf kind from 

 the Swiss Alps, roots of which, imported last autumn, 

 remained in bloom the whole of the winter, even during the 

 frost. The flowers are of a pale rosy purple, several rising 

 from one root. It is probable that its winter-blooming pro- 

 perties may be impaired by our more temperate climate ; 

 but should it retain them, it will be valuable as being one 

 of the few flowers of midwinter. 



WINTEK ACONITE. 



This is a charming early-blooming plant, rising to the 

 height of about 6 inches, producing, when in a mass, a blaze 

 of golden blossoms. It requires the same treatment as the 

 Snowdrop, and should be in every garden. I once had 

 charge of a garden where there was a tall screen of Lime 

 and Elm trees, and a walk between them, and on each side 

 was a yard of single Snowdrop, another of Winter Aconite 



