BULBS FOR SPRING PLANTING 267 



should be well dug and manured some months before 

 planting, but no manure should be close to the bulbs. 

 The position should be warm and sunny, and the 

 plants must be watered in dry weather. The bulbs 

 must not be lifted until they are thoroughly ripe — 

 that is to say, not until the end of October. Then 

 they should be kept in a dry place and protected from 

 frost. 



Many Lilies are best planted in spring, especially 

 those imported from Japan, which do not usually 

 arrive in time to be planted earlier. But we have 

 written of Lilies before. There is also little need to 

 speak of such well-known plants as Montbretias, 

 Galtonias (the Cape hyacinth), and Schizostylis coc- 

 cinea. These are all hardy, except in the hardest 

 winters in very cold parts of the country, but they 

 are best planted in spring. The Schizostylis, or Kaffir 

 Lily, is valuable because it flowers in late autumn. 

 It requires the same kind of culture as Gladioli, but 

 prefers a rather lighter soil, especially if it is not lifted. 

 In very cold winters it should be protected. 



A bulb that deserves to be better known is Lapey- 

 rousia (or Anomatheca) cruenta. It is like a very 

 small Gladiolus, with scarlet flowers spotted a deeper 

 colour. It should be planted about the end of March, 

 and flowers for a long time, often persisting from July 

 to September. It is an excellent bulb for the rock 

 garden, as it is only about 9 in. high and requires sharp 

 drainage. Otherwise it is quite easy to grow. It is 

 not certainly hardy, but in a warm place will survive 



