906 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



away from frost until spring, when they may be planted in April or be 

 potted up earlier and planted out in May. 



Colchicum. — Taking the smaller bulbous subjects flowering in 

 autumn and all of interest and charm, I would mention the Colchicum 

 or Meadow Saffron which carpets the ground with its large Crocus- 

 like flowers from September to November, and ranges in colour from 

 rosy-lilac to criinson and pure white. The foliage, which does not 

 appear until spring, is very bold and characteristic. The Colchicum is 

 specially adapted to naturalising in grass or on rockwork, and established 

 colonies give a very pretty effect. They should always have a ground- 

 work of grass or such carpeting plants as dwarf Sedums, Mossy Saxi- 

 frages, Arcnaria ccespitosa, Herniaria glabra, or Thymus Serpyllum, &c, 

 which will keep the flowers from becoming soiled and spoilt by autumn 

 rains. Any ordinary good well-drained soil will suit them, and if the 

 bulbs are planted in August they will produce a mass of bloom a few 

 weeks afterwards. For a good selection of Meadow Saffrons I recommend 

 C. autumnale album, and its rare and beautiful double form ; also 

 autumnale plenum, autumnale roseum, byzantinum, gigantcum, Sibthorpii, 

 Parkinsoni, speciosum, and variegatum. Giganteum and Sibthorpii have 

 immense flowers, Parkinsoni is beautifuly checkered, while speciosum is 

 the most brilliantly coloured of all. 



Crocus. — The autumn-flowering species are all little gems, and I know 

 of no more delightful picture than colonies of these dainty flowers nestling 

 in grassy nooks or established on rockwork, especially when rising from 

 a carpet of dwarf Sedums (Stonecrop), or such plants as I have recom- 

 mended for Colchicums. The culture is simple, as they thrive in any 

 ordinary garden soil, but the bulbs should be planted shallow, and positions 

 given them where their little flowers are not likely to be spoilt by heavy 

 autumn rains. There are a good many autumn-flowering Crocus species, 

 but in starting a collection I would recommend amateurs to begin with 

 the following : C. speciosus, zonatus, pulchellus, sativns, asturicus, 

 mcdius, longiflorus, iridiflorus, and hadriaticus chrysobelonicus, all of 

 delicate and refined beauty. I am quite sure that those who once intro- 

 duce these gems into their garden will not be satisfied until they have 

 made their collection more complete and added those charming little 

 species which bloom in winter and early spring. I would just add that 

 the bulbs of autumn-flowering Crocus species should be planted in July 

 and August to bloom the same season. 



Cyclamen. — Among the various hardy species, one of the most beautiful 

 is the autumn-flowering Cyclamen neapolitanum, the great feature of 

 which is its large, handsome, silver-marked, ivy-shaped leaves, which 

 remain decorative throughout winter and spring, and make a charming 

 groundwork for little early spring flowers like Scilla, Chionodoxa, 

 Snowdrops, Miniature Daffodils, &c. This bulb likes perfect drainage, 

 and a little mortar rubbish mixed in the soil, while the situation selected 

 should be protected from cutting winds or hot summer sun. When 

 established it produces, from the end of August to October, hundreds of 

 rosy -pink flowers. 



Zcphyranthes Candida. — Popularly known as the Peruvian Swamp 

 Lily, or Flower of the West Wind ; this is a lovely little autumn flower 



