62 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



September, 1911 



interest waned although it is a beautiful 

 flower especially for Southern and for 

 Western gardens, where a longer season 

 permits of the bulbs attaining maturity. 

 My experience with it in the vicinity of 

 New York was that strong, imported. bulbs 

 grew well and flowered freely the first year, 

 but before growth was matured to the 

 point of having formed the new bulb for 

 next year's flowering, the plants were cut 

 down by frost. This trouble could be 

 averted by pot culture where the season 

 is not long enough to complete the cycle 

 of growth, and the plant is worthy of 

 special treatment. It is now generally 

 believed that this fine white Watsonia is a 

 large pure white variety of W. iridiflora, 

 which is a true species having rose colored 

 flowers but varying to palest pink and 

 occasionally pure white. W. aletroides, 

 rarely seen in cultivation, has bright red 

 flowers and W. Mariana, a species common 

 at the Cape, is generally rose colored. W. 

 densiflora is a handsome rose-colored species 

 that has found favor in the past with plant 

 lovers. When conditions do not favor 

 open air culture, all the Watsonias make 

 good subjects for pot culture, planting 

 several bulbs in a pot. Under control 

 in this way perfect ripening of the bulbs 

 is possible so that they may be kept and 

 grown successfully year after year. They 

 flower in summer, according to the time of 

 starting into growth. 



TRITONIA OR MONTBRETIA 



Also of somewhat similar character to 

 gladiolus but with flowers much smaller 

 and more numerous, are the tritonias. 

 (See July Garden Magazine, page 380, 

 for a detailed account). These I have 

 found are fairly hardy; in fact, from New 

 York southward it is generally safe to 

 leave them in the ground if thoroughly 

 mulched [They are hardy at Bar Har- 

 bor, Me., under heavy mulch and deep 

 planting — a foot or so. Ed.] Tri- 

 tonias are best known in gardens under 



The Cape crinums are easily grown and with pro 

 tection will thrive in the open border 



Tritonia or Montbretia. with flowers of yellow and 

 orange, is another almost hardy bulb worth growing 



the name Montbretia and the two species 

 that have come into general cultivation 

 are M. Pottsi and M. crocosmaflora, 

 both good for late summer flowering. 

 The interest that attaches to the species, 

 however, will probably, as in gladiolus, 

 give way before the interest that is bound 

 to arise in the newer hybrids which the 

 European plant raisers have introduced, 

 and which our own dealers are now listing 

 — a dozen or more of striking varieties 

 far surpassing the parents in size, vigor, 

 and color effect, with flowers that in- 

 dividually are three inches or more across 

 and numerously borne on full, strong 

 stems. In fact, the new montbretias are 

 the most remarkable additions to bulbous 

 flowers in recent years and merit careful 

 trial. The flowers range in shades of 

 orange and orange-red. 



A FLOWER FOR CUTTING 



As a cut flower and for florists' work, 

 there is one Cape bulb, freesia (which is 

 a close ally of the preceding), that has a 

 firm hold on the public. It is one of the 

 easiest to grow and may be raised, indeed, 

 by any one in the winter- time. It is a 

 good-natured bulb and may be potted 

 almost any time from August to Feb- 

 ruary, and will produce flowers corre- 

 spondingly from Christmas onward. The 

 earlier the planting the better. During 

 the summer-time plants must be kept 

 quite dry, but in a light place until it 

 is time to start them into growth again. 

 As a rule, new bulbs are bought each year. 

 By planting in the window garden dur- 

 ing spring, flowers can be had six weeks 

 after starting. 



The only thing to look for in their culti- 

 vation is plenty of drainage, as it is easy 

 to overwater them before they begin to 

 flower. The common form of freesia is 

 refracta, but a white variety, alba, is more 

 desirable. A pale yellow form is known as 

 Leichtlinii. An added attraction to the 

 freesias is that they possess slightly the 

 odor of violets. The individual flowers 

 are two and one half inches long, tubular, 

 and borne six or eight on a stalk. 



THE BRIGHTLY COLORED IXIAS 



If you want something quite showy and 

 in bright, unusual colors, I don't know of 

 anything that can excel a collection of 

 ixias. They belong to the Iris family, 

 but the flowers are borne loosely along 

 a stalk a foot long. They are very pretty 

 when grown in pots, do not require a high 

 temperature, so can be easily raised in 

 frames or in a window. They are not hardy. 

 If potted up six or eight bulbs in a 5 -inch 

 pot in October, and kept cool all winter, 

 the temperature of an ordinary green- 

 house will suffice to bring them into flower 

 in April or May. If they are treated care- 

 fully and dried off after flowering and 

 ripening, the bulbs may be grown for 

 several years. Some of the best are /. 

 maculata, odorata, speciosa, and viridi- 

 flora, the last having green flowers but 

 quaintly pretty, others are purple, blue, 

 red, etc. 



Babianas resemble ixias, requiring sim- 

 ilar treatment. They are hardy in warm 

 sheltered places in many gardens South and 

 West, and for pot culture, several bulbs 

 being put to a pot. They have long been 

 grown in this way in Europe and so inter- 

 crossed that the distinctive species are 

 hardly recognized. Babianas are sold by 

 dealers in mixed varieties and embrace 

 many shades of color in red, yellow, and 

 blue. Some of the Cape species are B. 

 disticha, sambucina, and strida. 



The blue African lily growing in a Rochester 

 garden. A very decorative porch plant flowering 

 all summer 



