When planting the bulb, force the trowel into the 

 soil and draw it toward you 



Remove the trowel and push the bulb into place 

 before the earth falls in 



With the back of the right hand shove earth down 

 on the bulb, filling the hole 



Planting for Spring Flowers— By Leslie Hudson, 



New 

 York 



HPHE easiest way for any one to have 

 an abundance of flowers in the spring 

 is by buying Dutch bulbs now — that is, 

 tulips, hyacinths, narcissus, crocus, etc. 

 — and planting them in an open border. 

 In this way you can get a maximum of 

 results with a minimum of trouble, pro- 

 vided you buy good sound bulbs. 



The best way for the amateur to buy 

 bulbs is to confine himself to the recognized 

 popular varieties which have been favorites 

 for years. Any catalogue list will give 

 the names of these. It pays to buy the 

 highest grade bulb that the trade offers, 

 and the moderate-priced varieties will 

 usually give more satisfactory returns in 

 quantity of flower and certainty of blooming 

 under all conditions than the higher priced, 

 rarer kinds. Judge bulbs by their weight; 

 size is not everything. Rather buy a bulb 

 that is heavy for its size. If you pinch it 

 and find it gives under pressure, discard 

 it. Good bulbs are solid and heavy. 



The problem of cultivation is merely 

 that of getting roots properly started and 

 well developed before the tops begin to 

 grow. You cannot govern the develop- 

 ment of a flower by cultivation; that is 

 determined when the bulb is formed. You 

 can improve the quality of the flower. 

 Plant as early as possible — all October 

 or early November — in a well cultivated, 

 rich, open soil. • Give manure but put it 

 below the bulbs so that they will not touch 

 it. On heavy soils set the bulbs on sand. 

 Give bottom drainage. 



Plant daffodils and narcissus as soon as 

 possible now about four inches deep. 

 They demand earlier planting than any 

 of the other bulbs. Hyacinths must be 

 planted before frost and need more care 

 than the others. Plant them not later 

 than the last day of October about six 

 inches deep. Tulips can be safely left 

 until the last, as they are perfectly hardy 

 and can be planted up to any time that 

 the ground is open. Small bulbs, crocus, 

 scilla, snowdrop, are planted two to three 

 inches deep and are useful for borders. 



For formal effects get bulbs of the same 

 size and plant in uniform depth. Other- 

 wise, they will flower at intervals. Single 

 varieties are more effective than the 

 double, but doubles last a little longer. 



The most noble of all the bulbs for fall 

 planting are lilies. They need deep plant- 

 ing — six inches in heavy soils to a foot in 

 light soils. As a rule, lilies prefer light 

 soils. The native species are best in heavy 

 soils, but they must be well drained. 

 In dry soils plant Lilium Philadelphicum 

 and Washingtonianum. The gold-banded 

 L. auratum and L. testaceum will stand 

 the heavy soils. All lilies seem to re- 

 quire shade at the roots. Lilies can be 

 planted in shrubbery, particularly with 

 rhododendrons. 



The easiest way to plant bulbs is to use 

 a trowel or dibble, making a hole by merely 

 thrusting the tool into the ground and 

 working it backward and forward to en- 

 large the opening. Into the bottom of 

 this throw a handful of sand and on that 

 plant the bulb firmly. If the hole is merely 

 made by thrusting the dibble into the 

 ground, there is danger of the bulb being 

 "hung" — that is, an empty space being 

 left below the bulb, which gives no accom- 

 modation to the young roots. After plant- 

 ing and covering the bulbs with soil, press 

 down firmly by tramping, so as to ensure 

 contact and to avoid danger of drying out 

 and of water-logging. 



Another interesting way of planting 

 bulbs is for naturalistic effects in the lawn 

 or among borders in the foreground of 

 shrubbery. Planting is done in exactly 

 the same way. If turf is present, it is 

 better to lift the turf by a sidewise cut, 

 encircle the bulb and press the covering 

 down on it again, always using the sand. 

 A succession of blooms can be had from 

 all bulbs by using the same variety in 

 different parts of the ground. Light soils 

 and sunny exposures will give the earliest 

 flowers; heavy soils and shaded corners 

 will give the latest. In this way you can 

 get a difference of three weeks in the appear- 

 ance of the same variety. 



The following varieties have stood the 

 test of time and may be found in nearly 

 every dealers' list. 



Hyacinths. There is less stability in 

 the names of hyacinths than other bulbs. 

 Most dealers have their special lists from 

 which it will be perfectly safe to select. 

 The single varieties produce larger and 

 more handsome flowers than the double 



114 



ones. Hyacinths are the most fragrant 

 of all Dutch bulbs and for that reason are 

 largely used. Gertrude, Etna, Roi des 

 Beiges, red and crimson; alba maxima, La 

 Francise and La Grandesse, white; Czar 

 Peter, Grand Maitre, King of the Blues, 

 La Peyrouse, blue; King of the Blacks is 

 the darkest colored purple blue; Obelisque 

 is a fine yellow. 



Tulips. The best single white is Joost 

 van Vondel ; White Pottebakker and White 

 Hawk are also good. Among the yellows, 

 Yellow Pottebakker, Mon Tresor and Chry- 

 solora. For pinks, Persephone, Cottage 

 Maid (white bordered pink), Rose Gris 

 de Lin; reds, the favorites are Belle 

 Alliance, Artist, Scarlet Pottebakker; crim- 

 son, Coleur Cardinal, Crimson King and 

 Gesneriana. 



Of double tulips good varieties are La 

 Candeur, white; Imperator Rubrorum, 

 glowing scarlet; Couronne d'Or, yellow; 

 Murillo, pink. 



Daffodils. In the following list the 

 names appear according to the season of 

 each flower. All yellow trumpets: Ard 

 Righ, Early Bird, Golden Spur; mid- 

 season, Emperor, maximus; late, Glory of 

 Leiden. 



White- winged or bicolors: Early, Vic- 

 toria; midseason, Empress, Horsefieldi; 

 late, Madame Plemp, Grandee. 



All white trumpets : Early, Cernuus Albi- 

 cans, Mrs. Thompson, Princess Ida; mid- 

 season, William Goldring; late, Madame 

 de Graaff. 



Medium-crowned or cup daffodils. In- 

 comparabilis varieties: early, Sir Watkin; 

 midseason, Autocrat, Stella Superba; late, 

 Beauty, Gloria Mundi. Barrii group: 

 Conspicuus, Flora Wilson, Sensation. Leed- 

 sii group : Duchess of Westminster, Kather- 

 ine Spurrell, Mary Magdelene de Graaff, 

 Mrs. Langtry. 



Short-crowned or saucer daffodils: Mid- 

 season, Burbidgei, Baroness Heath, Crown 

 Princess ; late, Sequin. The two best varie- 

 ties of the fragrant and pure white poet's 

 narcissus, and flowering earlier, are Ornatus 

 and King Edward VII. 



Double daffodils: The most important 

 is Telamonius plenus, popularly known as 

 Van Sion; Cernuus plenus, Capax plenus, 

 Sulphur Phcenix. 



