48 
EEAUTIFUL GARDEN FLOWERS. 
reel berries. The plants grow in any soil, and once in 
a garden may be allowed to look after themselves. 
BULBOUS PLANTS. — As it is impossible within the 
limits of this volume to describe in detail the many 
beautiful species of hardy bulbous plants, only a brief 
sketch of the most popular kinds is attempted. The 
subject will be dealt with fully in a companion volume. 
By “ bulbous ” is meant those plants in which the 
thickened modified leaves are arranged in concentric 
coats as in the Tulip, Hyacinth, and Daffodil, or in 
scales like those of the Liliums. To these may be 
added the Crocuses, Montbretias, and Gladioli, where 
the stems instead of the leaves are modified, and are 
technically known as “ conns.” 
Speaking generally, bulbous plants require a more 
gritty or sandy soil than others. Good drainage is 
essential to prevent decay, but in all other respects 
the soil should be as well dug and manured as for 
other plants. 
As the bulbs vary a good deal in size, from the 
small Snowdrop and Scilla to the large Liliums, it is 
obvious that they are not all to be planted at the same 
depth in the soil. A good general rule to follow when 
planting bulbs in the open air is to cover them with 
about once and a half to twice their own depth of soil. 
Thus, if a bulb is 2 inches deep, it should have about 
8 or 4 inches of soil covering it. The larger the bulb 
the deeper it is planted, often chiefly as a protection 
against frost. The same bulbs, when grown under 
glass, may have their ends just level or even jutting 
out of the soil. 
The following kinds of bulbs may be planted in 
