April 13, i9°7- 
THE GARDE HI HQ WORLD 
251 
Narcissus poeticus ornatus, Maclaren and Sons. 
— an early — 
3 oet’s Narcis sus 
(Narcissus poeticus ornatus). 
Next to the May flowering variety of 
le Poet's Narcissus the above is the most 
ttensively cultivated. It is very exten- 
vely used for early flowering in pots and 
irge quantities are also planted out in the 
,rm of wild gardening. ' It is some 
venty-five or tmrty years ago since it 
as prominently brought into notice, and 
ow there are extensive plantations of 
ulbs which are therefore readily obtain- 
ble at a very reasonable price. It flowers 
irly, usually about the beginning of April, 
eing one of the few decidedly early 
arieties Of the Poet’s Narcissus. 
The accompanying illustration show’s a 
irge patch of it on the grass at Kew, 
here it was planted some years ago, after 
method which the authorities there have 
een pursuing for some years past. Many 
arieties of Daffodils are used for wild 
ardening, and this one has been used 
aider the shade of deciduous trees as well 
,s in situations more or less exposed as 
epresented by the accompanying illustra- 
ion. There is a small mound on which 
nme Araucarias were planted many years 
tgo. The soil is bare just where the 
rees are planted, but all the rest of the 
nound is in grass and the effect charm- 
ng. The pure white, sweet scented blos- 
oms contrast with the green grass, and 
.re visible from a great distance. The 
ising ground makes them more conspicu- 
>us than if planted on the level, but, 
levertheless, a large patch of the Poet s 
Narcissus is fully as conspicuous as the 
,'ellow Daffodils of Wordsworth because 
vhite may be seen from a greater distance 
:h.an yellow, conspicuous as that is. 
The present, of course, is not the time 
ior planting any of the Daffodil kind, as 
they will soon be coming into bloom, 
although late this year. The bulbs are 
put in position in autumn, and, if the 
grass were sufficiently moist to permit it. 
it might be done at the beginning of 
September, but for various reasons Daffo¬ 
dils are more often planted in November. 
A planter may be used for inserting the 
bulbs in the grass, but where a large 
number have to be put in the easiest 
method would be to lift the turf, plant 
the bulbs and then relay the turf. By 
the following springtime, if the turf has 
been properly laid, it will hardly be evi¬ 
dent that the grass was so recently dis¬ 
turbed. 
- 4 -M-- 
Display of Crocuses. 
Tn the gardens of a private residence at 
St. Leonards-on-Sea 35,000 Crocuses “were 
recently to be seen in bloom, and the 
public were permitted to walk through the 
grounds and enjoy the novel display. 
. :a bed of .. 
Succul ents 
1 • In a • 
Sjdenham^Recreation Grounds. 
Since carpet bedding lost a little in 
favour mixed beds have been employed 
for the purpose of furnishing variety. 
Not the least pleasing beds are those pro¬ 
duced by such unpromising looking sub¬ 
jects as succulents, many o'i which are of 
an extremely spiny and uninviting charac¬ 
ter. When looked at individually many 
of them likewise are of a gaunt or gro¬ 
tesque nature. The art of the gardener, 
however, has succeeded in toning down 
these uninviting subjects and making a 
bed of great interest, if not actually of 
beauty. Judged from the point of view 
that they are succulents the effect pro¬ 
duced is striking, bold and interesting- 
bold in proportion to the size of the indi¬ 
vidual plants employed. 
The larger plants are set out at cer¬ 
tain distances apart, and their rugged 
grandeur is toned down by a groundwork 
of other plants, such as, Alternantheras, 
Sedums, Herniarias and Sempervivums. 
The high edging is faced with Semper- 
vivum tabulaeforme. Behind is a line of 
the smaller Cobweb Houseleek (S. arach- 
noideum). Then comes the groundwork 
proper of the plants above named, and set 
out upon it are specimens of Agave 
americana variegata, Rhodostachys pit- 
caimiaefolia, Cotyledon gibbiflora metal- 
lica, Opuntias, Cereus, Portulacaria afra, 
Kleinias, Apicras, Sempervivums, of the 
Canary Island type, and Cotyledon brac- 
teosum, usually named Pachyphytum in 
gardens. Behind the bed is a hedge and 
some other plants. The flowering speci¬ 
mens seen on the left-hand corner are 
Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums. The group as 
seen in the mass was very effective, 
