214 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



bulbs are made at intervals of ten days, or a fort- 

 night, the flowering period will be prolonged, which 

 is desirable. The plan of growing Gladioli in beds 

 is carried out chiefly by those who desire to produce 

 the finest spikes possible, but those who regard this 

 grand autumn flower merely for its decorative value, 

 will find about their gardens numerous places where 

 they would produce a fine effect : such, for instance, 

 among Roses ; among Rhododendrons that are thinly 

 planted on the fringe of shrubs ; in little groups by 

 themselves ; on a lawn ; in fact, there is no place, 

 provided the spot is suitable, where Gladioli would not 

 produce a beautiful effect. In these cases the bulbs 

 should be planted in clumps of from three to six, at 

 distances of about a foot or so. 



Varieties. — It is difficult to give a list of select sorts 

 of Gladioli, as the named sorts alone number some 

 thousands ; therefore, the short list here given must 

 only be regarded as representative of the very best 

 kinds, both cheap and expensive. There is no other 

 class of plants among which the price varies so widely. 

 Some sorts may be bought for as small a sum as 

 threepence a bulb, while others range as high as 

 one and even two guineas a bulb. This difference in 

 price arises from the fact that while some sorts possess 

 "the power of producing bulblets plentifully, so that a 

 large stock may be propagated in a short time, 

 others produce very few, and though they may have 

 been in existence for years, they are, and probably 

 always will be, scarce, for it need hardly be said that 

 named sorts can only be propagated by means of 

 bulblets, or spawn, as they are called. The Messrs. 

 Kelway, who are by far the largest growers of Gladioli 

 in this country, raise seedlings by the thousand, and 

 it is from their nurseries that the bulk of the named 

 Gladioli grown in this country are dispersed. Some 

 200,000 seedlings are raised annually, and these, 

 after they have outgrown their infantile stage, are 

 planted out in fields, and as they come into bloom 

 they are inspected ; if inferior to existing sorts they 

 are either uprooted, or relegated to the stock which 

 is sold as unnamed seedlings, only those that possess 

 good qualities, and differ in some respects from the 

 existing sorts, being named. After the seedlings are 

 selected for names they are grown for successive 

 seasons in order to obtain sufficient stock of each 

 before they are put in commerce. The unnamed 

 seedlings are sold at a much cheaper rate than those 

 named, and among them may be found some which 

 may please the cultivator quite as much as the named 

 sorts at a guinea a bulb. The following list includes 

 some of the finest Gladioli in existence, ranging in 

 price from sixpence to half a guinea a bulb. 



Abazca — maroon, white I Ada — salmon-red, flaked 



centre. carmine and white. 



Acantha— pale lilac, flaked I Agrius— salmon-pink, flaked 



on lower sepals. | with vermilion. 



Amyntas — white,flakedwith 

 rose. 



Appianus — white, blotched 

 rose. 



Aurora — scarlet, lower pe- 

 tals yellow. 



Ball of Fire — scarlet-crim- 

 son, very brilliant. 



Beauty of England — white, 

 yellow-blotched. 



Calliphon — rose, streaked 

 with cerise. 



Capio— scarlet, flaked white. 



Colonel Colbert — maroon, 

 flaked violet. 



Countess of Pembroke- 

 purple, amaranth centre. 



Damia — white, tinged lilac. 



Dr. "Woodford — salmon, 

 flaked with carmine. 



Duke of Connaught — sal- 

 mon-pink, mottled dark 

 crimson. 



Duni— crimson, striped with 

 purple. 



Egyptian King, deep crim- 

 son-maroon. 



Galopin— rosy-lilac, purple- 

 blotched. 



Helenor — salmon, veined 

 crimson. 



Hemon— pale yellow, flaked 

 red. 



Heroes — salmon-rose,white- 

 blotched. 



John Laing — rose, crimson- 

 blotched. 



Julia — pink, feathered car- 

 mine. 



Lady Bridport— blush-white 

 flaked carmine. 



Lord Burleigh — salmon, 

 veined with crimson. 



Lord Derby — crimson, vio- 

 let-striped. 



Lord Leigh— crimson, flaked 

 with maroon. 



Marcianus — blight orange- 

 red, flushed with purple. 



Marica— white, shaded lilac. 



Maroon — deep scarlet, flaked 

 crimson. 



Mel eager— white, flaked 

 rose. 



Melitus— white, and purple 

 flaked. 



Metroceles— white, flaked 

 violet. 



Mr. Baines — orange-crini- 

 son. 



Mr. Derry — amaranth, flaked 

 purple. 



Mrs. Dobree — white, tinged 



yellow, striped violet. 

 Mrs. Reynolds Hole —white, 



lilac-tinged. 

 Panthoides — pale salmon, 



tinged purple. 

 Paterculus — orange flushed 



cerise. 



Perigone — scarlet-crimson, 

 and violet stripe. 



Phaleris — white, edged pur- 

 ple. 



Pilumnus — white, tinged 



purple. 

 Pollis— purple, white centre. 

 P ulcheria — scarlet, white 



centre. 



Queen Mary — white, tipped 



with lavender. 

 Bhamnes — scarlet-crimson, 



striped with purple. 

 Semele— white, flaked with 



rose. 



Sir Trevor Lawrence — 

 orange-scarlet. 



Thyreus — rosy-salmon, car- 

 mine veins. 



The Brenchley Gladiolus. — This popular plant is 

 the brilliant red sort that may be seen in gardens 

 during August. It succeeds best in a deep, rich, 

 sandy loam, enriched with good manure, but it 

 does not fail in any ordinary garden soil, 

 provided it be drained and rich, and in an 

 open position. Bulbs are usually on sale during 

 winter, and should be planted during March and 

 April, and if successive plantings are made at 

 intervals of a fortnight the plants will flower in 

 succession. The mode of planting is the same 

 as that recommended for the Gandavensis race, 

 but as the spikes are not so massive they do not 

 generally require to be so carefully supported as the 

 Gandavensis sorts. The bulbs may be lifted any 

 time during October, the later the better, so as to 

 give them full time to ripen. They should be 

 dried gradually, and wintered in a dry, cool place in 

 dry earth or sand. In some mild localities the bulbs 

 are left in the ground throughout the winter, but as 

 a general rule it is best to lift them. 



The Lemoinei race promises to become as im- 

 portant as the other groups. It was originated 

 a few years ago by M. Lemoine, of Nancy, who 

 intercrossed a species from Natal, G. purpureo- 

 auratus, with some of the garden hybrids. G. 



