G70 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



iuGusT 31, 1912. 



BULBS FOR MASSING. 



In dealiufi; with varieties of spring-flower- 

 ing bulbs that are specially adapted for 

 massing and are capable of producing splen- 

 <lid colour effects in the garden, we are 

 rouiindcd of the fact that even in these days 

 many gardeners are apt to distribute a 

 large quantity of bulbs over a big area by 

 arranging them in puny groups or thin 



[)lanting. It is, of course, quite perniis- 

 silde to arrange vsmall colonies in the rock 

 Liardeii, luMltaceous hoiiler, and liv the 

 wuter-skle, and few, indeed, are tlio varie- 

 ties in any family of spring-flowering bul- 

 i)ous plants that fail to |)r(Kluco a charming 



etlect so placed. 



In dealing with tlu^ narcissi it matters 

 not whether the tnrnisliing ot huge lu'ds, 

 big stret<*bes <>t" boiiler, er urrnt Ineadtlis 

 in the urass lie < on^idn i'd, [\n- li>lln\\ inLi: 



Duchess of Westminster, and varieties of 



Phoenix. 



In speaking of tulips^ those which are 

 usually termed standard varieties are emi- 

 nently adapted for our purpose, and great 

 is the pity that the more uncommon kinds 

 are not planted upon a more extensive 

 scale. , 



The early-flowfering tulips wiith single 

 flowers are of immense value for massing, 

 as they produce rich displays of colour 

 early in the si)riiig, when bright colouring 

 much appreciated, and the early period 

 at which they bloom admits of their being 

 removed well in advance of the time for 

 the preparation of beds and borders for 

 their summer occupants. Scarlet vf 

 ties that are specially useful comprise 

 Artus, Couleur Cardinal, Crimson King, 

 an<l Vermilion Brilliant. Rich orange-rt^l 

 vari<>ties that should have attention in- 

 clude Prince of Austria and Thomas 



Kew in recent years, where we have seen 

 them arranged in the formal beds close to 

 the palm-house, each bed holding a distinct 

 variety ; also in mixture, the sole occu- 

 pants of a border extending over 200 feet 

 in length. In each case it may be said 

 that nothing attracted so much attention 

 in their season. Wonderfully handsome and 

 effective varieties are found in Bonders 

 rich crimson, with violet and white base' 

 Clara Butt, in soft rose, is well known • and 

 the same applies to Europe, which boasts 

 glowing salmon and scarlet colouring; An- 

 tony Roozen, rosy-blush ; Madame Krelage 

 rose margined blush white ; Philip de Com- 

 minet, glossy-brown maroon, a great 

 beauty; Erguste, heliotrope with silvery 

 shading; and White Queen, a large, globu- 

 lar flower in creamy-white. 



Then we have the varieties known as 

 Cottage or May-flowering tulips, and it is 

 gratifying to know that thev have become 



V i lXi- BED OF THE PURE WHITE EAELY TCLIP WHITE SWAN 



AT KEW. 



kinds will be found unsMrj)asse<l for our Mooi 



Ot 



e. 



vigorous constitution, tbe 



purpose. 



Uouers arr .siij)f lorted by fairly tnll and 

 stont stems, an<l tbe juice is I)v no means 

 prohibitive. Tbe merits of Emperor Em- 

 press, and Sir Watkin are recognised and 

 acted upon, but I cannot understand why 

 Prmceps, an early-flowering bicolor^ is not 

 more extensively employed for massing. 

 BuU>s of first-rate quality can be had for 

 10s. per 1,000, and, as will be readily seen, 

 a glorious colony or series of colonies can 

 be formed for a couple of pounds. No more 

 reliable or efl^ective variety can be found 

 than Horsfieldi, and how^ well it associates 

 with almost any spring-flowering plant or 

 bidb. Of great merit, too, are Telamoniias 

 plenus (Van Sion), Frank Miles, Golden 



Spur, Tncomparabilis S^tella 6;uperba, Maxi- 

 mus, Henrv Trvinir 

 H(»autv, 



Yellow varieties that can be 



Victoria, Autoci-at, 



Katborino Spurrell, 



Madame 



J'lemp, Grandis, Figaro. Ard Righ, Barri 



ronspicuus, poeticus ornatus, rugilobu3, n.a's;;d ^ha^" b;;;ii;a^^^^^ 



strongly re-.ommended are Golden Queen 

 -Montresor, and Opbir d'Or. Wouverman 

 Miay l,e mentione<l as one of the best of the 

 rich |)uri)U^ varieties, and Snowflake and 

 \\ lute Swan are two of the finest of the 

 white early tulips. 



It is difficult to understand why the or- 

 dinary double tulips are not more exten- 

 sively planted en masse. I am alive to the 

 fact that many varieties present a flat and 

 uninteresting appearance when brought to- 

 gether in large numbers, but it cannot be 

 said to apply to such varieties as Titian 

 Gloria. 8olis, and Murillo. Vuurbaak, too, 

 cannot be beaten for extreme brilliance' 

 and forms a fitting companion to Rose 

 Blanche (of snowy whiteness). Yellow Tour- 

 nesol. Yellow Rase, Blue Celeste, Due van 



Haarlem, and El Toreador are each and all 

 superb. 



The value of the various Darwins when 



very popular for garden decoration. Not- 

 withstanding the fact that they bloom late 

 in spring, a good deal of space is devoted 

 to them in the bedding arrangements, and 

 the effect created wdien masse<l is exceed- 

 ingly beautiful and artistic. T. elegans 

 and its variety alba, with reflex^xl and rose- 

 edged petals, are altogether first-rate, 

 whilst the Inglescombe varieties in scarlet, 

 pink, and white, must be written down as 

 very desirable. At Battersea Park la^t 



season I noted a bed containing Picotee, 

 and was much impressed with its elegance 

 and refined beauty, and it was very clear 

 that it found many admirers. The eanie 

 applies to a glorious display at Kew a 

 couple of years ago. Perhaps the best 

 for massing, in addition to those mentionefl 

 above, art. named Caledonia, a fine red 

 kind; Fulgens, a tall, crimson sort witb 

 reflexe<l petals ; Snow<lon , the flowers 

 creamy-vvliit" ; Wh;t<^Su iM :ni(l Dirlieri 'il^)'"- 

 which speak for them h* -. Gi'^<neriarl:l 



