704 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



Septembeb 14, 1912. 



CHOICE DAFFODILS IN THE 



GRASS. 



When enjoying, during the spring season 

 of the present year, the exeeedingly beau- 

 tiful arrangement of daffodils which has 

 been made in the arboretum at Kew within 

 recent years, I was much impressed by the 

 great value of the object-lessons it afforded 



many thou sa nd s of v is i tors who 

 crowded this part of the gardens that they 

 might enjoy, as did Wordsworth in Lake- 

 land: 



" A host of golden daffodils 

 Beside the lake, beside the trees, 

 Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.'* 



The object-levssons that were to be de- 

 rived from a close inspection of the flowers 

 were two in number, and these differing 



the 



high order, and even those who enjoy to 

 the full great masses of colour soon lose 

 their interest in them. 



In the planting of daffodils in the grass 

 as in their culture in the garden, they 

 sliould be so arranged as to give the various 

 varieties an opportunity of showing the 

 individuality of the growth, as "well as of 

 the flowers. While the flowers are neces- 

 sarily the predominating feature, muoh in- 

 terest centres in the habit of growth, and, 

 if this is hidden by overcrowding, much 

 of the interest associated with daffodils is 



for more than one group of a variety if an 

 endeavour be made to fairly represent the 

 several sections, that are adapted to grass 

 culture. Nowhere do daffodils appear to 

 greater advantage tihan when springing 

 from a carpet of green grass, and nowhere 

 oould they be more readily 



and their 



many attributes of beauty enjoyed. 



Where the pleasure grounds are com- 

 paratively small, the daffodil garden 

 could be limited to the trumpet, the incom- 



the Barri, or the 

 the 



paraibilis, 

 varieties as 



Leedsi 



lost. Hence it appears to be a matter of Two 

 considerable practical importance to direct 

 attention to the method of planting which 

 has of late been adopted by the Kew autho- 

 rities with so much success. As will be 

 reen from the accompanying illustration, 

 the bulbs are irregularly arranged in 

 clumps at sufficient distances apart to allow 



may prefer. 



be 



owner 



or three sections may oe grow 

 m association, but the practice appears 

 to be less desirable than having a represen- 

 tative selection from the trumpets or one 

 other of the sections. The following will 

 form a good selection of trumpets for a 

 small daffodil garden in the grass, namely, 

 Captain Nelson, Colleen Bawn, Cornelia, 



A SUGGESTION FOR PLANTING CHOICE DAFFODILS IN THE GRASS. 



but little in importance. It has, in the 

 past been too much the practice in the cul- 

 tivation of daffodils in the grass to plant 

 the bulbs so thickly as to produce an effect 

 more suggestive of a bulb ground of an 

 extensive nursery or a field of a flower farm 

 than of a part of the pleasure grounds of 

 a private residence. Some visitors to gar- 

 dens in which daff<Klils are grown in large 

 and crowded drifts may, in describing what 

 they have seen, have a feeline; of satisfac- 



of their having a breadth of grass between 

 them. This style of planting not only en- 

 sures the individuality of both flowers and 

 foliage being preserved. 



In walking among the flowers when they 

 were in the full flush of their beauty, the 

 delightful grouping suggested that the time 

 had come when we should no longer be 



e pi'esent method of devot- 

 ing a large grass area to one variety. The 

 practice had much to recommend it ivhen 



tion in being able to say with Wordsworth : the number of suitable varieties that could 



Ten thousand saw I at a glance. 

 Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. 



Such displays are impressive at first 

 sight, and remain fivsh for a long perio<l 

 in the memory of tliosc whose opportunities 

 for seeing large broadtlis of daffodils in 

 the grass are but frw. But the effect pro- 

 (hu'. d l)y -icat cniwds of flowers extcmlin.r 

 over large areas i.s not such as to satisfy 

 those whose artistic perceptions are of 



be obtained at a low price w^as small. But 

 with a great increase in the varieties avail- 

 able a considerable modification in the 

 method of procedure might be made with 

 advantage. Tlie Kew example herewith 

 Illustrated suggests the formation of daffo- 

 dil gardens in which each group is formed 

 ^uth a distinct variety, or two or more 

 groups of one varietv where the space is 

 very large. But in the majority of car- 

 dens It will not he possible to find room 



Duke of Bedford, Glory of Leiden, GoWe 

 Bell. King Alfred, Madame de 



GraafF. 



Monarch, iMrs. Buchanan, Mrs. Morlaiul 

 Crosfield, Rhea, and Weard ale Perfection^ 

 From the Incomparabilis section may 

 selected Barn Owl, Blaclo\(^ll Bountiti"> 

 Fireflame, Gaiety, Gloria Mundi, Home- 

 !-pun, Lady Margaret Boscawen, LiKite 



The 



•al au 



^ ^ . ^ ^ ^ 



Will Scarlet. A selection 



J V K^.^^ 1^, - - — 



Orange Frill, Oriflamme, 

 Southern Star, and Vivid. The 



ties should include Albatross, Armore!, 

 Branston, Cressot, Firebrand, Incognit», 



^^^^^^ ^^^^^ following 



may be selected from the Leedsi ^f^^f^^^ 

 with advantage: Amazon, Duchess ofV^^^j^ 

 minster, Fairy Queen, Lucia, rf ^ . * 

 Phyllis, Salmonetta, Sylvia, Una, 

 Falcon, and White Lady. Some of the 

 of th(- oldoi- vni'ieties may, of ^^^^^^'^^i 

 HssofMat<Hl with thos(MMiunierate<l ^^l.^,, 

 to hav(^ ;i larger niunbcr of varieties t • 



those suggested, 



