JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  10,  1000. 
a24 
They  are  of  course  undeveloped  when  the  plant  is  introduced  to 
heat  in  spring,  and  only  the  most  favourably  placed  blossoms  appear 
in  the  proper  form.  If  the  whole  of  the  stem  shows  poor  flowers  then 
of  course  the  plant  is  either  of  a  bad  form  or  it  has  been  insufficiently 
ripened.  Large  stems  of  most  species  when  carrying  many  flowers 
will  usually  have  the  best  of  these  towards  the  top,  the  lower  ones 
being  smaller  and  less  perfectly  coloured,  evidently  owing  to  want  of 
light  or  something  that  hinders  their  full  development.  At  any 
rate  it  is  unfair  always  to  blame  the  nurseryman  who  supplies  the 
plants. — II.  R.  R. 
Gardening  on  Grass. 
Times  out  of  number  fluent  pens  have  written  of  the  kaleidoscopic 
changes  that  have  come  about  in  the  art  of  gardening  during  late 
years,  and  the  concensus  of  opinion  apparently  favours  the  assumption 
that  the  march  has  ever  been  towards  better  things.  The  geometrical 
precision  with  which  our  forbears  laid  out  their  gardens  has  given 
place  to  a  more  pleasing  informality.  But  in  this  very  informality 
there  lies  an  element  of  danger,  for  it  may  occasionally  lead  to  a 
state  of  wild  confusion  which  is  by  no  means  beautiful  or  natural. 
Even  the  most  ardent  advocates  of  informal  gardening  could  not 
lend  their  support  to  a  condition  of  affairs  that  is  nothing  more  than 
a  chaos. 
There  is,  however,  one  form  of  free  and  natural  gardening  that 
appeals  with  irresistible  foice  to  all,  and  that  the  planting  of  bulbs  in 
the  grass  of  mounds,  dells,  wildernesses,  and  in  pleasure  gardens 
generally.  It  is  a  phase  of  gardening  that  has  come  to  the  fore  with 
enormous  strides,  but  which  is  still  to  all  intents  and  purposes  in  its 
infancy.  A  few  years  back  it  was  the'  exception  rather  than  the  rule 
for  many  bulbs  to  be  found  flowerii  g  in  a  grassy  carpet,  but  now  the 
position  is  practically  reversed.  From  this  it  must  not  be  inferred 
that  the  practice  is  a  new  one,  for  such  is  not  the  case;  on  the  contrary 
a  few  of  the  more  advanced  cultivators  have  long  since  adopted  it  and 
sounded  its  praises  bn  every  available  opportunity.  Until  recent  years, 
however,  the  results  of  their  effoits  lor  the  popularisation  ol  one  of  the 
most  charming  phases  of  gardening  were  not  particularly  encouraging. 
Although  the  present  day  stage  is  such  an  advance,  there  still  remains 
abundance  of  room  for  development  and  extension,  and  it  is  more  than 
probable  that  this  and  other  forms  of  informal  gardening  will,  during 
the  next  two  decades,  attain  to  such  a  degree  of  excellence  as  will 
satisfy  everyone. 
In  perhaps  only  one  direction  can  grass  gardening  be  carried  to  an 
unwarrantable  length,  and  that  is  in  planting  on  lawns.  To  such  a 
practice  there  are  several  urgent  objections.  The  chief  beauty  of  a 
lawn  lies  in  its  unbroken  surface,  and  whether  this  be  level  or 
undulating,  it  is  spoiled  immediately  bulbs  are  planted  here  and  there 
in  it.  To  many  people  no  portion  of  the  garden  has  greater  attractions 
than  the  lawns,  with  their  perfect  sward  —  a  sward,  we  are  told, 
such  as  cannot  be  excelled  by  that  of  any  country  in  the  world,  and, 
indeed,  is  raiely  equalled.  It  is  an  act  of  distinct  vandalism  to  plant 
bulbs  in  this  gras.«,  although  it  certainly  has  been  done,  and  that  in 
places  of  no  small  pretensions.  This  is  the  more  regrettable  as  it 
will,  if  persisted  in,  bring  the  utilisation  of  bulbs  and  plants  in  the 
grass  into  disrepute.  Advocates  of  the  system  must  therefore,  in 
recommending  extensive  planting,  guard  against  advisi  .g  it  in  too 
general  terms,  but  instead,  specify  either  positions  that  are  suitable  or 
those  which  are  un.-uitable.  As  a  broad  principle,  it  might  be  laid 
down  that  no  bulb  or  plant  shall  be  grown  on  any  piece  of  grass, 
large  or  small,  that  is  supposed  to  be  l<ept  as  a  lawn.  The  writer  can 
picture  in  his  mind  one  lawn,  of  splendid  proportions,  that  is  completely 
spoiled  as  such  by  the  square  patch  outside  one  of  the  windows  of 
the  mansion,  and  which  the  owner  insisted  should  be  planted  with 
Daffodils. 
