THE AMATEUR’S FLOWER GARDEN. 
115 
a rich round tuft on the border, or spread over an old wall or 
ruin with rapidity to adorn the grey stone with brilliant sheets 
of yellow flowers all the summer long. O. nobilis is a fine 
plant adapted for rock work, and requiring a deep gritty soil. 
0. tuberosa with dark purple flowers, and G. t . albiflora with 
pure white flowers, are two good border plants. The G. cava 
of the catalogues is properly G. tuberosa. 
Crocus. —This early-flowering cheerful old friend is quite 
appreciated, and we must not indulge in any moan on that 
score. Any soil will suit the crocus, but best of all a light 
rich sandy loam. The bulbs should be planted three inches 
deep in October. If kept out of the ground for any length 
of time they deteriorate seriously. A lot that we planted on 
the 1st of March with other bulbs in great part perished, and 
the few that lived did not flower. Yet in the first instance 
they were as fine bulbs as ever were seen. 
Delphinium (Perennial Larkspur).—This genus contributes 
to the border a splendid series of blue, purple, puce, and white 
flowers. They are mostly of medium growth, bearing par 
tial, but not heavy shade, though thriving more surely in the 
fullest sunshine; and all require a good deep rich mellow soil. 
Their fine qualities should command for them good cultivation. 
The first requisite is that they be carefully lifted every year in 
the month of November, and planted again after the places 
they occupy have been deeply stirred and liberally manured. 
They may be divided at the same time if desirable, but large 
clumps should first be secured. Another most important duty 
of the cultivator is to stake and tie the plants in good time, 
as the flower-stems rise in spring; and the third requisite is 
an abundant supply of water during seasons of drought in 
summer. The cultivator who cannot give them the attention 
required for the full development of their fine qualities may, 
nevertheless, do pretty well, for they are not fastidious plants, 
but they ought to be aided with stakes to make them safe 
against storms. They are not only good border plants, but 
grand bedders when carefully pegged down, so that the flower- 
stems rise about a foot or eighteen inches from the ground. 
The pegging down, however, is a nice business, and no one 
should employ delphiniums as bed ding-plants until confident 
of the capacity to perform this operation without breaking 
the stems, or producing irregularity in the heights of the 
flowers. A peculiarly distinct display may be secured during 
