ON HARDY BULBS AND TUBERS. 305 



more important genera, whether of bulbs or tubers. In 

 connection with the latter, it is only necessary to consider for a 

 moment the Anemones — amongst the most popular of hardy 

 plants — to fully appreciate the relevancy of the remarks. 

 There are no general methods of culture which could, with any 

 degree of certainty, be put forth as applicable to the larger 

 genera of bulbous and tuberous plants, or, indeed, to some of 

 the smaller ones where the conditions under which the species 

 are found naturally vary so much. Seasons, again, exercise a 

 considerable influence upon all plants, and particularly upon those 

 belonging to the sections with which we are now dealing. Take 

 the Lilies, for instance. Some seasons certain species will grow- 

 away and flower like weeds ; the next they will miserably fail, 

 though treated similarly. The exact cause remains inexplicable, 

 but that such failure alternates with success is the experience 

 of everyone who has tried his hand at Lily culture. 



In the matter of propagation, likewise, of both bulbs and 

 tubers, the methods vary not only with different families, but 

 also with individual members of the -same family, and here 

 again no hard-and-fast line can be laid down. Each genus, 

 therefore, of either section will be taken alphabetically, and its 

 peculiarities pointed out as far as space will admit. Many 

 bulbous and tuberous plants are extremely impatient of dis- 

 turbance, while others are best taken up as soon as mature, and 

 stored away until planting time again comes round. 



The general method of increasing these popular hardy bulbs 

 and tubers is by offsets, which in many cases are freely produced, 

 and this with amateurs is by far the most satisfactory one. Seed- 

 sowing is undoubtedly interesting, but the process is fraught 

 with not a little difficulty, while the time occupied from the 

 seedling to the flowering stage is so long (four to five years 

 in some instances) as to weary all but actual growers for the 

 trade. For all that, it is highly important that the cultivator 

 should be made aware of the fact that this or that plant 

 reproduces itself freely from seed. To cite an instance, the 

 beautiful and graceful St. Bruno Lilies {Anther icum). These are 

 very free in the matter of seed, and this constitutes one of their' 

 most useful characteristics when naturalised, as they should be, in 

 grass. Fuller details will be found in the Chapter "On Propa- 

 gation." 



The proper time for planting bulbs and tubers is but im- 

 perfectly known, and it is this lack of knowledge which is 



