232 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



CAPE BULBS. 

 By Mr. James O'Brien, F.R.H.S. 

 [Bead April 21, 1891.] 



In dealing with the subject set down for me to-day, viz., 

 Cape Bulbs, I shall follow the text and speak on bulbs proper, 

 such as we find more especially among the showy but all too 

 little known Cape Amaryllids, passing by the Gladioli, Freesias, 

 and other Irids, as they have been lectured on here lately by 

 others who are far better able to do justice to them than I am. 

 I shall also confine myself to the cultural side of the question, 

 and to remarks calculated to bring about a better knowledge of 

 these bulbs as garden plants ; and I hope to be able to make 

 an original statement or two with a view to that end. 



First, then, to plunge'Jnto the subject at once, I will say that 

 with proper planting the'whole of the South African Crinums, 

 and many of the other strong-growing Cape bulbs, are perfectly 

 hardy in the open garden in any part of the British Isles, and 

 what noble garden plants they make is well exemplified by the 

 scores of stately flower-spikes on the Crinum Powelli in the 

 raiser's garden, as well as in the gardens of the President of 

 the Koyal Horticultural Society at Burford Lodge, where, too, 

 a row of Crinum Moorei (also known as C. Makoyanum, G. 

 Colensoi, and C. Mackenii) annually produce an abundance 

 of delicate pink flowers. Crinum longifolium is an old plant 

 in our open gardens, and I have proved C. campanulatum, 

 C. scdbrum, and others to be equally hardy. I therefore 

 advise all who have spare bulbs of these plants in their green- 

 houses, or who can get fresh imported bulbs, to try some in 

 the open ground ; but in order to succeed deep planting, and, if 

 possible, in places where the bulbs are not likely to be disturbed, 

 is necessary. When I say deep planting, I mean that short- 

 necked bulbs should be planted so that the top of the neck 

 is from 6 inches to 9 inches below the surface of the soil, and 

 C. 'Powelli and C. Moorei, of which the bulb and neck together 

 are from 2 feet to 8 feet in length, should have trenches 

 opened for them sufficiently deep to allow of the tops of the neck 

 being well below the surface. The object of deep planting is 

 evident, for by its means when hard frosts come it is longer 



