422 
LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 
water, if the night be not too frosty. When in flower, the bed is 
shaded in the middle of the day, to preserve the beauty of the bloom 
as long as possible; and when the flowering is over, and the foliage 
has died down, the roots are taken up, cleaned, dried, and put away in 
drawers till next planting season. It has happened that the roots have 
not been planted till January, and then there was a very good bloom, 
but not quite so strong as if planted at the end of October, or the 
beginning of November; neither were the roots so strong when taken 
up. The advantage of autumn planting is manifest, provided the plants 
are protected through the winter unhurt. 
The hyacinth bed is the next in order, and is particularly well fitted 
up for the cultivation of a valuable, numerous, and named collection of 
the best Dutch bulbs. The bed is boarded all round nearly three feet 
high, is surrounded by a gravel walk, which falls into the leading walk, 
which ranges along one side at each end. As before mentioned, an 
awning is erected during the flowering season, which includes the 
walks as well as the bed, with drop-curtains at the ends and west 
*side, to be lowered and raised at pleasure. The bed is prepared 
somewhat in the same way as that for ranuculuses, only the surface 
soil for the roots is composed with a considerable proportion of sharp 
sand. 
The bed is four feet wide, and holds four rows of bulbs lengthways, at 
eight inches apart every way. In the last week of October, holes for 
the bulbs are first made with a blunt dibber; these holes are half-filled 
with white sand, on which the bulbs are seated, and covered over with 
the same. This is for the purpose of keeping the bulbs sound, and 
free from too much moisture before they are in action. The bed is 
now made up with a surface coat of the compost, about two inches 
thick, over the bulbs. 
If the frost be very severe about the time the points of the leaves are. 
peeping out of the ground, about an inch of old decayed tanners’ bark, 
or rotten hotbed dung, is laid equally over the bed. This prevents 
frost penetrating to the roots, and also tends to keep the bed cool, if a 
dry spring follows. In the depth of winter, hoops are put over the 
bed to support mats or canvass, to keep off snow or hail-storms happen¬ 
ing at that season ; but such coverings are only kept on for a short 
time, and are but seldom used. 
As soon as the flowers begin to show colour, the frame for the awning 
is put up; and this is put over as soon as the flowers are sufficiently 
advanced to be in danger of being hurt by the sun. Next, propping- 
sticks and ties of green worsted are prepared for supporting the flowers 
in due position. Hyacinths continue in beauty for about three weeks. 
