THE FLOWER GAEDEN. 



177 



Bulbs and Carpeting Plants. 



Ajuga reptans purpurea. 

 Anemone apennina. 

 A. blanda. 



Antennaria tomentosa. 

 Bulbocodiuni vernum. 

 Cerastium tomentosum. 

 Crocus verna. 

 C. imperati. 

 C. biflorus. 



Crown Imperials (Fritil- 

 laria). 



Hepatica triloba, in variety. 

 Hyacinths, all the single 

 kinds. 



Narcissus poeticus, and 

 many others. 



Eanunculus, all the Tur- 

 ban varieties. 



Saxifraga hypnoides, and 

 others of the mossy 

 section. 



Scilla siberica. 



S. bifolia. 



S. verna. 



Sedum acre elegans. 

 S. glaucum. 

 S. Lydium. 

 S. corsicum. 



Tulips— double and single 

 Due van Thol, Toumesol, 

 Pottebakker , Water J o j , 

 Eosa Mundi, Eoyal Stan- 

 dard, Yellow Prince, 

 White Swan, Queen Vic- 

 toria, La Candeur, and 

 Eex rubrorum. 



Propagation and Summer Culture of 



Plants. — Taking these in the order named, first 

 come the perennials, nearly all of which are most 

 easily increased by division of plants, which operation 

 is best performed when they are moved from the 

 beds at the end of May or early in June. A border 

 or plot of gT0im.d having an eastern exposure, and 

 not over- shadowed by trees, is the best site ; and 

 the soil should be a free open loam, and be manured 

 with vegetable or leaf soil in preference to stable 

 or farmyard manure ; then the plants are sure 

 to make, and transplant with, abundance of fibrous 

 roots. The ground being thus prepared, division of 

 plants may then go on till the desired number is 

 had ; and as there are usually plenty of plants to be 

 discarded, the most -vigorous only of these should be 

 selected for increase of young stock. Al] the kinds 

 should be planted in lines at such distances apart 

 as habit or growth of the plants demands, a conve- 

 nient distance for most kinds being a foot from row 

 to row, and from six to nine inches apart in the 

 row. Daisies and Primroses may be nearer than 

 that. Well tread or press the plants in, and if 

 the weather be hot and dry at the time, water- 

 ing will be necessary tiU new roots have been 

 formed. 



The kinds that are best increased by cuttings are 

 Pansies, Violas, double Wallflowers, Thymes, Iberis, 

 &c. ; and though a later date than June would do for 

 putting in cuttings of these, that is undoubtedly the 

 best time to get the finest and early-blooming plants. 

 Frames or hand-lights placed on a north border, and 

 the cuttings inserted in them, best insure a success- 

 ful strike. The cuttings need not be more than 

 three inches apart, because as soon as well rooted they 

 should be transplanted to a more open border, south 

 or west aspect, for in such a position only can they 

 develop that hardy and well-matured growth that 

 alone can insure early and free flowering. Mulching 

 and watering in very dry weather, and picking ofi^ 

 flowers and pinching out the points to encourage a 

 branching habit, are about all the details of culture 

 36 



needed till the plants are ready for transference to 

 their flowering quarters. 



ANNUALS AND BIENNIALS. 



Emperor and Brompton Stocks, Wallflowers, and 

 Sweet WilHams are about the only kinds of biennials 

 that flower in time for spring bedding, and therefore 

 these kinds only are mentioned. They should all be 

 sown before the end of May. Any aspect will do, 

 but an eastern one is best. Sow in drills nine inches 

 apart, and if the soil be heavy, scatter a little lighter 

 and finer soil in the bottom of the drill and cover 

 the seeds with the same, then water with a fine rose, 

 and the process is complete. As soon as the plants 

 are sulEciently large to handle, transplant on to 

 well-prepared ground, the richer the better, and so 

 far apart from plant to plant that there shall be no 

 danger of the plants getting lanky or drawn, owing 

 to want of space ; from four to six inches apart is 

 none too much. 



The annuals named (the variety of which is ample 

 for spring bedding) do not need one-half the atten- 

 tion that biennials do. Sow for early spring flower- 

 ing from the middle to the end of September, and 

 on a rather poor soil, six or eight inches in depth ; 

 and if the bottom be hard so much the better, as this 

 will prevent the extension of tap-root, and the plants 

 will then transplant with plenty of side-rootlets. No 

 pricking out is needed, but the seedlings should be 

 thinned out before there is any danger of injury from 

 over- crowding, and all attempts at premature flower- 

 ing should be momentarily checked by pinching out 

 the points. The soil being poor and shallow, should 

 the autumn be dry, mulching and watering will be 

 indispensable. 



Bulbs, and Carpeting- Plants for them. — 



As to the former, we have Tulips, Hyacinths, Nar- 

 cissus, and Crocuses. The finest are those that are 

 imported, and they are all purchasable at a very cheap 

 rate ; but for aU that, some may not be able to invest 

 yearly in them. This need not exclude their use, ae 

 excellent results can be had by preserving the old 

 roots as. follows : — Keep them in the ground tiM the 

 tops have quite died down, then lift and dry them, and 

 keep till planting-time in a cool dry place-. When 

 they are again planted out, give them a rich soil — 

 well-decayed cow-manure, if possible— and they will 

 flower just as freely, but not be^ so iarg« and fine,, as 

 imported bulbs. The other bulboias- plants named in 

 the list should, if possible, be left permanetvthj in the • 

 ground; or if this be impracticable they must be 

 transf en-ed to the reserve gardon, to be again trans- 

 planted as early as possible in the spring arrange- 

 ments. 



The carpeting or ground-work plants for bulbs, as. 