Once  the  dividing  line,  which  should  not,  as  is  sometimes  the  case, 
be  in  the  torm  of  an  iron  fence,  between  the  lawns  and  the  pleasure 
grounds  has  been  passed  grass  gardening  may  begin  in  earnest.  In 
practising  this  phase  of  horticulture  many  things  have  to  be  considered 
before  success  can  be  positively  assured.  'J  he  number  and  variety  of 
the  plants  and  bulbs  at  command  must  be  determined,  and  then 
positioriS  must  be  sought  that  are  suitable,  according  to  the  shade 
lovers  the  essential  protection,  and  to  tb  se  which  luxuriate  in  the 
full  light  the  benefit  of  all  the  sun.  Continue  the  walk  and  pass  by 
an  imperceptible  transition  from  the  jdeasure  gardens  to  the  wood¬ 
land  walks  beyond,  and  still  the  grass  gardening  must  be  continued 
with  the  difference  that  here  our  own  native  plants  are  real  adorn¬ 
ments,  and  the  addition  of  bulbs  and  exotic  plants  will  be  simply 
adding  another  delightful  feature  to  a  beautiful  part  of  the  demesne.  In 
brief,  every  portion  of  the  grounds,  save  the  lawns,  can  be  improved 
and  beautified  by  the  utilisation  of  plants  and  bulbs  which  for  the 
most  part  can  be  readily  procured. 
The  present  is  the  best  season  of  the  year  for  enjoying  the  charms 
of  the  bulbs  that  rise  from  their  grassy  carpet,  and  many  instances- 
could  be  cited  of  particularly  pleasing  results  that  have  been  attained 
to.  In  the  Royal  Gardens,  Kew,  in  several  of  the  London  and 
provincial  parks,  as  well  as  in  numerous  pr  vate  places,  hundreds  of 
thousands  of  bulbs  have  been  planted,  and  the  results  are  almost 
invariably  satisfactory.  True  some  places  are  more  at'ractive  than 
others,  this  being  accounted  for  by  the  surroundings,  and  also  by  the 
taste  of  the  planter,  for  even  as  there  must  be  taste  in  arranging  a 
dinner  table,  a  conservatory  or  a  flower  garden,  so  must  there  be  in 
planting  bulbs  in  the  grass  of  pleasure  gardens.  To  crowd  every 
square  foot  of  ground  with  different  bulbous  roots,  irrespective  of  kind 
or  position,  is  not  exercising  the  gentle  art  of  gardening,  but  simply 
filling  space,  and  is  not  at  all  'likely  to  prove  pleasing  to  those  of 
refined  tastes.  Discrimination  must  be  used  here  as  elsewhere  in  the 
garden,  or  it  is  best  left  alone,  and  reliance  placed  on  the  trees  and 
shrubs  and  the  grass. 
Opinions  differ  as  to  whether  the  planting  should  be  in  mixture  or 
otherwise.  For  example,  some  growers  adopt  the  system  of  planting 
Daffodils,  Crocuses,  Tulips,  Snowdrops,  and  others  en  masse,  and  the 
benefit  of  a  long  season  of  flowering  in  one  special  place  is  claimed. 
The  wisdom  of  this  is  doubtful,  as  generally  speaking  the  formation  of 
colonies,  so  to  speak,  is  followed  by  the  best  results.  Some  places  that 
are  suitable  for  one  kind  are  not  for  another,  and  therefore  the  planter 
is  on  safer  ground  when  he  avoids  heterogeneous  mixtures.  The 
distinction  can  under  some  circumstances  be  made  even  more  stringent 
in  planting  only  one  variety  of  a  kind  in  each  situation.  There  can  be 
little  doubt  that  this  is  the  best  method  of  all  to  follow,  but  it  is  not 
always  feasible,  as  the  outlay  in  stock  is  likely  to  be  much  greater. 
