374 



Garden and Forest. 



[Number 447. 



reason why this plant should not be much more generally 

 used, and, no doubt, it would be if it were as well known 

 as the Egyptian species. — Ed.] 



Foreign Correspondence. 



Autumn-flowering Hardy Bulbous Plants. 



THE value of bulbous plants for producing beautiful 

 effects in out-of-door gardens in the months of spring 

 and early summer is generally recognized. I propose to 

 call attention here to a considerable number of bulbous 

 plants which may be most effectively used in what may be 

 termed autumn gardening. During the months of August 

 and September it is possible to have quite a grand display 

 of flowers from bulbous plants of easy cultivation, and one 

 can only account for their scant use at present in gardens 

 generally by believing that they are either unknown or 

 that they are crowded out by commoner plants. Garden- 

 ing is apt to become stereotyped, the same plants being 

 used for the same places and put out at the same time, year 

 after year, without any regard for change and the pleasure 

 that fresh features in the garden rarely fail to bring. 



Probably every one of the plants mentioned below is 

 cultivated in most good gardens, but I doubt if many of 

 them are grown in such quantities as to produce a telling 

 effect, and I know that in some gardens they are coddled 

 in pots or stuck in out-of-the-way corners, where their 

 charms are practically buried. The first time I saw Crinum 

 Moorei filling a huge bed in the garden of Sir Trevor Law- 

 rence, at Burford Bridge, now some fifteen years ago, I was 

 astonished by the vigor of the plants and delighted by the 

 hundreds of magnificent heads of large flowers in their full 

 glory in the last week in August. Previously I had only 

 known this Crinum as a pot-plant. Twenty years ago we 

 grew Lilium auratum in pots for the conservatory, and in 

 many gardens this plant is still known only as a green- 

 house plant. Any one who has seen the big beds of it in 

 Mr. Wilson's garden, at Weybridge, or in the Royal Gar- 

 dens, Kew, knows the difference between this Lily when 

 grown in the conservatory and the many-stemmed tall 

 clumps crowded with flowers that are possible when the 

 bulbs are grown in beds along with Rhododendrons or 

 such like shrubs. In Mr. Robinson's garden, at Gravetye, 

 I lately saw a large bed of Ghent Azaleas enveloped in the 

 flame-like colors of Crocosmias, which had taken entire pos- 

 session of the space between the Azaleas, and was almost 

 a weed in Mr. Robinson's eyes. Schizostylis coccinea is 

 generally grown in small quantities in pots, but in a few 

 gardens, where its merits as a late autumn flowering plant 

 for the open border are recognized, it is grown in large 

 breadths and produces in abundance its erect spikes of 

 bright crimson flowers. Even slight frosts do not inter- 

 fere with its blooming, and I have seen a rich display of 

 flowers in the open air in December. 



To obtain such effects as are here described there must, 

 however, be no "skimping " ; large quantities of the bulbs 

 must be planted, and planted with judgment. I have never 

 seen the Belladonna flower when planted at a greater dis- 

 tance than a foot from a south warm wall, except in the 

 warmer parts of Cornwall. The Jacobean Lily is equally 

 shy of flowering if not humored by the supply of heat at iis 

 toes. This plant, however, blooms in spring. The same 

 is true of Lycoris squamigera (Amaryllis Hallii), which we 

 could not flower in pots at Kew, but which has flowered 

 freely this year in a narrow border under the south wall of 

 a tropical fernery. 



The following plants are most effective at Kew in the 

 open air in August and September: 



Amaryllis Belladonna. — Planted in narrow borders 

 against the south walls of several greenhouses in a deep 

 loamy soil. In winter they are mulched with light, well- 

 decayed stable-manure. This affords protection to the 

 leaves which push into growth in early spring and are apt 

 to get nipped by frost. The leaves all wither in July and 



the spikes are pushed up in August or September, the 

 bulbs nearest to the wall always leading the way. They 

 should be planted about a foot below the surface (base of 

 bulbs). About every fourth year they require to be lifted, 

 the bulbs separated and replanted six inches apart. The 

 variety Blanda is three weeks or a month earlier than the 

 type. The Kew variety is characterized by stout scapes, 

 two feet or more high, many-flowered umbels, and the 

 upper half of the segments colored rich rose-crimson. 



