ON HARDY BULBS AND TUBERS. 



349 



Fig. 229. — Scilla peruviana. 

 Distinct and beautiful, and 



For naturalising, there is nothing better than S. nutans, 



the Wood Hyacinth or Bluebell of our copses, and its white and 



red forms resembling in shape 



the Lily of the Valley ; and S. 



hispanica (campanulatd) (Fig. 228) 



and its white form (alba). They 



are strong growers, and can hardly 



be too freely planted, especially in 



grass, while they rank among the 



very best bulbous subjects for 



planting under the shade of the 



larger trees'; they flower in late 



spring. S.italica is another bright- 



coloiyed species, flowering in late 



spring ; it is sweetly fragrant. 



flowering in summer, are two or three sorts for which room 



should be found : S. peruviana (Fig. 229), S. p. alba, which 



are perfectly hardy, and are handsome border plants in 



summer; and S. autumndlis, purple-blue, flowering in autumn. 



Scillas make capital pot plants, and are very frequently 



employed as room 

 plants, the bright 

 flowers of say sibi- 

 rica and bifolia being 

 much appreciated in 

 spring. 



l^ardy Scillas may 

 be planted about 

 3in. deep in autumn, 

 and are best not 

 interfered with for 

 several years, unless 

 the soil shows signs 

 of exhaustion. With 

 these, as with Cro- 

 cuses, however, this 

 difficulty is hest got 

 over by periodical 

 top-dressings of good 

 manure. . Propagated 

 by offsets taken in 

 late summer, or by 

 seeds, the latter, of 

 course, being a some- 

 what slow process. 

 Sisyrinchium (Satin Flower).— A not very popular genus of 



iridaceous plants, though there are one or two species which 



have great claims upon the gardener's attention. Those in 



Fig. 230.— Sisyrinchium grandiflorum 

 album. 



