8 THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
=a 
1S 
January 1, 1908 
GAWLER PLACE. 
Renowaed for his Watches, Jewellery, and Repairs. 
Annnal and biennial plants approach- 
ing the blooming stage should receive 
sufficient water to thoroughly moisten 
‘the soil during dry weather. Buibs of 
gladioli may be planted for late summer 
flowering. They require deeply worked 
‘and well enriched soil to produce good 
‘flowers. 
Hardy Bulbs and Tuberous- 
rooted Perennials. 
[By E. V. Hatuook, in “ The Florists’ 
Exchange.’’] 
The most interesting, the least known 
and the most misunderstood of flowering 
plants are bulbs. In the form of a bulb 
the latent flower is cared for more easily 
and longer than in any other form. Bulbs 
have been used as sustenance for armies, 
and the caladiums are now used to some 
extent by Spanish-speaking people, and 
through the South, as an article of diet. 
. This paper will not touch on what are 
known as Holland bulbs, but will em- 
brace Summer-flowering and Winter- 
flowering bulbs that are used by the 
amateur and the professional. The profes- 
sion of raising bulbs for market and for 
the amateur is vastly different from the 
profession of raising flowers for market. 
The person who raises the bulbs seldom 
sees the flower iu so great perfection as 
the man who flowers the bulb. 
Norep Amateur BuLBp Growers. - 
There are many skillful raisers of bulbs 
among the amateur cultivators, and in fact 
I think many amateurs have come toa 
better understanding of the wants of many 
kinds of bulbs, and raise them in greater 
perfection, than any professional. These 
amateurs. however, do not cover a very 
wide range of bulbs. 
Unless a person has seen the late Peter 
Hanson holding a bulb in his hand, rapt 
in blissful contemplation, slowly telling 
the wants of the bulb in cultivation, des- 
cribing its habit and its flower minutely, 
he has no idea of what ahold on the 
affections a bulb could exert, Mr. Hanson’s 
time.and devotion were expended on the 
lily. He over-estermated its necessities. 
As I have always found, if you can get a 
bulb growing you can dispense with many 
of the directions for growing. but Mr 
Hanson, no doubt, took as much pleasure 
Wr 
in catering to the growth as he did in see- 
ing their flowers. 
[think it is about time I got down to 
the subject of bulbs and bulbous plants. 
I well know that a paper of this kind to 
a man who does not raise bulbous plants 
in a coinmercial way, or as an amateur, 
is postively without interest. Of course 
any one knows that a person could talk 
all day on one class of bulbs, but I pro- 
pose to skim the subject very lightly. 
Some Usrrun Buxss. 
The most useful, valuable, and generally 
raised classes of bulbs to my mind, are as 
under ; ‘their relative proportion of value 
is indicated by the order in which they 
are named. : 
Gladiolns, lilies, freesias, peonies, tube- 
roses. iris, the Japanese and German, the 
forcing irises, and many beautiful species. 
Professionlly speaking, the introduction 
of so important a plant as the freesia use- 
ful and beautiful as it is, so easily keptand 
readily flowered by both the amateur and 
the prfessional. was a fiasco in the sense 
that no particular person or firm was re- 
sponsible for its introduction, and no con- 
siderable amount was made by any one 
with this plant that is so generally used. 
The amaryllis, to me, has always been 
an important family. The habits of most 
varieties can be so changed that they will 
flower outside in Summer or inside in 
Winter, I much regret that this plant is 
not more largely grown in this country. 
The tuberous-rooted begonias have taken 
their place as Summer-flowering, as well 
as Winter-flowering bulbs. 
Caladium esculentum is rather largely 
used as a Summer foliage plant 
Cannas. are most important of the 
rhizomatous class of plants. Every one 
knows a good deal about this class of plant, 
A canna society has even been suggested, 
The cinnamon vine (Dioscori battatus) 
hes some value, particularly to the person 
who sells the bulbs. It isa clean hardy 
vine a~d one peculiarity of it is, that the 
root grows deeper and deeper in the 
ground the older it gets. 
Gloxinias are being raised largely and 
sold very cheap, 
Hyacinthus candicans first attracted 
attention in this country at the Philadel- 
whia Centennial. 
Incarvillea is a coming plant, particu- 
larly as a garden flower, and undoubtedly 
can be forced. It has a large fleshy good 
keeping root; foliage rampant, growth 
somewhat resembling a fern with im- 
inense spikes of gloxinia-like flowers. Lf 
you plant 500 strong roots, the flowers 
will absolutely come in bloom the same 
day. [tis claimed that the roots are hardy 
Madeia vine bulbs keep almost indefi- 
nitely and are therefore good bulbs for 
storing. 
Montbretias. Why this plant is so 
neglected I cannot tell. Ithas many good 
qualities, is easier to raise, easier to keep, 
and will continue in flower much longer 
than the gladiolus. The sprays are exceed. 
ingly graceful and beautiful. The newer 
varieties are very striking. The bulbs arg 
nearly hardy. 
Oxalis. The summer-flowering varieties 
of this bulb are largely planted and have 
some merit, while the winter blooming 
sorts as lutea, Bowei and the so-called 
Bermuda buttercup, are among the best 
of the winter flowering plants. 
Peonies. Can 1 tell the members of the 
Peony Society anything about this plant ? 
I think not; but by the way, it just occurs 
to me to say that I have bought the last 
three or four years from the most reliable 
firms who raise peonies some twelve or 
fifteen of the best varieties, several plants 
of each kind, for my private garden. 
When they bloomed this year, should you 
take out four of the best colors there would 
be nothing worth speaking of left. Marie 
Lemoine is what I call a good peony. 
Dahlias, as we very well know, are an 
important class of plants. These alone 
could be made the subject of a long talk. 
At one time there was a Dahlia Society, 
perhaps there is one now. I will only 
touch on a few points. Many seedlings 
will bloom the first year. Many beautiful 
varieties produce few flowers.. With all 
the many varieties, a sort that will com: 
mence to flower early and continue all 
the season witha profusion of bloom, and 
do it every year, will always have some 
value. It ig a well known fact that the 
single sorts are the most reliable bloomers 
and produce the most flowers. 
Nowithstrnding the fact that bulbs 
and bulbous and fleshy rooted plants form 
the most important division of flowers 
they have never had such close attention 
from our professional class as cut flowers 
simply because there is not the money in 
them, They are slower to produce, and 
the outlet is through smaller channels 
