October. 1915 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



75 



ScAl_E.jN FEET 



GROUPING OF SHRUBS, BULBS, ETC. 



For an informal effect in a six-foot border. If the border 

 is long there can be more elaborate combinations of color. 



Numbers on the plan refer to index. Individual bulbs 

 represented by dots. 



Shrubs, etc. 1. Purple lilac. 2. Pink flowering almond. 

 3. Deutzia Lemoinei. 4. Alyssum saxatile. 5. Arabis 

 alpina. 6. English primrose. 7. Forgetmenot. 



Early Bulbs. 8. Narcissus Barri conspicuus, Stella, 

 etc., 4 to 6 inches apart. 9. Checkered frittillary, white 

 variety, 3 to 4 inches apart. 10. Blue grape hyacinth, 2 

 to 3 inches apart. 



Late Bulbs, (Cottage and Darwin Tulips, 5 inches or 

 more apart). 14. Vivid pink combined with the purple 

 lilacs: Edmee, Pride of Haarlem, Glare of the Garden. 

 15. Lavender combined with pink flowering almond: Erguste, 

 Reverend Ewbank. 16. Soft intermediate pinks, Clara 

 Butt, Madame Krelage, The Fawn. 17. Pale soft yel- 

 lows with forgetmenots and white deutzia: Moonlight, 

 Mrs. Moon, Fulgens lutea pallida, Orange King, this one 

 for a touch of deeper yellow. 



formal garden to be considered. The sim- 

 plest and at the same time the most charm- 

 ing little flower garden I ever planned is 

 at its most enchanting period in bulb time. 

 And it is surprising how effective it proved, 

 considering the modest quantities and few 

 varieties of bulbs I used. For very early 

 effects grape hyacinths and snowdrops were 

 disposed intimately near the entrance steps, 

 and purple and yellow crocus were massed 

 at the far end where they would form a 

 conspicuous climax when viewed from the 

 house. Irregularly placed in groups in the 

 frame of outside beds were Narcissus Barri 

 conspicuus and Stella. The most strik- 

 ing effect was of course reserved for the 

 centre walk where early pink tulips Cottage 



Late flowering tulips for color in 



Maid, scattered 

 in zig-zag rows 

 on both sides of 

 the path for its 

 entire length were 

 terminated b y 

 groups of early 

 yellow Chryso- 

 lora. A little 

 later the effect 

 was repeated with 

 the D a r w i n s : 

 Clara Butt, a soft 

 pink that to me 

 seems best of all, 

 and the pale yel- 

 low globe-shaped 

 flowers of Mrs. 

 Moon. Little 



ground covers enhanced the bulbs wonder- 

 fully. Blue forget-me-nots, English daisies, 

 pansies, and violas, yellow primroses, white 

 creeping phlox, and arabis, yellow and white 

 Iceland poppies, and a very little of the 

 brilliant golden Alyssum saxatile were 

 scattered irregularly as borders at the edges 

 of the walks. 



In tabulated form the list of costs and 

 quantities is as follows: 



25 Muscari botryoides, blue grape hya- 

 cinth $ . 25 



50 Galanthus nivalis, snowdrop ... .63 

 50 Crocus, Mammoth Golden Yellow . . 68 

 12 Crocus, purpurea grandiflora ... .25 

 100 Narcissus Barri conspicuus, daffodil . 1.50 

 50 Narcissus Stella, daffodil .... .63 

 25 Early Tulip Cottage Maid, pink . . 50 

 12 Early Tulip Chrysolora, yellow . . .30 

 50 Darwin Tulip Clara Butt, pink . 2.00 

 12 Cottage Tulip Mrs. Moon, pale yel- 

 low .8s 



Crocus naturalized on a grassy bank — the most effective 

 using this lesser bulb 



386 bulbs Costing $7-59 



Thus the bulbs cost less than two cents 

 apiece, for the prices are at the hundred 

 rate for twenty-five bulbs or more. The 

 quantities were ample for the size of the 

 garden (twenty-eight by forty feet). 



This year the little garden was provided 

 with bulbs only for the spring months, but 

 another season I shall order (at a cost of 

 three dollars) two dozen white lilies (Lilium 

 candidum) to be arranged in rows on either 

 side of the centre path, and for two dollars 

 more a hundred Gladiolus America, a beau- 

 tiful soft pink none the less desirable be- 

 cause of its cheapness. 



For the larger formal garden the list 

 becomes more elaborate in quan- 

 tity and variety of bulbs, though 

 the same simple principles of ar- 

 rangement are observed. It is 

 usually unnecessary to make a 

 planting plan for the bulbs, for 

 after the herbaceous perennials are 

 in place the bulbs are interspersed 

 where space permits, disposed in 

 irregular groups and lines, but 

 conforming to certain broad prin- 

 ciples of design. Parts of the gar- 

 den — the main walk, the intersec- 

 tion of two paths, or the feature 

 at the end — are definitely kept as a 



way 01 •■■ 



climax or focal point where are 



the mixed border surrounded by green foliage of ever- 

 greens 



placed the bulbs of most striking appear- 

 ance, the minor places in the design being 

 left for the subsidiary blooms. 



The kinds of bulbs for the most effective 

 massing are few, comprising daffodils, 

 tulips, hyacinths, and candidum lilies. In 

 order to form a harmonious whole the colors 

 should be clear and soft — white, yellow, 

 pale pink, rose, and lavender — with occa- 

 sionally deep purple. 



For daffodils or narcissus, the following 

 lists give a maximum blooming season, and 

 include only comparatively inexpensive 

 varieties of each class. Many choice kinds 

 are necessarily omitted from such a short 

 list. The figures refer to the relative time 

 of bloom. 



Large Cup or Trumpet Narcissus. Trumpet 

 or crown as long as or longer than the perianth 

 segments. All of these are very large. 

 1. Madame Plemp. White perianth, golden trum- 

 pet. 



1. Golden Spur. Golden reflexed trumpet. 



2. Fairy. Perianth 



primrose yellow, 

 chrome yellow 

 trumpet. 



3. Emperor. Primrose 



perianth, golden 

 trumpet, immense 

 flower. 



4. Madame de Graaf. 



White, though 

 yellow on open- 

 ing. More ex- 

 pensive than the 

 others listed. All 

 of these more ex- 

 pensive as a class 

 than the follow- 

 ing. 



Medium Cup (In- 

 comparabllis) . Crown 

 measuring § to nearly 

 equal the length of the Snowdrops and other small 



perianth. _ bu]bs should be p i ante( j i n 



1. Queen Bess. White fa i rl y den semassesornotatall 



perianth, cup light 



yellow, one of the earliest. 



2. Sir Watkin, Primrose perianth, cup golden yel- 



low, very large. 



3. Autocrat. Primrose perianth, yellow cup, one 



of the cheapest. 

 3. Orange Phoenix. Double, white with reddish 

 orange centre. 



5. Red Star. Loosely spreading perianth, narrow 



twisted petals of pale primrose. More expen- 

 sive than the others. 



Short Cup (Barri, Leedsu, Poeticus, Etc.) 



2. Barri Sensation. White perianth, cup canary 



edged orange scarlet. Rather expensive. 



