30 
The Garden Magazine, September, 1923 
out of the ground for some time before the Dutch grower sent 
them to me; anyhow, I know that the result is different when 
1 dig them myself and replant immediately. They seem to come 
up and even bloom a little the next spring. 
The later kinds are from about eighteen inches to two feet 
tall and are very graceful with drooping heads of several flowers 
and long, narcissus-like foliage. These usually bloom with the 
first bearded Irises. My two varieties are L. pulchellum and 
L. aestivum. Pulchellum is the best, with more and larger 
flowers and lasts a little longer in the garden and when gathered. 
They are very prolific. I have them planted with Ferns such as 
New York and Hayscented and near to Tulips and Irises and 
they are very charming. 1 tried these in the grass without 
much success—it was a waste of good bulbs. 
A delightful combination is made with Iris Lohengrin, 
Leucojum pulchellum, Scilla campanulata, Czar Peter, and 
Forget-me-nots. I put Forget-me-nots and Pansies between 
the clumps of the early sorts of Snowflakes where they grow 
below the Grapes in partial shade and, after the Snowflakes die 
down, the others continue all summer. At least the Pansies 
do and the Forget-me-nots seed themselves, the young green 
plants making a good ground cover. 
A Taller Quartet 
F OR some years I was quite successful with the Ixia lily 
(Ixiolirion). These plants have long, slender sprays of 
flowers of a purple-blue and are very good to use in the house 
for decorative purposes. However, two very severe winters in 
succession gave them their quietus. I had spring-blooming 
Colchicum, but it also did not care for our climate and until this 
spring there bloomed here huge plants of Eremurus robustus, 
tall spikes of spider-like pale pink flowerets and very decorative. 
But alas! the ground did not freeze last autumn until the snow 
came, so I covered none of my bulbs; when the snow left us 
I was ill and, not seeing the Eremurus from my bedroom win¬ 
dow, forgot them, so the salt hay that rescued nearer plants was 
not put over them and they are no more. In front of a red 
Japanese Maple they really were unusual and gave a lot of 
pleasure. I hope they bloom in the Elysian Fields now! 
Several varieties of Camass come along with the late Scillas 
and Tulips. The prettiest of them is Camassia Cusickii, quite 
pale gray-blue and a sturdy grower. I saw some once at the 
edge of a pool where they looked exceedingly well. The variety 
esculenta is not so showy but increases easily. The Indians used 
to eat it “like onions,” hence the name. I have three varieties 
of the esculenta, but there is not much difference between them. 
Perhaps praecox is the best. C. Leichtlinii is very decorative, 
the spikes are long and slender, the flowers nearly white and of 
good size, and the stem is strong. 1 n the esculenta sorts the stem 
is apt to be very weak; they flop around on the ground and 
do not show off as they should and it is really impossible to stake 
them. C. Cusickii is exquisite with Tulips Jaune d’Oeuf and 
Flava. These Camassias can be had from California as some of 
them are natives there. 
1 must not overlook my Allium stipitatum, quite tall, three 
feet at least, and with large heads of a soft pink lavender, lovely 
with Irises Lohengrin and pallida dalmatica. These Alliums 
did very well till we had these two severe winters. I find they 
like a cover of very well rotted manure. 
Crocuses that Come in Autumn 
T HE Autumn Crocus and Colchicums in general send up 
their leaves in the spring. These die down and in the fall 
the flowers appear without any leaves. Colchicum autumnale 
comes in several hues of lavender pink. The leaves are rather 
coarse and unsightly, but if planted near Columbines do not look 
bad, and incidentally the flowers look better with the Columbine 
foliage to set them off. Of the Autumn Crocuses the most beauti¬ 
ful that have survived and done well with me are C. speciosum 
album, C. speciosum Artabir, and C. longiflorum. Artabir is 
large and of a delicious blue—it is always such a surprise. C. 
longiflorum blooms very late, quite near Thanksgiving. C. 
sativum, the Saffron-crocus, does not bloom freely. It is red- 
lavender in color with a glorious saffron centre that makes 
each flower a treasure. C. zonatum is the earliest of the autumn 
Crocuses and is a very pretty pale lilac-pink with a large, long 
flower. C. pulchellum was true to name, but I fear likes a more 
genial climate than ours here. The white variety was certainly 
the most beautiful Crocus of all for three seasons, but has 
dwindled and now hardly blooms at all. It is fun to learn the 
differences between Colchicums and Crocus, particularly as they 
can be enjoyed both spring and autumn. 
Some of the Tulip species are good to use with Grape- 
hyacinths, the pale yellow Tulipa sylvestris, for instance, is 
pretty with the Heavenly Blue Muscari, or T. dasystemon, 
that adorable low-growing, white, yellow, and green, many- 
flowered Tulip, would be good with any of the earlier sorts, even 
with M. paradoxum. The late M. Argaei can be used with T. 
Marjoletti and a few delicate-leaved Ferns. 
I find semi-shady spots are quite easily managed with small 
Ferns rather sparsely planted and Scillas between, S. nutans 
being the best for this, though S. campanulata Blue Queen is 
quite good. In getting the Ferns, dig them (if you go to the 
woods for them) where they have the same conditions you want 
to plant them under at home and they will thrive. One has 
plenty of opportunities here to collect Ferns that are about to be 
destroyed because of the approach of so-called “civilization.” 
I believe with Mr. Robinson, that all plants look better grow¬ 
ing in a natural manner, as if wild. It is much better to mass 
plants, even these small bulbous ones, than to dot them about, 
so if you have only a few, make a group and near them group 
something else, but do not be tempted to plant them alternately 
in lines in your flowerbeds. The effect will never be anything 
but unsatisfactory; and do get them now while you have the 
opportunity, for I have little faith in the larger stock to be laid 
in (in theory) by our growers. I want no ban on bulbs except 
where they come from infected districts, and cannot see the 
necessity for it in the case of these miscellaneous bulbs. I 
ne' er saw a Scilla bulb that appeared diseased in any way, nor 
a Snowdrop, nor a Grape-hyacinth. To me, flowers from bulbs 
are doubly delightful. They come each year with renewed sur¬ 
prise; the very fact of their disappearance for a time makes them 
more than welcome. It is like the return of migrating birds and 
equally dear to my heart. 
N ational Garden Week for 1924 
April 20th—26th 
