BULBOUS PLANTS. 



279 



The Cherry Season. — This, by making a care- 

 ful selection from these lists of varieties, may be 

 extended from June to November. By placing Early 

 Gean and Werder's Early Black on south walls, 

 they may be forced into ripening in May, and Mo- 

 rellos carefully matted or canvased over will han * 

 on the trees till the end of the year, thus adding to 

 the Cherry season a month at both ends. 



Apart from these forcing and retarding expe- 

 dients, the following come in during the seasons 

 specified : — 



June. — Early Rivers, Werder's Early Black, Early 

 Purple Gean, Belle d'Oiieans. 



July. — Black Tartarian, Governor Wood, Elton, 

 Early Frogmore, Black Eagle, Transparent, Mon- 

 strous Heart. 



August. — Florence, Late Duke. 



September. — Belle Agathe. 



Kitchen Cherries. — The Morello, Kentish, and 

 Belle Magnifique. 



Cherries for Orchards. — For large trees to 

 grow up to a considerable size, either as standards or 

 dwarfs, with but little pruning or other interference, 

 the following are admirable : — 



Amber Gean, Belle Agathe, Buttner's Blackheart, 

 Adam's Crown, Early Prolific, Elton, Mayduke, 

 Late Duke, Black Tartarian, Bigarreau Napoleon, 

 and Mammoth. 



BULBOUS PLANTS. 



By "William Goldring. 



Ixiolirion {Ixia Lily). — The Ixia Lilies are 

 extremely beautiful, and unlike most other bulbous 

 plants. They produce slender-branched flower- 

 stems from one to two feet high, carrying numerous 

 starry flowers of a violet-purple colour, varying in 

 tone in the various kinds. There is such a similarity 

 in the four so-called species, that for garden purposes 

 they may be regarded as one. The names are /. 

 montanum and I. Pallasii, from Syria ; I. Tataricum, 

 from North Persia ; and I. Zedebourii, from Asia 

 Minor. 



Culture— -They require the general treatment 

 of Cape bulbs, as they are not thoroughly hardy, 

 although they take no harm in the open border in 

 southern districts in light soil. As a rule, however, 

 it is best to grow them either in frames, or to lift 

 the bulbs in autumn, and re-plant in early spring. 

 They thrive admirably in a sunny, well-drained 

 border at the foot of a wall in light loamy soil. 

 After they have flowered in summer it is advisable 

 to place a hand-light over the bulbs, so as to keep 

 them dry, and so conduce to their thorough ripening. 



They may be lifted in September, wintered in a cool 

 place, and re-planted in March. 



Lachenalia. — These pretty spring-flowering 

 bulbs are invaluable for the green-house, being so 

 bright and elegant, and so easy to grow well. It is 

 a rather large genus, but the most beautiful species 

 form a distinct group, numbering some half a dozen 

 kinds. They all have broad and generally spotted 

 leaves, and bear erect flower-spikes. The blossoms 

 in all the species of this group are drooping, while 

 those of most other species are borne erect. Of late 

 years hybridists have produced some beautiful 

 varieties, excelling the original in beauty. The fol- 

 lowing are among the most ornamental kinds of the 

 drooping-flowered section. These for the most part 

 are strictly regarded as varieties only of one type, 

 the well-known L. tricolor, but for the garden they 

 may be considered distinct. 



L. aurea — like tricolor, but 

 the flowers of a rich 

 golden - yellow. Flowers 

 in March and April. 



L. luteola — flowers pale yel- 

 low, flushed with green. 

 March and April. The j 

 commonest form. 



L. Nelsoni — a new hybrid | 

 from L. aurea, from which 

 it differs in being more 

 robust in growth, and 

 with larger spikes, and i 

 flowers of a richer and 

 deeper yellow. From Feb- 

 ruary to May. 



L. pendula — a very hand- 

 some plant, one of the i 

 finest of all. It is more 

 vigorous and has broader 

 foliage than the others, 



and less spotted. The 

 flower-stems bear from 

 ten to fifteen drooping 

 flowers of a rich ruby-red 

 tipped with black. 



Li . quadricolor — a variety of 

 L. tricolor — is a beautiful 

 plant. It is more robust 

 than tricolor itself, and 

 has larger blotches on the 

 leaves and stems. The 

 flowers are also larger, 

 and they have four dis- 

 tinct colours — yellow, 

 green, deep purple, and 

 red. Flowers from mid- 

 winter till late spring. 



L. tricolor is the common 

 kind, with flowers green, 

 yellow, and red ; foliage 

 spotted with brown. 



Among other species worth growing are L. rubida, 

 orchioides, Z. stolonifera, and tigrina. All the species 

 of Zachenalia, numbering about thirty, are natives 

 of South Africa, chiefly of the Cape of Good Hope. 



Culture. — Lachenalias may be grown in a variety 

 of ways — in pots and hanging baskets, in baskets, or 

 planted out in frames. Pot-culture is best for pro- 

 ducing fine bloom, while globular baskets, with the 

 plants protruding through the wires on all sides, 

 have a pretty effect. Those who have no green- 

 house may grow them to perfection in unheated 

 frames, either in pots or planted out. Plenty of 

 light and air should be given them, and a decided 

 rest after the foliage is down, during which period 

 they must be kept quite dry. This resting season 

 lasts till August, when the bulbs should be re- 

 potted and started into growth. From the time 

 of starting into growth, till all the foliage has 

 died away, the plants should not be neglected. 

 During actual rest the pots should be placed 

 so as to have the benefit of the sun, in order 

 to ripen the bulbs. Often the bulbs are too 



