BULBOUS PLANTS IN NEW ZEALAND. 



3 



L ilium auratum platyphyllum, L. Henryi, L. Krameri, L. phillipense, 

 L. lencanthum, and several of the elegans section have done remarkably 

 well with ordinary soil and cultivation. I had hoped to have been able 

 to report the result of this year's growth, but, as this paper must be sent 

 away in a few days, I cannot wait for the development of some of those 

 which are somewhat idle. This is January, and most of the elegans have 

 already bloomed well ; I have now in flower L. auratum rubro-vittatum, 

 L. concolor, and L. Coridion. L. platyphyllum, L. Wittei, L. magnificum, 

 and L. leucanthum are doing well, and will make a great show in a few 

 days. 



Besides those already referred to mention must be made of the various 

 species of Iris, all of which succeed well except Iris Xiphioides, which 

 seems to die off after the first year's planting : I. Xiphium and many other 

 bulbous Irises make a great show and succeed well, while the rhizomatous 

 I. germanica and I. Kaernpferi give a magnificent display of flowers with 

 scarcely any attention. The Japanese Iris is especially satisfactory, and, 

 although usually said to require a moist or marshy situation, it seems to 

 thrive as well with us when grown on very dry soil. 



The different species of Bichardia are extensively grown, and succeed 

 remarkably well, B. Elliotiana especially. I saw a bed of this species, 

 numbering about 200, during the blooming season. It was a truly mag- 

 nificent sight. The roots are lifted early in the autumn and planted in 

 early spring. This is not actually necessary except in heavy clay land, but 

 growers on the lighter volcanic soils prefer to be on the safe side. I have 

 grown the pink B. Behmannii several seasons : it is rather dwarf in 

 growth, but the true species is very pretty ; it does not seem as hardy as 

 some others, and must be lifted in autumn or it decays with the winter 

 moisture. 



Besides those already mentioned Ixias, Montbretias, Tulips, Hyacinths, 

 Amaryllis, and Sparaxis are grown in great profusion out of doors, and 

 another plant which is comparatively uncommon, Elisena longipetala, 

 makes a great show with its curiously formed flowers ; it does well 

 outside and increases rapidly. 



It will be noticed that allusion has been made only to exotic bulbs. 

 I would have liked to have been able to deal with native plants wbich are 

 less known to English horticulturists, but there but few bulbous plants 

 of interest indigenous to this country, the native flora being of a very 

 different character. Ours is, as one of our poets has sung, " the land of 

 the Kauri and the Fern," and I have carefully searched the district for 

 indigenous bulbous plants, but with little success. One, however, wbich 

 is allied to the iris is particularly worth notice. It is Liber tia Ixioides, 

 a rhizomatous plant which has a very pretty flower and succeeds well 

 under ordinary cultivation. 



