832 



PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS 



MUSCAEI 



Galtonias are also suitable for cultiva- 

 tion in pots for cool greenhouses and 

 conservatories, in which they flower a 

 little earlier than in the open air. 



G. candicans (Hyacinthus cwndicans). 

 A splendid bulbous plant having large 

 round bulbs and strap-shaped lanceolate 

 leaves about 2i ft. long. In summer it 

 produces stout erect glaucous scapes shoot- 

 ing up for 4 ft. or more from the centre 

 of the foliage, and bearing at the top a 

 raceme of 20 or more large sweet-scented 

 pure white flowers drooping like white 

 bells. 



Culture dc. as above. 



G. princeps is very similar, but scarcely 

 so attractive. It has shorter and broader 

 racemes of smaller greenish-white flowers 

 with spreading segments. G. clavata is 

 also similar in appearance, but is not so 

 showy. It differs in having smaller 

 greenish - white flowers with shorter 

 segments, and lance-shaped filaments to 

 the stamens. 



Culture d-G. as above. 



MUSCARI (aEAPE Hyacinth).— A 

 genus of distinct-looking, pretty plants 

 with tunioated bulbs, radical linear fleshy 

 leaves and dense terminal racemes of 

 drooping or nodding flowers on simple 

 leafless scapes, the uppermost flowers 

 being sometimes sterile, long-stalked and 

 feathery. Perianth urn-shaped globose or 

 oblong, constricted at the throat, having 

 6 very short, tooth-Uke, erect or at length 

 recurved or spreading lobes, slightly un- 

 equal. Stamens 6, in 2 rows, attached 

 to the tube. Capsule short broad, mem- 

 branous, 3-sided or almost 3-winged. 



Although a vast number of forms have 

 been described as species it is probable 

 that there are not more than 20 that can 

 be really so called. They are natives of 

 Europe, N. Africa, and W. Asia. 



Culture and Propagation. — ■ Grape 

 Hyacinths are very easUy grown in almost 

 any garden soil that is not too moist and 

 is fairly sandy. They enjoy a deep 

 sandy loam enriched with manure and 

 leaf soil and thoroughly well drained. 

 New plants are easily obtained by detach- 

 ing the offsets from the old bulbs every 

 third or fourth year and replanting them. 

 To obtain the best effects it is necessary 

 to plant the bulbs in bold masses or 

 patches, as one or two specimens dotted 

 about here and there look very poor and 

 give one no idea of the beautiful sheets 



of colour that several plants close together 

 will produce. 



Seeds are ripened freely and may bei 

 sown thinly in autumn or in spring in 

 cold frames, allowing the seedlings to 

 grow on for the first year without distur- 

 bance. They may then be moved into 

 fresh quarters, but flowering plants will 

 not be secured for 3 or 4 seasons. 



M. aestivale. — A native of Asia Minor 

 &c. with long linear deeply channelled 

 light green leaves. The oblong tubular 

 flowers, with Grounded prominences i-ound 

 the contracted mouth, are borne on pale 

 green scapes 6-8 in. high, mottled with 

 purple at the base. The lower flowers are 

 yellow with green ribs, the upper ones 

 tinged with purple. 



Culture Sc. as above. 



M. botryoides. — A charming European 

 plant with stiffish linear channelled glau- 

 cous leaves, and dense roundish clusters of 

 deep sky-blue flowers, produced in spring 

 on scapes 6-12 in. high, each blossom 

 having 6 small white toothed segments. 

 There are a few forms of this species, but 

 album, with white flowers, and pallidum, 

 with pale blue ones, are best known. 



Culture dx. as above. 



M. comosum (Hyacinthus comosus). 

 This species has linear strap-shaped leaves 

 12-18 in. long, and dusky spotted scapes 

 1 ft. or more high, with loose racemes in 

 April of blue flowers, the upper ones of 

 which are sterUe. In the variety mon- 

 strosum, a plant well known as the 

 ' Feather Hyacinth,' all the flowers are 

 sterile, and of a soft bluish-violet, the 

 perianth being changed into a mass of 

 slender twisted and wavy filaments which 

 have a curious and attractive appearance. 



Culture dc. as above. 



M. conicum. — A native of Trebizond, 

 having flaccid leaves nearly 1 ft. long, 

 and dense obconical racemes about 1 

 in. long, composed of fertile and sterile 

 blooms of a bright and pale blue respec- 

 tively. They appear in March and April 

 on slender scapes about 6 in. high, and are 

 sweetly scented. 



Culture dc. as above. 



M. Heldreichi. — AGrecian species with 

 flat linear leaves and scapes about 8 in. 

 high with racemes of blue flowers like 

 botryoides, only about twice as laige, and 

 appearing somewhat later in spring. 



Culture dc. as above. 



