HOUSE AND GARDEN 
226 
October, 1913 
Naturally, ground space grows where this sort of thing is 
going on, so it is well to lift and divide most bulb clumps every 
third or fourth year, lest they choke of their 
own abundance. In doing this, always re¬ 
plant in clumps of two or three sizes, taking 
care that each clump includes one bulb of 
the largest size, to insure against interrup¬ 
tion of bloom. 
In the light of this detailed account of 
bulb activity, it will be apparent that for 
the greatest display the first season after 
planting, the finest and largest size bulbs 
should be chosen; but that for permanence 
and the second season’s effect as well as the 
first’s, bulbs of the second or even third size 
should be used. These, not being already at 
the very limit of maturity at the time of 
being planted, will blossom two or three 
seasons anyway; and by the time they have 
reached their limit, will have offsets large 
enough to begin blooming and thus to take 
their places. The first year’s flowers will 
naturally not be as large from “seconds," 
but they will be quite as effective \n the 
garden. The largest bulbs are really an un¬ 
necessary—and unwise — selection for anything but forcing in 
pots or for display bedding where prompt results are essential. 
The artistic merit 
of this latter sort of 
planting is a question 
which need not be en¬ 
tered into here, per¬ 
haps. The work pro¬ 
hibits anything like 
general use of bulbs 
in this fashion; and 
there is growing ap¬ 
preciation of the fact 
that beauty of a very 
much greater degree 
may be achieved 
through other ar¬ 
rangement. So it 
finds fewer advocates 
year by year, and is 
gradually being rele- 
gated to public 
grounds and park 
plantings. Where 
there is space in the 
gardens of an estate 
to give to a secluded 
spring garden made 
up of bulbous plants 
alone, there is perhaps less objection 
to a bedding display than elsewhere; 
but even here it is better practice to 
plant according - to the ideal of con¬ 
stantly developing and permanent 
beauty. The bulb effects need not be 
less for following this ideal, but they 
will have less the aspect of a show and 
more and more a harmonious beauty. 
Unless a definite garden of this sort 
is possible, do not indulge in display 
bedding. Plant bulbs — as many of 
them as space and pocketbook will 
allow—but put them in the mixed borders, or in amongst the 
hardy flowers in the garden beds, if there is a garden laid out in 
such shape. The flowers will grow and hide 
their fading as summer advances. Or scat¬ 
ter them helter-skelter—those that are suited 
to scattering — under trees and alongside 
walks, where tall grass may be allowed to 
grow. Dozens of places are waiting for 
them, indeed, even in the well-filled garden. 
Tuck them in here and there and everywhere 
if you cannot seem to plan definitely for 
them ; and let the whole place shine with their 
coming forth when spring wakens them. 
For naturalizing, use snowdrops — Galan - 
thus nivalis and Galanthus Elwesii — the lat¬ 
ter is a larger form—wherever an open space, 
shaded from midday sun in summer, invites 
their planting. Anywhere on the lawn these 
may be scattered, provided always that there 
is this shade above them when hot weather 
arrives; they ripen off early enough to get 
out of the way of the lawn mower; therefore 
they will live and prosper as the crocus can¬ 
not. Scilla — squills—also are delightful for 
lawn sowing; they do not need shade as the 
snowdrops do. Use either or both of these in quantities; the 
more the better. Crocuses are lovely in the grass, but unless it 
is grass that will not 
be cut until later than 
the lawn, they are 
bound to die out and 
require renewing oft¬ 
en. No bulb will live 
when continually de¬ 
prived of its leaves 
before these have 
died down. The 
leaves are essential to 
the maturing of the 
bulb, and to the for¬ 
mation of next sea¬ 
son’s flowers each 
summer; and not un¬ 
til the leaves signify 
that their work is ac¬ 
complished, by with¬ 
ering up and drying 
away, can the bulb do 
without them. 
The poet’s Narcis¬ 
sus is delightful when 
planted naturally, but 
this, too, must be used 
only in meadow grass. 
Any spot may be filled with it, if no 
cutting is done before the end of 
June, of course; and it is perfectly at 
home in partial shade. 
If I could have but one kind of a 
bulb to plant, one to last a lifetime 
and to live with year in and year out, 
I should choose the daffy-down-dillv 
— partly, perhaps, because she is my 
earliest floral recollection under the 
guise of a certain very delightful, 
mysterious old lady, and partly be- 
(Continued on page 242) 
Informal arrangement of bulbs is becom¬ 
ing deservedly popular 
In the iris border a pleasing variety may be secured by alternating the flat blooms of 
Kaempferi with the many hued plumed flowers of Germanicus 
Have you tried Colchicum, that beautiful little autumn 
crocus ? 
