Mahch. 19 18 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



83 



March. Daffodils in bloom. The varieties are Barrii Conspicus and Mrs. Langtry 



Early May. Spanish Iris, chiefly in blue shades and some white have followed the Tulips in the same border. 

 Tall branching annual Larkspurs in blue, lilac, pink, and white were sown in previous autumn after the bulbs were set. 

 Thinned out in March they came into bloom in June and for two months continued the color scheme long after the bulb 

 foliage had gone 





June. Background of tall Perennial Larkspurs now in bloom and will give three complete crops. Foreground of bulb 

 foliage (concealed here by Iris leaves) is covered by Nasturtiums in cream and pale pink shades. Seeds sown in March 

 among the Spanish Iris and Daffodils 



each bulb by a stick. This will assist in 

 properly locating the Iris among them, after 

 which the sticks may be pulled up. In early 

 April, preferably during a cloudy period, 

 gently cultivate the soil and sow seed of 

 Calliopis, using a tall variety if the patch is 

 in the rear of the border or a dwarf strain if 

 near the front. Seedlings can be thinned 

 out in late May, after both bulb crops are 

 over. 



There is in California a widely prevalent 

 but quite erroneous belief that watering in 

 summer is likely to rot spring-flowering bulbs 

 left in the ground. This peculiar idea, which 

 has mitigated against the planting of cover 

 crops, has no basis in fact; indeed the prac- 

 tice of leaving bulbs all summer in the ground 

 in countries such as England, where summer 

 rainfall is frequent, should be sufficient evi- 

 dence of its fallacy. One may therefore 

 irrigate freely the annuals sown among such 

 bulbs. When the Daffodil foliage begins to 

 get limp and yellow, remove it, but of the 

 scantily leaved Iris stems 18 inches or so must 

 be left so as properly to ripen the next year's 

 bulbs. These will be hidden by the Calli- 

 opsis. 



This is the combination I prefer, or, more 

 specifically, Daffodil Sir Watkin, Spanish 

 Iris Cajanus, and Calliopsis tinctoria — all yel- 

 low and therefore easy to handle in a color 

 scheme. There are several other annuals 

 which may be substituted for the Calliopsis; 

 such are annual Chrysanthemums, Nastur- 

 tiums, Bartonia aurea, Linum grandiflorum, 

 Cornflowers, and Sweet Alyssum. 



2. Daffodils (February — March) ; Ixias (April) ; Zin- 

 nias (June — October) 



'TPHIS combination is given as an example 

 -*- of what can easily be done where it is 

 the intention to dig up the bulbs after they 

 have ripened. Plant the Daffodils and Ixias 

 in the same manner as the bulbs in the previous 

 arrangement, excepting that Ixias may with 

 advantage be planted more thickly than Span- 

 ish Iris. As Ixia foliage is very scant, their 

 garden appearance is better when interplanted 

 with Daffodils than when grown alone. 

 Never use mixtures, as the colors do not go 

 well together, but a good yellow, scarlet, or 

 white is delightful. Ixias need bright sunlight 

 to open the flowers. Having such slight 

 foliage and coming from South Africa, a 

 country of dry summers, the Ixia, though it 

 blooms a month later, ripens its foliage at the 

 same time as the Daffodil. They can there- 

 fore be dug together and replaced by Zinnias 

 raised in flats. Other vigorous annuals more 

 adapted to such an arrangement as this than 

 to act as cover crops are: — Salpiglossis, Petu- 

 nias, Marigolds, Verbenas, Scabious, and Sun- 

 flowers of the Stella or cucumerifolius type. 



3. Tulips (mid-March — mid-April) ; Spanish iris 

 (late April — May) ; Annual Larkspurs (June — July) 



T3Y Tulips I of course mean the so-called 

 ■*-* late Tulips of the Darwin, Breeder, or 

 Cottage types, all of which bloom in Cali- 

 fornia about two months earlier than in the 

 east. The Early Tulips are absolutely worth- 

 less outdoors in California. Even the late 

 Tulips demand some care in lightening heavy 

 soil and in fertilizing, but they are worth it. 

 Generally speaking they deteriorate after the 

 first year, yet such vigorous varieties as 

 Inglescomb Pink and La Merveille without 

 lifting have given me a fine show the second 

 year, — smaller flowers but more of them. 



Plant the Tulips and Iris according to 

 directions given above for Daffodils and Iris. 



