280 



SHRUBBERIES AND FLOWER-GARDENS. 



[chap. 



the earliest ornaments of our tlower gardens. There are several 

 varieties ; yellow, pale yellow, blue, striped, and white. All are 

 handsome, but none make so great a show in the border as the 

 deep yellow, which should always be planted in clumps of ten or 

 a dozen plants in a clump, the bulbs at three inches from one an- 

 other, and the clumps should be in the front of borders in which 

 there are shrubs, or between the shrubs, so as not to be out of 

 sight. Planting them in long rows spoils the effect : but having 

 alternate clumps of yellow^ and blue gives an additional variety, 

 and adds somewhat to the gaiety always produced by this hand- 

 some little plant. Do not cut off the leaves of your crocuses 

 when they are overbl wn ; as this only weakens the plant. Move 

 them when their leaves are dying down in autumn, but not more 

 than once in three years. Separate the offsets then, which you 

 will find abundant, and thus, with little trouble, you propa- 

 gate them. The crocus likes a good, rather light, and not 

 wet, garden soil ; and it should be planted two inches deep in 

 the ground. 



472. CYCLAMEN, or sow-bread. — Lat. C. EuropcBum. A 

 perennial frame plant from Austria. Blows, in April, a flower 

 that is white, tipped with pink. Propagated by seed, sowed as 

 soon as gathered, or by offsets. Likes a sheltered situation, and a 

 south-east aspect. Does best in heath-mould. Blows the third 

 or fourth year after sowing. 



473. DAFFODIL, the onion-leaved. — Lat. Asphodelus fistulosiis 

 A bulbous plant, and a native of the south of France. Its height 

 is about two feet, it blows from June till September ; the flow^er is 

 white with a red stripe. It is multiplied by the seed, sown in pots, 

 and put into a hot-bed ; and it is easily propagated by separating 



its roots. It likes a good moist soil. Daffodil, refiexed.— 



Lat. Narcissus triandrus. Bending neck, and the petals turning 

 up. Light yellow. Found in the Pyrenees. Grows eight inches 

 high. Blows in March and April, is as hardy and may be treated 



like the others of the species. Daffodil, the great. — Lat. 



Narcissus major. The largest of the species. F'lowers in April ; 

 and is readily propagated by offsets ; differs from Narcissus 

 pseudo-narcissus, by being much taller, having leaves much 

 more twisted, as well as more glaucus ; its flowers much larger, 

 and the petals more spreading. It varies with double flowers. 

 Daffodil, least, — L-at. Narcissus minor. Blossoms yellow, 



