GETTING THE BEST BLOOM 

 FROM THE BULBS 



HENRY GIBSON 



Insuring Your Lilies, Daffodils, Tulips, Etc., Against 

 Winter Loss — When, How, and What to Plant 



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WHAT TO DO WHEN PLANTING 



2. 



3. 



IHE ease with which the 

 'M'^ra hardy spring-flowering 



^wfe bulbs may be grown; 

 their wonderful adap- 

 tation to diverse conditions ; the 

 fact that they bloom at a season 

 when the passing of winter 

 makes their gay colors irresis- 

 tibly attractive; all these things 

 justify the enthusiasm felt each 

 fall as bulb planting time comes 

 round. There is indeed no other 

 class of plants which will pro- 

 duce such results with so little 

 labor and so little knowledge of 

 plant culture. 



While it is to the Hyacinths, 

 Tulips, and Daffodils that we 

 must look for the most gor- 

 geous part of the spring display, 

 there is yet a modest charm 

 about the Crocus and Snowdrop, 

 during the earliest days of spring 

 always appealing to the flower 



lover. Massed in solid beds which have been occupied with 

 annuals during the summer, or are so destined for another year; 

 in borders in conjunction with hardy perennials; in the rockery; 

 in sheltered nooks among shrubbery; or in broad irregular patches 

 on the edges of the woodland, bulbs will afford a profusion of 

 bloom until well into June; and, by adding suitable Lilies, the 

 display may be carried through the summer until it is time 

 for the succession to be taken up by the tender flower-roots and 

 other later flowering things. 



TO MAKE A BULB BED 



It is worth while to make the bed fit to receive the bulbs. 

 Throw up the soil, and let it remain exposed to air and sunshine 

 until it will crumble readily under the hoe or rake. Work it 

 over until it is as fine and mellow as it can possibly be made. 

 Do not be satisfied until every hard lump is broken up. Then, 

 and not till then add liberally well decayed manure, such as is 

 had from an old hotbed or mushroom bed, and thoroughly mix 

 it with the soil. Use one part manure to three parts soil. If 

 there is any doubt at all as to the manure being well decayed 

 it is better to omit it altogether and use bone-meal instead. 

 Fresh manure coming in contact with bulbs is positively injuri- 

 ous to them. Yet it must be remembered that they desire 

 nutritious soil. After preparing as described, level off the 

 surface and leave the bed to settle for a few days before planting. 



What They Really Like Best 



ALL bulbs like a mellow, rich, and well drained soil. They 

 „ will not flourish in wet, heavy soils, where a great deal of 

 moisture is likely to be about their roots. Many Lilies are 

 adapted for, and so do best in, damp low-lying places on the 

 edge of woodland, and among shrubbery; but even with them 

 ample drainage is essential to their welfare. Therefore choose 



Plant as early as possible so that root growth 



may be made in the declining warmth of fall. 

 Dig the bed at least 18 in. deep, and on wet 



soils provide drainage by a layer of dry, 



broken rubble, etc. 

 Work the soil till it is mellow with every hard 



lump broken and pulverized. 

 Use only thoroughly decayed manure, if at all; 



fresh manure is positively injurious. Bone 



meal is safe. 

 Do not "hang" the bulb, but see that it rests 

 firmly on and in the soil. Use sand for the 

 bottom in heavy soil. 

 Cover with soil to a depth of one-and-one-half 



times the size of the bulb. Thus : Tulips and 



Hyacinths 4-5 in.; large Daffodils 6 in.; 



Crocus, Snowdrop, etc. 2 in.; Lilies 8-10 in. 

 Mulch newly planted bulbs after the ground 



is frozen — ro keep things cool. 



a naturally well drained place for 

 bulbs: or set about providing a 

 means of escape for surplus 

 water by excavating the ground 

 to the depth of eighteen inches 

 at least (two feet is better) and 

 filling in the bottom with a six 

 inch or more layer of broken 

 bricks, stones, old cans, in fact 

 anything that will not decay 

 readily, and allow the soil above 

 to settle back to its former 

 hardness, and thus become as 

 impermeable to water as it was 

 before any thing was done to it. 

 Failure is a foregone conclusion 

 if the bulbs have to stand with 

 their roots in cold wet mud at a 

 time when active healthy growth 

 ought to be taking place. 



Really it is impossible to 



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this part of the soil preparation, 

 the result of neglect is seen in 



failure of the bulbs to bloom, and their entire disappearance in 



a year or two. 



THE IDEAL PLANTING TIME 



During all October, and early November is the best season for 

 planting bulbs in the open ground. An impression that all that 

 is really necessary is to get the bulbs into the ground before 

 cold weather comes often leads to delaying planting to a later 

 time. But just think that before blossoms can be produced 

 the bulbs must make roots — but not top-growth — for the sup- 

 port of the new growth in the spring. This they can do if 

 planted early, and in the spring be able to do the work ex- 

 pected of them. Late-planted bulbs do not have time to form 

 these roots before the freezing weather puts them to rest, with 

 the consequence that they have a double duty to perform in 

 the spring; and failure to give good results is the natural result 

 of requiring too much. See that the bulbs are planted as soon 

 as possible after the soil has been prepared for them. 



The Required Depth and Distances 



A SAFE general rule when planting bulbs is to cover them 

 one-and one-half times their own depth. Ordinary sized 

 bulbs like the Tulip, and Hyacinth, should be planted from four 

 to five inches deep; smaller ones like Crocus, and Snowdrop, 

 about two inches deep; and large bulbs of Narcissus six inches. 

 Lilies require deep planting, as many of them emit roots from 

 the stems, which eventually anchor and support the plants, 

 hence from eight to ten inches below the ground surface is not 

 too much. 



When planting is shallow the action of frost is sure to " heave " 

 some of the bulbs breaking many of the roots, and may bring 

 about such a disturbance as to seriously and permanently in- 

 jure them. Covering with litter in November will, of course, 



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