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ON FURNISHING THE PARTERRE WITH FLOWERS IN EARLY SPRING. 67 
trranging plants to flower at that season. In planting beds of Crocuses, the bulbs 
'should not be studded all over them, or their effect, when in flower, would not be 
Appropriate, but of too glaring a nature. The proper way is to plant them in clus- 
ters of three or four together, and the clusters six or eight inches apart ; in placing 
hem in the bed, care should be taken to induce them to describe its general outline. 
The arrangement of colour, where the variety is as extensive as it is in Crocuses, 
s best left to individual discretion. 
In point of effect, the Hyacinth is perhaps superior to the Crocus, though not in 
general availableness ; the appearance of masses of it blooming at this time of year, 
:an be better imagined than described ; growing in short lines, or placed in a cen- 
tral position, their appearance is very beautiful. To the merits of all the early 
flowering bulbs that are suitable for our purpose, it would be tedious to refer. 
Dwarf double Roman Narcissus, early Van Thai Tulips, the Dog's-tooth Violet, and 
others too numerous to mention, are, when associated with each other for the 
purpose of decorating the parterre at the period their blossoms are produced, capable 
of creating a very lively and delightful effect. Even among the few plants instanced, 
there is a sufficiency, as respects the colour of their flowers, to make a most complete 
arrangement. In addition to those already mentioned, the Hepaticas, and in short 
any early-flowering plants, maybe made available for the object in view; for, if of the 
most common description only, they are infinitely preferable to the chilly barrenness 
,of the flower garden or parterre, when no attempt is made to relieve it. 
What seems to militate very strongly against the use of bulbs for the purpose of 
flowering in spring, in those situations which in summer are required for perennial 
plants, is the imagined difficulty of removing them in proper time to admit the 
summer occupants to their places ; that, however, it is not at all a difficulty, we will 
proceed to show. Excepting the Hyacinths, all the plants we have named would 
flower beautifully in their season, by simply being planted in the course of the 
autumn ; all the preparation of soil for the reception of the bulbs that is required, is 
simply to dig over the beds, and it may be, add a little leaf-mould, &c. Once 
planted, they require no more care than being guarded from the ravages of mice 
till they have done flowering, when the whole may be taken up, great care being 
exercised in doing so ; each should be lifted with a separate ball, preserving the 
whole of their roots, and replanting them in the reserve garden, till they have per- 
fected and matured their bulbs, the whole then being taken up and stowed away. 
If Hyacinths are similarly treated, the most unbounded care is requisite to raise 
them with balls and replant them again ; but, as will be imagined, it is hardly prac- 
ticable and certainly not safe to deal with them at their removal with equal freedom 
with other bulbs. They had better, therefore, either be placed in such situations 
only as they can remain in to ripen properly, or be grown in pots, and their pots 
plunged, till they have flowered, in any situation they may be placed, and after 
flowering be turned out of their pots to stimulate them to swell off finely^. 
A stock of bulbs for the purpose in question might be purchased at com 
