June 7, 1888 J 
JOURXAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
459 
T ulips have not been favoured vrith the most suitable -weather 
this season, but the early bedding varieties proved much better 
■ than could have been expected, and produced some brilliant but 
brief displays in the metropolitan parks and public gardens, where 
they are now extensively planted every season. Hyacinths are 
employed for a few beds, but they are not nearly so popular for 
this purpose as the Tulips, which combine with rich, bright, or soft 
■clear colours a more graceful form, and present a more pleasing 
general elfect, either massed in beds of one variety each, or mixed. 
Both systems have their advocates, and good results can be ob¬ 
tained in either case by judicious planting if due attention be paid 
to the average height of the varieties, and contrasting or har¬ 
monising the colours. For situations where the beds can be seen 
from a distance the massing mode of planting is the more telling, 
• but for closer inspection mixed beds afford an agreeable variety. 
The most extensive display of early Tulips in London has been 
provided in Hyde Park, where the numerous large beds near Park 
Lane were almost exclusively devoted to these plants this season, 
■jind many thousands of bulbs of the best varieties have been there 
yielding some glowing colour effects. Though on a less elaborate 
scale, the beds at Kew in the long walk leading from the Wood 
Museum towards the Palm house have been excellent, and were 
■amongst the most pleasing we have seen this year. Particularly 
fine Avas one bed planted with Proserpine margined by two roAvs of 
■Queen Victoria, a useful pure white variety, about 2 inches shorter 
than Proserpine, thus giving a less formal outline than when the 
A’arieties are of similar height. An example of the flatness result¬ 
ing from the latter mode of planting was noticed in a neighbouring 
bed to the preceding one, the variety Potter (rosy crimson) having 
a margin of the clear j^ellow Chi-ysolora, but though the colour 
offect was good, the varieties were so nearly the same height fhat 
they were not seen to such advantage. In another bed, LTmmacule 
'.(white) was edged Avith La Precieuse, flamed with rose, very 
pretty ; extremely handsome also was Duchesse de Parma with 
rich orange scarlet Avell-formed flowers, margined Avith two rows of 
Queen Victoria, forming one of the grandest beds in the garden. 
All those named were oblong beds, but there was a bold 
crescent-shaped bed having the orange-tinted Thomas Moore for a 
centre, then rows of Potter and Chrysolora in that order for a 
margin, a capitally effective combination. Very simple but ex¬ 
tremely telling also was a large circle of Tiilipa elegans, which is 
about 15 inches high, Avith long tapering brilliant scarlet petiils and 
a yellow centre, the bed having a neat margin of Euonymus 
.radicans variegata. Several of the distinct Tulips regarded as 
species might be advantageously employed in a similar way, such as 
the taU yellow T. retroflexa, the dwarf white T. stellata, or the 
graceful equally dwarf yellow T. australis, the crimson and white 
T. suaveolens, the spreading T. sylvestris, or the very distinct 
• T. Greigi. At the top of the walk mentioned is a narrow circular 
border surrounding a vase, and the “ mixed method ” there adopted 
.'was so charming that it merits a word or tAVO of description. The 
edge was formed of red and white double Daisies alternately, then 
a band of purple Aubrietias, followed by Tulips Queen Victoria, 
■Duchesse de Parma, and Proserpine not too closely placed, the 
centre being yellow Wallflowers, and the ground beneath was 
-covered with Forget-me-nots and the white Arabis. Such a, 
No. 415.—VoL. XVI., Third Series. 
diversity of tints without any discordant results, and such a free¬ 
dom of design, secured many admirers, for vv'hat one critical 
gardening friend unlic.-^itatingly pronounced to be the best border 
of spring floAvers he had seen. 
The season has also been unfavourable to the later or florists’ 
Tulips, and those who are looking forward to the annual gathering 
of the National Tulip Society in the Manchester Botanic Gardens 
next Saturd.ay do not anticipate one of the best representative dis¬ 
plays. Dwellers in the south whose gardening careers do not date 
back to the time when these Tulips were such general favourites 
have but little idea of their diversity and beauty. It is doubtful 
if one collection could be found round the metropolis now, and in 
the whole of the southern counties there are but few who still find 
space in their gardens for their old favourites. Even in the north 
cultivators are not by any means numerous, and the collections of 
Mr. S. Barlow and the Eev. F. D. Horner are probably unrivalled. 
Why Tulips have declined in popularity is not very clear, for their 
marvellous varied and richly coloured flowers, if only studied in 
the most cursory manner, cannot fail to awaken admiration and 
interest in the minds of any plant lover. Perhaps the short 
duration and somewhat tantalising uncertainty of the flowers in our 
equally uncertain climate may have had something to do with the 
neglect ; but whatever be the cause many still hope to see a revival 
of public interest in such a fine group of plants. 
Several years ago I had an opportunity of visiting the Man¬ 
chester Tulip Show for the first time, and plunged immediately 
into all the mysteries of Bizarres, Bybloemens, Roses, and Breeders 
—which until then had been to me Avords that conveyed a very 
imperfect idea of the characters they represent. Fortunately the 
improvement of my neglected education was undertaken by an 
excellent tutor, the Rev. F. D. Horner, who, in a few brief lessons 
and demonstrations, quickly cleared away the difficulties. Perhaps 
if I repeat the substance of his instruction respecting the different 
types of Tulips it may help others who have not mastered the distinc¬ 
tions, though their titles are so familiar. First on the list is the class 
termed Bizarres, which comprise a series of A’arieties with flowers 
having a ground colour of yellow, marked Avith red, brown, or eA’en 
black, and present a strange combination of tints comparable perhaps 
to some extent to the peculiar Spanish Irises in another family of 
plants. Next follow the Bybloemens Avhich have a pure white 
ground colour marked Avith purple, lilac, mauve, and similar tints, 
ranging in the darkest almost to black. The third class comprises 
the Rose Tulips, also with a white ground colour upon which the 
rose, red, or scarlet markings in many shades show in fine relief. 
The first includes many grand varieties, but the last two contain 
those that would be considered most beautiful by the majority. 
Each of these is divided into two sections according to the form 
the markings take upon the petals of the floAver. When its colour 
is confined to a narrow marginal band it is said to be “ feathered ; ’ 
Avhen, however, it runs up the centre bumting out on each side and 
expanding towards the apex it is “ flamed,” and such floAvers are 
usually feathered also. At exhibitions, therefore, classes are pro¬ 
vided for feathered Bizarres, flamed Bizarres, feathered Bybloc- 
mens, and so on, making six divisions in all. 
But another important and highly interesting class calls for 
consideration—namely, the “ breeder ” or “ mother” Tulips, which 
have a remarkable history. When florists’ Tulips are raised from 
seed four to six years elapse before flowers are produced, and then 
in a large majority of cases the flowers are all self-coloured, sIioav- 
ing none of the peculiar and beautiful markings of the parents, 
though individuals can be found in every recognised Tulip tint, and 
the class to which they will be ultimately assigned, except in a fcAV 
mixed cases, can commonly be determined by thq ground and body 
colours respectively in accordance with the rules already mentioned. 
The “ breeders ” have to be grown until they “ break," or “ rectify” 
as it is termed, that assume the feathered or flamed characters as 
Bizarres, Bybloemens, or Roses, and this is a very interesting period 
No. 2071.—yOL, LXXVIII., Old Series. 
