ON HARDY BULBS AND TUBERS. 



311 



sown in spring. To be recommended are : A. Moly (Fig. 185), 

 yellow, early summer ; A. neapolitanum, white, with green 

 stamens, early summer, although immense quantities of flowers 

 are upon the markets early in the year, the species forcing well ; 

 A. azureum, deep blue ; A. pedemontanum (syn. A. narcissiflorum), 

 mauve, drooping, bell-shaped ; A. triquetrum, white ; A. Ostroiv- 

 skianum, rose-crimson ; and A. flavum, yellow. For naturalising, 

 the best kinds are A. Moly and A. neapolitanum. 



Alstromeria (Herb Lily ; Peruvian Lily). — A genus whose 

 hardiness has been much discussed, but whose distinctness and 

 beauty are undeniable. There can be little doubt about the 

 hardiness of the majority of species classed as such by nursery- 

 men. The secret of their culture 

 lies in the planting and position. 

 A mere covering of the bulbs spells 

 disaster: success is assured by planting 

 from the middle to the end of 

 October, at a depth of from 6in. to 

 8in. in a sunny border. This is one 

 of the genera of plants which are 

 impatient of disturbance, and once 

 planted the bulbs should not be 

 touched for several years, as they 

 do not attain their full beauty until 

 after the second or third year. 



Alstromerias are essentially plants 

 for the border, and noteworthy species 

 are : A. aurantiaca, rich orange, 

 spotted with red — one of the best 

 and hardiest; A. thilensis, varying 

 from orange to deep red ; A. pelegrina 

 (Fig. 186), yellowish-white; and A. 

 psittacina, deep red, with green 

 splashes. For providing cut material, 

 these plants are most useful, the 

 flowers remaining ■ good over a long 

 period. Height 2ft. to 3ft. They 

 are not fastidious as to soil, but 

 require plenty of water when growing, 

 and a summer mulching is beneficial. Readily grown from seed 

 sown as soon as ripe either in pots or in a prepared border. 



Amaryllis (Belladonna Lily).— Though not as hardy as the 

 majority of subjects which should be given a place in those 

 portions of the garden to be devoted to bulbs and tubers, this is 

 sufficiently so to warrant its being included. There can be no 

 doubt as to its handsome appearance, nor yet again as to its 

 value, seeing that it flowers in late autumn, maturing its foliage 



Fig. 186. — Alstromeria 

 pelegrina. 



