November. 
105 
Many people, after planting a bed of Tulips in 
deep, light, sandy soil, mixed, as I said, with soot, 
put over the top a sort of light shelter of leaves. 
I do not quite recommend this because if the 
leaves get wet they keep wet* Cocoa-nut fibre 
refuse answers however admirably for purposes ^of 
this kind, as it dries very quickly, and it would 
not either look untidy, as leaves do, while it is 
itself a very good “ leaf-mould.” The single 
Tulips are generally much the prettiest. 
Beds, each of them all the same colour look 
particularly well ; when the colours are mixed 
they do not make such a blaze — but you can have 
one bed crimson, and another purple, and another 
scarlet, and another primrose ; and then there are 
besides pink and lilac, and crimson and white 
mixed. Indeed, without Tulips, I do not know 
what we should do. A small bed all filled with 
Van Thols would look very pretty edged with 
some small white flower, and green. White 
Alyssum makes thus a very pretty border, and you 
should not forget the edging when you plant the 
bulbs, as now is the time to plant such things as 
these. 
One year a friend of mine had a very pretty 
.ring of Snowdrops round a bed, edged with some 
