120 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



October, 1 9 G o 



149. Count of Leicester, a typical " rose " tulip. The 

 colors are while and pinK 



of pipe and you can take out a neat core of 

 sod, which can be replaced afterward. 



HYACINTHS 



No very great art is required to grow bed- 

 ding hyacinths. They will succeed in almost 

 any well-drained soil, although, of course, 

 they respond to an enriched soil. Cover the 

 bulbs with four inches of soil. Sand above 

 and below is very beneficial in the case of 

 the hyacinth, as it is more susceptible to frost 

 injury than the other fall-planted bulbs. 

 Double varieties last longer than the single 

 ones, but they have a heavy look and lack the 

 distinctive form of the single type. 



Bedding hyacinths are usually sold accord- 

 ing to color (unnamed) in the leading shades, 

 which are: white, blush, deep red, pink, dark 

 blue, light blue, yellow. If you want the 

 largest spikes of bloom, plant the blue vari- 

 eties; the whites rank next in size, followed 

 by pinks, reds and, lastly, the yellows, the 

 spikes of which are much weaker than those 

 of the other colors. 



To secure absolutely true shades of color 

 it is best to purchase some of the more inex- 

 pensive named sorts, such as Norma and Ger- 

 trude (pink); Robert Steiger (red); Gran- 



150. How to have tulips by the armful. Plant 

 them by a grape arbor in rich soil, where they can 

 multiply undisturbed for years. Another way is to 

 plant them under strawberries and lift both every 

 three years. Tulips look well in mixtures 



deur a Merveille (blush) ; Mme. Van de Hoop 

 (pure white); Baron van Thuyll (dark blue); 

 Queen of the Blues; and Leonidas (light 

 blue) ; Ida (yellow) . 



Sometimes hyacinths and tulips are planted 

 together in one bed, about half of each, for 

 the purpose of making a succession, as the 

 tulips do not come to flower until the hya- 

 cinths are past their best. I prefer, however, 



151. Lac Sans Pareille, a typical "bybloem" tulip. 

 Red striped with white 



to plant them separately. The mixed colors 

 are not pleasing, as the various shades of the 

 two classes clash badly. Hyacinths will give 

 the best results when grown in specially pre- 

 pared beds, or in clumps, in mixed flower 

 borders. Use one solid color in a bed, or 

 shades that harmonize. Red, pink, blush 

 and white go well together; but never com- 

 bine blue and red shades. 



It hardly pays to keep hyacinth bulbs a 

 second year. If they are carried over, much 

 smaller spikes are to be expected. 



THE EARLIEST FLOWERS OF ALL 



Snowdrops are the very earliest of spring 

 flowers. I have never seen them grow right 



152. First, dig your bulb bed deep. Put stones or 

 drainage material at the bottom if necessary. Use 

 only well-decomposed manure 



153. Never use manure of any Kind near the 

 bulbs. Fermenting material destroys the young roots. 

 Make soil light and mellow, then raKe the lop smooth. 



154. If you want a formal flower bed, the lines 

 must be absolutely true. Here is a home-made 

 marker made in a few minutes 



