358 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



October, 19 13 



much safer to do it with a mixture 

 of bone-meal and bone-flour, the lat- 

 ter, being in a very fine condition, 

 yielding quicker results than the 

 former. 



Another important point to be 

 taken into consideration is the 

 proper depth at which to set the 

 bulbs. In this as well as in most Tulip 



garden matters no hard and fast rule is possible, but as a 

 general thing the top of the bulb after planting should be 

 from one and one half to two times as far below the sur- 

 face as the bulb is thick through. It will be safe to follow 

 this rule unless some other and more specific directions are 

 given in the catalogue from which you are ordering. Where 

 bulbs of one color and of one variety are used in mass, it 

 is desirable to make the season of bloom as long as possible, 

 plant some at this depth, and some an inch or so shallower 

 or deeper. 



Where a formal bulb garden is being made, and especi- 

 ally where different kinds of bulbs of several varieties are 

 being arranged so as to afford a long succession of blooms, 

 and they have to be put in at different depths, it is a very 

 good plan to make the bed several inches lower than it is 

 to be when completed, and lay out the bulbs which are to 

 go deepest in their respective positions, put on an inch or so 

 of soil and then lay out the next layer and so on, until 

 the bed is completed to the top. Each layer should be firmed 

 down with the back of a spade before putting in the next one. 



A naturalized group of Narcissi 



This is another operation in 

 which you cannot go absolutely by 

 the calendar. The Spring-blooming 

 bulbs, Tulips, Narcissi, Hyacinths, 

 Jonquils, Crocuses, Squills, etc., may 

 be put in, as nearly as possible, six 

 weeks before hard freezing begins. 

 For most of the middle and north- 

 border ern states this will be from the last 

 week in September till the first week in November. (The 

 dates vary, of course, in both the locality and the season.) 

 The idea of this is to induce as strong a root growth as 

 possible without danger of enough top-growth being made 

 to be injured when cold weather sets in. It is natural for 

 all these bulbs to make this root-growth during the cool 

 Fall weather with little or no corresponding growth of 

 leaves. The hardy Lilies such as Auratum and Speciousum, 

 may be planted in late August or September. Last Autumn 

 was so prolonged and so warm that many bulbs, even in 

 December and the first part of January, made top-growth 

 to such an extent that when hard weather finally did set in, 

 they were more or less injured. But as there is no way of 

 foretelling what the season is going to be, the best that one 

 can do is to take the average for his locality and go by 

 that. 



After the first good hard freeze, and before the ground 

 has had a chance to thaw out again, is the best time for 

 putting on the necessary Winter mulch which in cold sec- 

 tions should consist of three or four inches of dry leaves or 

 some similar material such as bog-hay. 

 Where the Winters are not very severe, pine 

 boughs will answer the purpose just as well 

 and are also more convenient to use. The 

 idea of the mulch, in any case, is not to shut 

 out the cold, but to prevent the alternate 

 freezing and thawing which, if the ground 

 is not shaded from the direct sunlight, is 

 otherwise quite certain to take place. Fre- 

 quently, and especially in made-up beds, the 

 result is that the ground "heaves" and the 

 bulbs are injured or even actually unplaced. 

 Then, too, without this protection they are 

 apt to start into growth prematurely in the 

 Spring. This mulch should be removed 

 gradually — that is, in two or three layers — as 

 the Spring begins to open up. If there is no 

 objection to leaving part of the mulch upon 

 the bed between the bulbs and the stems as 

 they push up, it will be beneficial rather than 

 the opposite to leave it there as a protection 

 from the dry winds of later Spring. 



Where bulbs are naturalized in the grass, 

 no Winter mulching is necessary, as Nature 

 looks after this in her own manner. In such 

 cases, however, and where bulbs are left in 

 the same place from year to year, it some- 

 times becomes necessary to separate the 

 clumps. When this will be necessary de- 

 pends largely both upon the varieties and 

 upon the circumstances of soil, etc. It will be 

 indicated by the blossoms getting smaller or 

 gradually failing altogether, while otherwise 

 the plants seem to be in healthy condition. 

 The bulbs may be taken up either after they 

 have gotten through blooming and the leaves 

 have begun to turn yellow, in the Spring, or 

 in October or early November. In the for- 

 mer case they may be cleaned off, after dry- 

 ing, and stored in some cool, dry place dur- 

 ing the Summer, and planted out as you 



