210 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Professor Fenzl, the late director of the Vienna Botanical 

 Garden, grew this greenish form of G. nivalis, and from him 

 Herr Max Leitchlin obtained two bulbs, and thereafter sent a 

 bulb to the Eev. Harpur Crewe, and another to Mr. Allen, whence 

 dates its culture in English gardens. 



42. G. Warei. — This is a form or phase of G. Scharloki, but 

 the spathe lobes are coherent. 



THE CULTIVATION OF HARDY BULBS AND PLANTS. 



By Herr Max Leichtlin of Baden-Baden. 



[Head March 24, 1891.] 



Under due consideration of circumstances, to imitate, as far 

 as practicable, the natural growth-conditions of hardy plants is 

 the first principle leading to success. 



We have now-a-days collected in our gardens a vast number 

 of plants, from the most varied climates, and we are wanting 

 them to adapt their peculiarities at once to our climate ; if 

 seemingly they do so, we call them " quite easy and quite 

 hardy." 



We cannot acclimatise plants, but the primeval power has 

 endowed certain species with the power of resisting a far greater 

 amount of cold or heat than they ever have to endure in their own 

 native land ; the law of evolution seems to be to-day as much in 

 force as in bygone millenaries. Calanclrinia umbellata, a tiny 

 succulent Portulacca-like herb, from the Chilian Andes, and 

 Papaver aculeatwn, a botanical curiosity, both plants never in 

 their home seeing more than slight frosts at night, have under- 

 gone here bare frost of 7° F. ; but a succeeding changeable 

 winter, with higher temperatures, killed the Calandrinia, whilst 

 I am unable to get rid of the Papaver, with its delicate, beautiful 

 foliage ; even in this dreadful winter, it shows its frog-green 

 rosette of foliage as if it would laugh at the uncomfortable 

 existence of its introducer. 



Permit me to state this in order to draw your attention to the 

 fact that the grower, to have success, must study the wants, not 



