October, 1005 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



121 



155. The marker makes perfectly straight grooves, 

 and each bulb is quickly placed in position 



up through a snowbank, as some of our cata- 

 logue friends would lead one to think, but it 

 is not uncommon to see them in blossom a 

 few feet away from a vanishing heap of snow. 

 You can count on them for March, and the 

 crocuses for April. The snowdrop will often 



156. Make a hole with a dibble. Put in a little 

 coarse sand for the bulb to rest on 



blossom on the north side of a house, or in a 

 narrow passageway between two houses, 

 where other flowers will not grow, but it is 

 earlier and better on the sunny side. The 

 giant snowdrop has much larger flowers than 

 the common kind, without losing the delicate 

 beauty of the little green and white flower 

 so dear to every true garden lover. 



157. The young roots and even the bulb itsell 

 decay at the base unless there is proper drainage. 

 Sand put in below and above the bulb insures safety 



Crocuses in white, purple and yellow fill 

 the season between snowdrops and narcissus, 

 i. e., early April. A thousand bulbs will 

 make a gorgeous display, and anyone can 

 afford a thousand when they cost only $3 or 

 $4. They make a charming effect when scat- 

 tered in the lawn. You can avoid making 

 a scar in the lawn by using a flat iron dibber. 

 The bulbs will not last as long in the lawn as 

 in a bed by themselves, but they should re- 

 main for three or four years, if you are willing 

 to do a little dodging with the lawn mower in 

 May. When the crocus leaves turn yellow, 

 it is safe to run the mower over them. 



THE LOVELY ENGLISH AND SPANISH IRISES 



When planting bulbs in the fall do not 

 neglect the Spanish and English irises. The 

 former (/. Xiphium) will often start into 

 growth during the fall they are planted and 

 will endure all the winter, being but rarely 

 injured by the cold. They thrive best in 

 spots -that are slightly moist, increase rapidly, 

 and should be taken up and replanted every 

 two or three years. 



The English irises (/. xiphioides) succeed 

 the Spanish irises, flowering in June and 

 July, and are adapted to drier situations. 

 Their foliage will not appear until next 

 spring. The English irises have larger flow- 

 ers than the Spanish, but are confined to white 

 and purple colors. Excellent yellows are 

 found among the Spanish. 



Both must be planted in the fall, as they 

 start growth very early in the spring. After 

 planting, give a light covering with leaves 

 and they will stand 30 below zero. 



SOME CHARMING BLUE FLOWERS 



Among the other bulbs that are worth 

 planting at this time are the glory of the 

 snow (Chionodoxa Lucilicc), an early flower 

 which comes before the blue squill (Scilla 

 Sibirica). Both are desirable for planting for 

 early bloom, in beds devoted to the larger and 

 later-blooming bulbs, and are excellent, too, 

 for wild planting, but should not be attempted 

 in grass, as they are too small. Both of 

 these bulbs give much better results in the 

 second and third year after planting. The 

 taller squills (S. nutans and S. Hispanica) 

 will give good results in grass land, in the 

 same situation as the daffodils, i. e., par- 

 tially shaded. 



The grape hyacinth (Muscari botryoides), 

 of which there are both blue and white vari- 

 eties, is a charming little thing for the imme- 

 diate foreground of the flower border or scat- 

 tered wild in thin, weak-growing grass. 



WHITE AND YELLOW FLOWERS 



The Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalnm 

 Arabicum) and {Allium Neapolitanum) are 

 useful for planting in masses where white 

 flowers are wanted in the garden or in the 

 border, and both prefer partial shade. 



For early yellow flowers plant the winter 

 aconite (Eranthis hyemalis) , perhaps the ear- 

 liest of all the bulbs to flower, coming into 

 bloom long before the winter is past. 



The old-fashioned crown imperial (Fri- 

 tillaria imperialis), known to everybody but 

 somehow not much planted (possibly because 



158. The dibble, a wonderfui time-saver. You 

 can make holes and set plants with it much faster 

 than with a trowel, but it "packs" too moist soils 



of the disagreeable odor of the flowers), 

 should also be set out in the fall. Do it as 

 early as possible. Plant the bulbs as soon as 

 you can get them. Growing from two to 

 three feet high, this is a very effective plant 

 for shrubberies, and its dark, orange-colored 



159. Making a dibble from the handle of a broken 

 old tool 



flowers surmounted by a crown of green 

 foliage give it a unique appearance. 



And don't forget lilies — the most impor- 

 tant of summer-blooming bulbs. Lilies must 

 be planted in the fall. The spring isn't safe. 

 Get a catalogue that offers a big list of lilies, 

 if you want the best advice. 



160. Another home-made dibble. It lacks a handle, and 

 will be harder on the hands if you have much to do 



