46 THE BOOK OF THE GREENHOUSE 



The plants should be shielded from draught, and should 

 have a cosy corner near the glass after being brought 

 into the greenhouse. Though I have here included 

 them in the section devoted to imported bulbs, they 

 may be well grown at home, if, after flowering, the 

 growth is allowed to ripen off gradually under glass, 

 and when ripeness is complete the bulbs are shaken out 

 and put into paper bags, which may be kept in a dry cool 

 place till potting time (October) comes round again. 



Tuberose. — Though the tuberose {Polianthes tuber os a) is 

 mostly used as a forcing plant, it may be grown cool 

 throughout, and will then flower in the greenhouse late 

 in summer. The bulbs should be potted in February or 

 early in March in equal parts of loam, leaf mould, and 

 decayed manure, with plenty of sand ; two-thirds of each 

 bulb should be covered, and the soil pressed quite 

 firmly around it. A single bulb in a five-inch pot 

 will be sufficient, and this is better than putting more 

 bulbs in a larger pot. Water well after potting, and 

 stand in a cold frame until the pots are filled with roots 

 and growth is commencing. Very little water will be 

 required for several weeks, but when really growing 

 they take a good supply, and are helped with manure 

 water. Tuberoses delight in being well syringed daily 

 when in growth, and syringing also helps to keep down 

 red spider, to which they are subject in a dry atmosphere. 

 They are all the better for being kept in the frame till 

 they have made a foot or more of growth, provided they 

 are well looked after as to ventilation, which should be 

 abundant in nice weather. 



II 



We come now to the second section of bulbous plants, 

 according to my classification, viz. those which may 

 be made permanent occupants of our greenhouses and 



