POPULAR GARDEN PLANTS. 



471 



June, July, and early in August are the best 

 months for digging and replanting, and it is 

 always best to dig the bulbs when the leaves 

 turn yellow; dig too early rather than too late, 

 and in all cases before the young roots appear 

 from the base of the bulbs. Bulbs may be dried 

 in a cool and airy shed, and should not be exposed 

 to the sun in the open for any length of time. 



Trade growers lift their stock every year, 

 selecting the large - flowering from the stock 

 bulbs, and then replant them in separate plots ; 

 but in private gardens annual digging and re- 

 planting is not always necessary, except for 

 bedding or flower-garden displays. On ordi- 

 nary borders the strong-growing kinds may be 

 allowed to remain from two to five years undis- 

 turbed with advantage, after which time the 

 bulbs become too crowded, the soil exhausted, 

 and the blooms perhaps sparse and small. Deli- 

 cate varieties are best treated by being dug and 

 replanted in fresh soil every year, and in any 

 case it is best to dig and replant in June or 

 July any kinds that show signs of weakness, ill 

 health, or that do not bloom satisfactorily. Now 

 and then JY. poeticus varieties, single and double, 

 " go blind ", i.e. produce scapes but not flowers, 

 and the remedy is to replant the worst half of 

 the stock every year. 



Bulbs may be planted from 3 to 7 inches 

 deep; the drier and lighter and warmer the 

 soil, the deeper the bulbs may be covered. 

 Large -growing kinds may be placed 6 inches 

 apart, and smaller or weaker bulbs nearer, say 

 3 inches or less. 



Narcissi are readily increased by side 

 or offsets, which are taken off at plantin 

 but if new varieties are desired, then careful 

 cross-pollination is necessary, and the resulting 

 seed must be saved and sown. 



Small quantities of seed may be sown as 

 soon as ripe in well-drained boxes of sandy soil, 

 and these can be sheltered in a half-shady cold 

 frame or pit. Sown in July or August, the 

 seedlings appear the following spring, and must 

 be transplanted when dormant, and grown on 

 for from three to five or six years before they 

 bloom. Seed of the strong-growing kinds may 

 be sown on a layer of good soil spread in a 

 cold frame, or even in open-air seed-beds in 

 mild localities. Seed of small and choice-grow- 

 ing species and their hybrids may be sown in 

 boxes or pots, in a greenhouse, or slightly- 

 heated pit or frame. 



Pot Culture (fig. 579).— All the Daffodils, Poets, 

 and Incomparabilis varieties, are very effective 

 in pots for early-spring flowering. 



bulbs 

 & time; 



So also the forms of N. Tazetta, beginning 

 with " Paper White " and " Double Roman ", 

 which may flower at Christmas in the green- 

 house, being succeeded by "Grande Monarque", 

 Soleil d'Or, " Scilly White ", and many other 

 kinds. 



Pot up the bulbs in July or August, three to 

 five in a pot, and plunge the pots in a half-shady 

 yard or border until they are filled with roots. 

 If for very early bloom, they must be sheltered 



Fig. 579.— Polyanthus Narcissus in pot. 



in pit or frame slightly heated in frosty weather, 

 removing them to greenhouse or conservatory 

 through the forcing-house or pit as they may 

 be required, always remembering that, like 

 Hyacinths and Tulips, the less fire-heat they 

 receive the stronger they will bloom. Any 

 good fresh loamy soil suits the strong growers, 

 using more sand for the delicate kinds. 



When large quantities are forced for cut- 

 bloom, the bulbs may be packed nearly close 

 together in shallow boxes, and forced on as 

 required. Apart from the strong, decorative 

 varieties, there are some choice species and 

 varieties that are never seen to better advantage 

 than when grown in pots and sheltered in the 

 greenhouse or conservatory. Of such are the 

 forms of the "Hooped Petticoat " Daffodils (X 

 Bulbocodium), White, Sulphur, and Golden-yel- 

 low. N. Jonquitta, or true Jonquil, one of the 

 most distinct and the sweetest of all, is never 