Lycoris squamigera. — From what I have seen of this plant 

 it is likely to become valuable in the same way as the Bel- 

 ladonna Lily, for it thrives under the same treatment and 

 flowers at about the same time of year. [See pp. 323 and 

 347 of this volume. — Ed.] 



Crinums. — The three hardy Crinums are C. Moorei, C. 

 longifolium (Capense) and the hybrid C. Powelli. Of the last 

 named there are three forms— the type, which has rose- 

 tinted flowers ; alba, which is pure white, and rosea, which 

 might appropriately be altered to purpurea, the color of the 

 flowers being almost crimson. I know no bulbous plants 

 of greater merit than these hardy Crinums. At Kew we 

 have large groups of them in beds under the lee of the great 

 Palm house, and they are now beautiful with their tall- 

 stalked umbels of large elegant bells. They increase rap- 

 idly by means of offsets, one bulb of the white Powelli 

 procured four years ago having increased to fifty strong- 

 flowering bulbs. These plants require deep, well-drained 

 soil and a liberal allowance of moisture in the growing 

 season. They are hardy away from a wall, good masses 

 of them being now in flower in the Bamboo garden. 



Eucomis. — When grown in pots these plants are not con- 

 sidered attractive, but when planted out in rich soil in a 

 position sheltered from wind they produce grand foliage 

 and tall spikes of flowers tvvo or three feet high, like glori- 

 fied Hyacinths. Beds of them at Kew are now very attrac- 

 tive. They require the shelter of a wall, otherwise they 

 should be protected with a 'cone of ashes in winter. The 

 species grown in the open air at Kew are E. undulata, E. 

 punctata, E. Zambesiaca and E. regia. They are all south 

 African. 



Tuberoses. — A bed under the wall of the Palm house 

 was planted last May with these plants, and they are now 

 almost every one bearing a stout spike of flowers. The 

 exceptional heat of the summer may account for this 

 success ; certainly I have never seen the Tuberose flower 

 like this in the open air, but I ought to add I have never 

 before seen it tried. 



Schizostylis coccinea — This south African Irid is quite 

 hardy, and it possesses the distinct merit of flowering late 

 in the year. It ought to be planted on a south border in a 

 light, rich soil and watered during dry weather. We find 

 it a good plan to lift the plants every spring and replant 

 them. 



Crocosmias. — I have already mentioned the rich display 

 made by these plants when used in large masses. There 

 are now many varieties of them, thanks to the skill of 

 Messrs. Lemoine, of Nancy. They grow freely in light 

 soil and take care of themselves, although to keep them 

 vigorous they require to be lifted and replanted every 

 three or four years. The giant of the lot is C. aurea imperi- 

 alis, for which we are indebted to Herr Max Leichtlin, of 

 Baden. These plants are most valuable in the flower 

 garden. 



Li hums — The best of these for autumn effects are 

 Auratum, Speciosum and Henryi. These are now magnifi- 

 cent at Kew, Auratum among the Rhododendrons, hun- 

 dreds, I might almost say thousands of them, tall, stately, 

 their great flowers shining in the sun like enormous stars and 

 exhaling an odor which is most enjoyable in the open air. 

 Speciosum is not so tall or so stately, but it ranks next to 

 Auratum as a free-flowering effective autumn Lily. Henryi 

 has the exceptional quality of extending its flowering 

 season over two or three months ; at any rate, it has been 

 in flower at Kew since early in July, and it will be in flower 

 in September — a grand Lily, easily accommodated, stately, 



