BULBOUS PLANTS. 



151 



young leaves are apt to be injured by the late frosts. 

 Unless in very favoured spots it is best to lift the 

 bulbs every autumn, say about the middle of 

 November. At this season the new bulbs are not 

 thoroughly ripe, therefore they should be potted in 

 soil and placed in a light position under glass. The 

 old bulbs may be separated in spring, and thrown 

 away, retaining the large new bulbs for planting 

 out in borders or potting for the green-house. 

 When grown in pots, as it must be in the North, 

 the bulbs may be potted in early spring. The pots 

 may then be plunged up to their rims in ashes, 

 under a cold frame, and should be liberally watered 

 during summer, while in active growth. In August 

 the plants wiU be in full bloom, and are then in- 

 valuable for the green-house. It should be always 

 borne in mind that with this plant the practice of 

 drying the bulbs is particularly harmful, and bulbs 

 purchased in a dry state require some time to re- 

 cover. It increases itseU plentifully every season, 

 and seeds may be obtained when the plants are 

 flowered under glass, in a dry warm house. Seedlings 

 flower in about three seasons. 



Crocus. — Every one knows the common Dutch 

 Crocuses, C vermis, aureus, and others, that render 

 our gardens so cheerful in early spring, but not 

 every one is aware how numerous the wild species of 

 the Crocus are, or how beautiful they are. Of late 

 years, a, few ardent lovers of bulbous plants have 

 diligently searched the native homes of the Crocuses, 

 the South of Europe and Asia Minor, in order to 

 augment the list of species, until now there are just 

 upon seventy distinct Crocuses, the majority being 

 beautiful plants suflBciently hardy to be cultivated 

 in the open air in this countrj'. The Crocus is- such 

 a familiar -flower that no description of it is needed. 

 The same family likeness pervades the whole genus, 

 and the members of it are so distinct as a class that 

 there are no other genera, excepting perhaps such as 

 Colehicum and Bulbocodivm, with which they are 

 likely to be confounded. The species differ from 

 each other a good deal as regards stature and size of 

 flower, and also colour, although there is not a wide 

 range of tint in the genus, the prevailing colours 

 being lilac, purple, orange, yellow, and white. There 

 is a considerable difference between the species as 

 regards the coating of the bulbs, or conns, as well as 

 in the nature of the stigmas of the flowers. On the 

 variation in these organs botanists have founded the 

 classification of the species. Eor the most part the 

 flowers of Crocuses are produced unaccompanied by 

 leaves, as in the common C. nudiflorus ; others, 

 again, bear foliage at the same time as the flowers, 

 as in C hngiflorus. From a garden standpoint it is 

 convenient to class the Crocuses into two groups. 



viz., spring-flowering kinds and autumn-flowering 

 kinds, as about half the cultivated species flower, 

 from August up till November, the other half from 

 February to May, so that we may have a border de- 

 voted to spring flowers and another to those that 

 flower in autumn. 



As the Crocuses are natives of Europe and Asia 

 Minor, all are tolerably hardy, the majority being 

 sufficiently robust to withstand our climate quite 

 unprotected, and some half a dozen species which 

 have been in cultivation for generations have even 

 become naturalised in some parts of England, and 

 C. nudiflorus has even been considered a native in 

 the Midland counties. The other common kinds are 

 C vernus, from the Italian Alps, which has been so 

 long cultivated by the Dutch, and of which there are 

 innumerable varieties ; C. aureus, from South-east 

 Europe, the well-known Dutch Yellow ; C. biflorus, 

 from Italy, the common Cloth of Silver or Scotch 

 Crocus ; C. susianus, the Cloth of Gold, also an 

 Italian species ; and less common, but well known, 

 are 0. ehrysanthus, versicolor, speciosus, and nttdifiorus. 

 Beyond these, and their several varieties, the 

 Crocuses are but little known in English gardens ; 

 but as they are so beautiful, and so easily grown, 

 it is probable that, now they can be purchased from 

 nurseries, they will become commoner. It is, there- 

 fore, advisable to give a list of the select kinds most 

 desirable for general cultivation. 



C. alatavicus — a new spe- 

 cies; already popular, as 

 it is one of the earliest to 

 1)10001 ; flowers wMte, 

 graiDed with purple ; Jan- 

 uary. "Worth growing up- 

 der a frame. Ala Tau 

 ItCountains in Central 

 Asia. 

 C. aureus — a very old Cro- 

 cus ; the parent of the 

 Yellow or Dutch Crocus ; 

 commences to bloom in 

 February ; a Tariahle spe- 

 cies, among the varieties 

 being lasteus (pale yellow, 

 almost white), sulphureus, 

 pallidus, and striatus. 

 Europe and Asia Minor. 

 Among the Dutch Yellow 

 Crocuses, which seem to 

 hare sprung from C. au- 

 reus, those named Barrs* 

 Golden Yellow, Louis 

 d'Or, and Superb are very 

 fine sorts, 

 C. banaticus — one of the 

 showiest of Crocuses. The 

 flowers are large and of a 

 deep rich purple, Feb- 

 ruary and March. 

 C. biflorus, of which the 

 common Scotch or Cloth 

 of Silver Crocus is a larger 

 variety, is an early spring 

 flowerer, and one of the 

 best known. Its flowers 

 vary from white to pale 

 lavender, and are always 

 striped with black out- 

 side, except in a variety 



called estriatus. One of 

 the best to plant in 

 masses, and naturalise in 

 woodlands or the wild 

 gaxden. Weldeni, a simi- 

 lar species, smaller, with 

 prettily freckled flowers. 

 C, Boryi has white flowers, 

 with bright orange throat. 

 It is an autumn flowerer, 



generally at its best in 

 'ctober, and, being a little 

 tender, is best In a frame. 



C. cancellatus — one of the 

 best autumn Crocuses ; 

 flowers large, varying in 

 colour from white to pur- 

 ple ; a strong grower, and 

 rarely fails anywhere. 



C. ehrysanthus — a common 

 spring yellow kind; is 

 valuable, as it flowers so 

 early, often in the end of 

 January. It is smaller 

 than C. aureus, and, like 

 it, has several varieties,, 

 those named albldus, f us- 

 cotinctus, and fusco-hneE^ 

 tus being the most dig 

 tinct; succeeds well in. 

 the open border. Olivieri 

 is also yellow but smaller. ■ 



C. Imperati — generally con- 

 sidered the most beauti- 

 ful Crocus in cultivation ; ' 

 is one of the earliest 

 spring flowers ; sometimes 

 blossoms in midwinter, 

 but usually from the end 

 of January to March. 

 The flowers are large. 



