GARDENS NEAR THE SEA 



Hyacinths pass in their many soft colors and fan- 

 tastic forms, sending forth their seductive though 

 somewhat heavy scent. They occur in blue, red, 

 white, and yellow, and in intermediate shades, which 

 show the intermingling of the innumerable varieties 

 that have been produced from the original Hyacinthus 

 orientalis. 



L'innocence is one of the white hyacinths with sin- 

 gle large flowers that open at the time of the daffodils. 

 La Peyrouse is charming in its tones of light porcelain 

 blue, and is adapted for planting in bold masses in 

 the grass. The variety called "Charles Dickens" 

 shows one form in an enchanting shade of salmon 

 rose which is seen early. 



It is a point of vantage, however, to select hyacinths 

 of pure color rather than those that are indefinite in 

 tone. A pure deep blue hyacinth is infinitely more 

 pleasing than one of bluish white or even one of lavender. 

 In early spring many charming pictures are made up 

 of these flowers in clear, different colors all lifted to 

 about the same height. If planted in succession, 

 hyacinths can be kept from passing before the last 

 of May. As a rule, I prefer them in formal parks 

 rather than about the home grounds. 



Hyacinths which bloom simultaneously should have 

 their bulbs set at the same depth from the level of 

 the ground. Usually about six inches is given to the 

 bottom of the bulb. Otherwise, they will not all 

 bloom together. In order to bring late-blooming 

 varieties into flower with those of earlier habit, the 

 bulbs of the former should be set less deeply in the 



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