Two  or  three  bulbs  or  plants,  as  the  case  may  be,  are  sehfom  sufficient 
for  a  given  position  ;  indeed,  a  similar  number  of  dozens  will  not 
always  suffice,  and  it  becomes  necessary  to  make  special  purchases 
which  with  some  varieties  may  be  an  easy  matter,  but  with  others- 
is  difficult  on  account  of  the  expense. 
In  the  majority  of  instances  the  question  of  ways  and  means  is 
much  more  readily  answered,  for  little  or  no  stock  is  specially  procured. 
One  of  the  most  beautiful  examples  of  gardening  on  grass  has  been 
carried  out  without  the  outlay  of  a  single  penny,  except  for  labour,, 
on  the  part  of  the  owner  of  the  garden.  Many  thousands  of  bulbs  are 
there  planted,  but  not  one  was  procured  for  this  specific  purprse. 
Thousands  of  plants,  too,  have  been  employed,  but  these  have  been 
propagated  from  existing  stock,  or  have  come  from  brother  gardenera 
in  the  customary  course  of  exchange.  The  gaidener  made  it  his 
hobby,  and  not  only  found  intense  delight  in  it  himself,  but  gave 
equal  pleasure  to  his  employers  as  well  as  to  the  numerous 
visitors.  All  the  bulbs  planted  have  been  giown  in  pots  or  boxes  lor 
the  conservatory  and  for  cutting  purposes,  and  when  the  almost 
unique  beauty  of  the  grass  gardening  is  seen  it  seems  nothing  short  of 
sin  to  throw  aw'ay  one  single  bulb. 
Such  a  rigid  system  as  this,  however,  unques  ionably  has  its 
disadvantages,  except  in  establishments  where  several  thousands  of. 
bulbs  are  potted  annually.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  is  preferable  in  any 
case  to  order  specially  for  the  purpose,  particularly  of  Daffodils  and 
Crocuses,  of  which  excellent  bulbs  can  be  pur.  based  a*t  such  low  rates. 
All  bulbs  from  pots  that  are  not  required  for  shrubbery  or  other 
borders  can  still  go  to  the  grass  garden,  while  for  the  wilderness  and 
woodland  where  masses  are  most  effective  advantage  may  be  taken  of 
the  cheap  stock  that  is  purchased  in  bulk.  Wi.h  a  view  to  keep 
quite  abreast  of  the  times  many  of  our  leading  bulb  merchants  make 
special  offers  of  Daffodils  for  culture  on  grnss,  for  which  purpose  some 
varieties  are  rather  better  adapted  than  others.  'J’ulips  are  not  invariably 
satisfactory,  but  otherwise  practically  all  hardy  bulbs  succeed,  while  the 
pLnts  that  are  amenable  to  this  form  of  culture  are  so  well  knowm  as 
to  render  names  quite  superfluous. 
Although  it  is  not  always  done,  jlanting  should  always  be  carried 
out  by  first  removing  the  turf,  improving  the  soil  if  necessarj’-,  planting 
carefully  and  relaying  tbe  turf.  Sometimes  a  dibbler  is  used,  but  it 
is  not  by  any  means  good  practice,  as  the  planting  is  never  done 
properly,  hence  the  bulbs  are  not  nearly  so  likely  to  produce  satis¬ 
factory  flowars.  Let  the  planting  be  done  thoroughly,  and  it  will 
usually  be  found  that  insiead  of  deterioration  in  quality  in  subse¬ 
quent  years,  there  will  be  improvement  with  an  almost  certain 
increase  in  the  number  of  bulbs.  The  after  treatment  is  of  tlie 
scantiest,  for  it  simply  consists  of  the  avoidance  of  mowing  until  all 
leaves  have  died  away;  to  mow  the  grass  and  green  leaves  on  the 
score  of  tidiness  is  simply  to  court  failure,  as  it  is  the  perfect  develop¬ 
ment  and  maturation  of  the  foliage  that  govern  the  after  condition 
of  the  bulbs  and  the  quality  of  the  ^flowers  they  will  produce  in  the 
future. — F.  Rowe.  ^ 
