October, 1912 
mention the varieties — but ten cents in¬ 
vested in postage will bring you several 
good catalogues with dependable descrip¬ 
tions and suggestions for their use. The 
shrubs should be set out just after the first 
frosts, five or six feet apart according to 
variety and the effect desired. One of 
their great advantages is that single speci¬ 
mens at a v,iry insignificant expense give 
such conspicuous and beautiful results. 
Don’t remain ignorant on this subject; the 
hardest work connected with it you will 
find to be getting out of your old rut and 
arousing energy enough to send for a 
catalogue. 
The Time to Plant Bulbs 
HE fall planted bulbs are not quite so 
much neglected. They should, how¬ 
ever, be much more universally used than 
they are. The cost is very little, they last 
several years, many of them almost indefi¬ 
nitely, require very little care, and send up 
their profusion of beautiful flowers at a 
season when they are most appreciated. 
After planting, which is done any time 
from the middle of September to the mid¬ 
dle of November—but the earlier the bet¬ 
ter as a rule — they require absolutely no 
care except to be covered over, after the 
ground freezes hard, with three to six 
o ... 
inches of dry leaves or litter which is re¬ 
moved in March or April. They are not 
particular as to soil, as most of the nour¬ 
ishment for the first season of bloom is al¬ 
ready stored up in the bulb. Two things 
they do need; thorough drainage and, for 
best results, old rotten manure or bone 
dust mixed into the soil before planting, 
so that after flowering the bulbs may make 
a good growth for the following season. 
If the soil is at all wet or heavy, a handful 
of sand or sifted ashes should be placed 
under each bulb. These precautions hav¬ 
ing been taken, the bulbs are simply put in 
The English iris is one of the most beautiful 
of flowers and is unexcelled for cutting 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
the soil, “neck" up, and covered an inch 
to four inches deep, according to size — a 
safe rule to follow is one and a half times 
their own diameter. Do not make the mis¬ 
take of following the old time idea of mak¬ 
ing cartwheels, spiral and other hideous 
designs on the front lawn. One of the 
most effective and beautiful ways of using 
them is to “naturalize” them in the lawn 
or near shrubbery. Tulips are perhaps 
the most popular of the spring blooming 
bulbs. Within recent years a wonderful 
degree of beauty as individual flowers has 
been achieved in their development. One 
of the newest types is the Darwin, and it 
is, on the whole, the strongest and best 
kind for all-round purposes; the flowers 
under proper conditions, reach a height of 
three feet. Tulips of most sorts can be 
bought at from one to three or four dollars 
per 100. The narcissi (including daffodils 
and jonquils) are hardy in any position. 
They are particularly valuable for natural¬ 
izing, as they multiply rapidly and do well 
even where left absolutely to themselves. 
First quality bulbs can be had at from 
one to three dollars per 100. The hya¬ 
cinths, which can be had in various shades 
of red, blue, white, pink, lavender, etc., 
are especially valuable for mass effects of 
color, in beds or borders. Do not be 
tempted into making one of those crazy 
hyacinth pies on your front lawn; stick 
to one or two colors; it will be cheaper as 
well as better to use them in small groups, 
or in narrow lines for borders, where they 
will look more natural. The price ranges 
from three to eight dollars per 100 bulbs. 
Three Good Perennials 
HERE is a number of perennials also 
which should be planted now. Prob¬ 
ably you will glance through the list and 
decide you cannot have them all—and 
therefore cannot get any. I want to insist, 
however, that there are three you should 
try which probably have not now a place in 
your garden. The first is not a new thing, 
but one does not often see it — Lilium 
speciosum. Plant the bulbs as soon as re¬ 
ceived (order from a reputable seed house 
instead of depending upon the doubtful 
product of some local hardware store) and 
put in a good handful of sandy soil. Re¬ 
member that in any case they must have 
very good drainage. They are covered 
about four inches deep. The other two 
are irises—not the German and Japanese 
with which you are familiar and which 
probably already have a place in your gar¬ 
den — but the less known Spanish and Eng¬ 
lish types. They are among the most 
beautiful of flowers, require practically no 
care, are unexcelled for cutting and are so 
cheap that anvone can afford them by the 
dozen. The Spanish irises have well been 
named the “orchids of the hardy garden,” 
and are especially graceful and beautiful, 
the colors ranging through yellow, white, 
violet and blue in the most delicate shades. 
The English iris, which is larger than the 
Spanish, blooms just after it, and they 
go well when planted together. The roots, 
which are bulbous in form and quite differ¬ 
233 
Lilium speciosum, with its tall stems and 
handsome flowers, needs good drainage 
ent from those of the Japanese, can be 
had for from one to two dollars a 100. 
Among the other perennials which should 
be planted now are arabis, alyssum (saxa- 
tite) primula and larkspur (the perennial 
types), phlox, dianthus, gaillardia, peonies, 
bleeding heart (dielvtra) hardy pinks, 
and others which can be found in the fall 
catalogues. 
Saving Cuttings and Vegetables 
WO other lines of work must not be 
overlooked in all this constructive 
planning. The first is to take cuttings of 
all the plants you want to propagate for 
winter flowers or plants next spring, such 
as geraniums, heliotropes, verbenas, fuch¬ 
sias, etc. These are rooted in moist sand 
and potted off in small pots when the roots 
get to be about half an inch long. It is 
much easier to root cuttings and thus get 
strong, healthy, new plants than to try to 
carry through old ones. Where this is 
attempted, however, remember to cut the 
plants back severely and pot them up as 
soon as possible, so that they can become 
established out-of-doors where conditions 
are more favorable than they are likely to 
be in the house. 
The other thing is the saving of all 
vegetables in the garden which may be 
of use through the winter. There is usu¬ 
ally a great deal of waste in this matter; 
beets, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, etc., 
which might just as well be kept for part 
or all of the winter, are lost. A good 
frost-proof cellar in which the furnace or 
heater is partitioned off, makes the best 
place for keeping all root crops, cabbages, 
etc., but it is not a necessity. Any room 
which can be kept dark and cold will do, 
and barrels or boxes of damp sphagnum 
moss will do to take the place of sand, 
which is generally used for keeping beets, 
carrots, parsnips, ovster-plant, etc., in the 
(Continued on page 254) 
