October, 1912 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



101 



Of the blue bells (Scilla), the earliest 

 and bluest is Scilla Sibirica. The snow has 

 barely melted when it appears, and no 

 flower of spring gives us so deep a tone of 

 blue. It lasts two weeks and the six inch 

 stalks carry from live to ten bells. A 



The grape hyacinths, white or blue, may be natur- 

 alized under shrubbery, etc. 



thousand bulbs would plant a goodlycolony, 

 would cost the great sum of about ten 

 dollars, and would give you ten thousand 

 blue flowers before tree or shrub have 

 commenced to bud or even winter bleached 

 grass assumed its wonted green. Scilla 

 Hispanica or nutans, the blue bell of Great 

 Britain, is larger, but does not naturalize 

 well. There are rose-pink and white 

 varieties of all. 



Glory of the Snow (Chionodoxa) lools 

 much like a larger scilla^ it will not only live 

 and grow and flower, but multiplies freely 

 by root and seed, so that a permanent 

 colony is- easily established. There are 

 several species and varieties but two suffice 

 to represent all that is best — C. Lucilia 

 with large sky blue, white-eyed flowers and 

 C. Sardensis, -of a deep gentian blue with 

 lighter centre. 



Puschkinia comes near to the scilla yet 

 is a distinct and dainty spring gem from 

 the mountains of Asia Minor. Its flowers 

 are pale blue with a darker blue streak 

 through the centre. There are two well 

 known species — P. scilloides (about four 

 inches high), early, and P. Libanotica, taller 

 and later flowering. These, perhaps, are 

 not quite so self assertive and easily grown 

 but they are well worth while to those who 

 will give the little extra care needed to 

 establish them. 



Almost counterparts of the snowdrop but 



of larger size are the snowflakes (Leucojum). 

 The spring snowflake, L. vemum, comes 

 early, has a single drooping, bell-shaped 

 flower, white, tipped with greenish yellow. 

 In late spring comes L. astivum, a much 

 larger species with flowers in clusters of 

 from four to seven white bells on a stem a 

 foot or more high. It associates well with, 

 and is quite at home in, shrubbery. 



The spring star flower (Tritelia) is a 

 fragrant gem of early spring days, having 

 a single white, blue stained flat flower over 

 an inch across on a long stalk. The flower 

 opens to the morning sun, filling the air 

 with a fragrance as of primroses and closes 

 with the day, also remaining closed on dull, 

 sunless days. The flowers come abund- 

 antly and are lasting. It is not quite so 

 well adapted for semi- wild plantings but 

 in the foreground of the hardy flower 

 border a colony may be planted and left 

 undisturbed for years. 



Dog's tooth violet (Erythronium). The 

 yellow adder's tongue, E. Americanum, so 

 common to the woods of our eastern states, 

 and other western species, are worth places 

 in the garden. They grow naturally in 

 woods and thickets, so will find congenial 

 qualities as a ground carpet among shrubs. 

 The European species, E. Dcns-canis, is 

 also a charming spring flower which natur- 

 alizes readily in grass. Its richly mottled 

 leafage is almost as pretty as the flowers, 

 which are variously colored from white to 

 deep rose. 



The grape hyacinth (Muscari) is a 

 hyacinth in miniature, attaining only three 

 or four inches in height. M. botryoides 

 has tiny deep blue flowers clustered in a 

 long spike; and quite opposite in character 

 is M. comosum, with flowers oddly cut 

 into filaments so that they look like purple 

 feathers. There are others, too, one being 

 yellow with an odor of musk; they are all 

 hardy, are easily grown in bed or border, 

 and can be naturalized. The variety 

 Heavenly Blue is remarkably clear in color. 



Unfortunately many of the beautiful 



anemones of southern Europe fail to sur- 

 vive our winters, but in this great family 

 there are some quite hardy that can be 

 established under semi-wild conditions. 

 Four good ones, all blue, are .4. blanda, 

 appcnina, Robinsoniana, and Pulsatilla. 

 These have fleshy tuberous roots and 

 though not exactly bulbs must be planted 

 in the fall. 



The quaint snake's heads (Fritillaria) 

 have drooping bell-shaped flowers curiously 

 mottled and checker marked, F. Mcleagris 

 is a good representative species with bells 

 a full inch deep and the same width. There 

 are native species, too, as F. recurva, having 

 bright red flowers, and F. pudica, yellow. 

 These two are Rocky Mountain wild 

 flowers. F. Imperial is, the crown imperial, 

 is a stately plant growing three to four 

 feet high, bearing a ring of drooping, clus- 

 tered flowers surmounted by a thick tuft of 

 leaves. There are red and yellow varieties. 

 It has an unpleasant odor when gathered 

 but apart from this it is one of the 

 noblest hardy flowers in spring. It needs 

 good soil; it may remain undisturbed for 

 years. 



There are two kinds of Star of Beth- 

 lehem (Ornithogalum) that are hardy with 

 us and can be easily naturalized. They are 

 O. umbellatum which has clusters of white, 

 star-shaped flowers and looks charming 

 growing and flowering in grass. O. nutans 

 also is good in grass. It has a larger green- 

 ish white flower on a long, tapering spike. 



There are nearly one hundred species 

 of crocus and many varieties. The flower- 

 ing time of crocuses extends through 

 about eight months of the year. Some of 

 the early autumn-flowering species, as C. 

 speciosus and zonatus, could be grown in 

 our gardens; in fact, there are quite a 

 number that might be naturalized in 

 sheltered nooks. The crocuses best known, 

 however, are the spring flowering ones. 

 The varieties are plentiful and cheap and 

 give a wide range of color in white, yellow, 

 blue and purple. 



Scilla Sibirica shows its biue 

 flowers almost as soon as the 

 snow goes 



Puschkinia scillioides. white, 

 with a central blue stripe, is 

 rather hard to grow 



Glory-of-the-snow {Chionodoxa). 

 is rather larger than scilla and 

 has flowers of blue and white 



