BUI^BOUS PLANTS. 



3ia 



the time the bulbs are leafless, a perfectly dry rest- 

 ing period is therefore not only not injurious to, 

 but essential for, them ; moisture stimulates them into 

 growth or prevents them from having a perfect rest. 

 As a general rule, the bulk of Cape bulbs, for in- 

 stance, require to be perfectly dry after their foliage 

 is ripened or decayed in about July, and from that 

 time till re-planted in October should be kept per- 

 fectly dust-dry, and in addition subjected to as much 

 sun-heat as possible. The best practice, therefore, in 

 private gardens, is to lift the bulbs after the leaves 

 are decayed, and spread them on the surface of the 

 soil under a hand-light, so that no rains will reach 

 them. After a month or six weeks they may be 

 kept in a dry place until about the middle of Octo- 

 ber, when all should be planted. If planted earlier 

 leaf -growth will be advanced too much, so rendering- 

 it liable to be injured during winter treatment; 

 on the other hand, if planting is deferred later than 

 October, or even till early spring, the bulbs suffer 

 by shrivelling, and consequently will not develop 

 vigorous growth. The exceptions to this general 

 rule of dealing with Cape and other half-hardy 

 plants from dry regions, occur in the case of late- 

 flowering families, such, for example, as Gladioli and 

 Tigridias, which do not bloom before August, and 

 whose growth is not even decayed before October, 

 when they require to be lifted. Such as these re- 

 ([uire to be kept dry and airy till about March, and 

 then planted. In gardens where a fruit-room exists 

 no better place could be found for wintering Gladioli 

 and such bulbs as need to be planted in spring, as 

 the fruit-rooms are usually, and should be, dry and 

 well ventilated. In all cases a careful cultivator will 

 frequently examine his bulbs during winter, whether 

 in or out of the ground, and use his judgment in 

 dealing with them accordingly. 



Evergreen bulbs, such as Eucharis, Crinum, Pancra- 

 tium, Hymenocallis, and others, are usually bought 

 from the nurseries in a growing state, but in the case 

 of imported bulbs, which arrive leafless, they gene- 

 rally develop foliage as soon as they are placed in a 

 warm and moist atmosphere. Water should be with- 

 held, or very sparingly given, to an evergreen im- 

 ported bulb before it has commenced to throw out 

 foliage, otherwise there is danger from rotting. 



The Depth of Planting Bulbs varies in the 

 various genera, but as a general rule all scaly bulbs, 

 such, for example, as Lilies, and all solid bulbs or 

 corms, such as Crocus and Colchicum, require to 

 be planted more or less deeply ; on the contrary, all 

 tunicated or coated bulbs, like Hyacinth, Crinum, 

 Amaryllis, or, indeed, any whose structure is akin to 

 the Onion, may be grown either on the surface of 

 the soil or only half buried. There are many excep- 



tions, of course, to this rule, but nevertheless it may 

 be some guide to the amateur. Deep planting for all 

 kinds of perfectly hardy bulbs is recommended for 

 several reasons, the chief being that they are out of 

 harm's way from severe frosts, and they never be- 

 come too dry. Six inches is the average depth for 

 hardy bulbs, but some, such as Narcissi, Scillas, and 

 others, rise from as much as a foot below the surface. 

 Crocuses, again, should be deeply planted, inasmuch 

 as each generation of bulblets are produced on the 

 top of the parent bulbs, and consequently arrive 

 nearer to the surface every season. 



Half-hardy bulbs, such as those from the Cape, 

 also require to be deei:)ly planted if grown in open- 

 air frames, so as to prevent injury by frosts. About 

 six inches is the usual depth these are planted. The 

 directions for planting will be given under each genus. 

 Deep planting in pots cannot be can-ied out in the 

 ordinary pots, therefore it is advisable to grow those 

 bulbs which require to be planted a few inches beneath 

 the surface, in deep pots, commonly called Hyacinth 

 or bulb pots, an illustration and description of which 

 occur at page 7 in Vol. I. of this work. Though 

 these are called Hyacinth pots they are practically 

 useless for Hyacinths, and are seldom used for them, 

 because, as Hyacinth bulbs are never more than half 

 buried, an unusually deep pot is not required. The 

 special bulb pots are useful in growing a great num- 

 ber of bulbs, and if they were more commonly used 

 than they are, better success would result than from 

 using the ordinary pot. Thorough drainage, so as 

 to avoid stagnant moisture about the bulbs, is as 

 necessary for open border culture as pot culture, for 

 very few bulbs are by natui-e swamp-lovers. 



Raising Seedling Bulbs. — Those who take a 

 special interest in bulbous plants, invariably resort to 

 propagation by seed as a ready means of acquiring 

 an abundant stock of plants, as well as obtaining new 

 and different varieties. All that is required is care 

 and attention, and above all patience, as the majority 

 of seedling bulbous plants do not arrive at maturity 

 for three or four years, and some not for ten years. 

 The general principles to follow are : first, to tho- 

 roughly ripen the seed, then gather it and sow it im- 

 mediately, even if in midwinter, always remembering 

 that seeds as they fall naturally from the plant are 

 generally in the best condition for germination, and 

 if their tissues become hardened by time, germination 

 is retarded. Besides, a season is often lost by not 

 sowing the seeds the same season. For instance, 

 in the case of the Amar)-llis {lIi2'>peaHtrnm), w^hich 

 usually ripens its seed in August, a season is quite 

 lost if the seeds are kept imtil spring before sowing ; 

 whereas if sown as soon as ripe the seedlings will be 

 ready to pot off in the following spring. Seedling 



