October  31,  1895. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
407 
When  grown  in  beds  planted  out  in  the  houses  good  drainage 
should  be  provided  and  a  thin  layer  of  decayed  manure  placed  over 
the  drainage  ;  4  inches  depth  of  soil  will  then  be  ample — 2  inches 
ujider  the  bulbs  and  the  remaining  2  inches  to  cover  them.  When 
the  growths  show  flower  weak  liquid  manure  may  be  given,  or, 
better  still,  a  little  chemical  manure  applied  to  the  surface  and 
washed  in  when  watering  ;  two  small  applications  will  be  ample. 
One  advantage  in  growing  them  in  beds  in  preference  to  pots  is  the 
greater  number  of  plants  that  can  be  accommodated  in  the  house;  the 
labour  of  potting  is  saved  ;  the  cost  of  the  pots  and  the  watering 
comparatively  speaking  is  reduced  to  a  minimum.  They  are  not  only 
more  easily  managed,  but  on  the  whole  give  better  results.  The 
bulbs  when  planted  out  inside  should  be  placed  6  inches  apart. 
We  have  found  eximium  and  even  the  old  longiflorum  prove 
remunerative  when  potted  as  late  as  possible,  kept  in  a  cool 
temperature  until  they  could  be  plunged  outside  in  beds  of  ashes 
or  even  ordinary  garden  soil.  Under  these  conditions  the  pots 
have  been  plunged  in  cocoa-nut  fibre  refuse,  and  all  watering 
and  feeding  done  from  the  surface.  When  first  plunged  slight 
protection  is  needed  until  the  plants  are  thoroughly  hardened  and 
the  approach  of  genial  weather.  When  the  pots  are  plunged 
in  this  manner  watering  is  not  a  serious  matter,  and  the  plants 
root  very  freely  into  the  material,  and  thus  become  half  inde¬ 
pendent  of  roots  in  the  pots.  The  plants  root  freely  amongst 
cocoa-nut  fibre  refuse,  which  we  prefer  to  short  manure.  To  the 
former  plant  food  can  readily  be  applied  either  on  the  surface  or  by 
aid  of  the  water  pots. 
These  Liliums,  including  Harrisi,  can  be  successfully  grown 
outside  for  market  purposes  in  favourable  localities,  especially 
where  the  soil  is  moderately  light  and  well  drained.  The  earliest 
bulbs  of  Harrisi  are  too  early  for  planting  outside  in  many  localities, 
because  if  the  autumn  proves  very  favourable — moist  and  warm — 
they  appear  above  ground,  and  are  liable  to  injury.  As  long  as 
they  remain  beneath  the  ground  no  injury  appears  to  result.  To 
attain  to  the  most  certain  success  the  bulbs  should  be  retarded  on 
the  principle  described,  and  only  planted  when  their  condition 
renders  it  necessary.  Planting  should  not  be  delayed  after  they 
start  growing.  These  early  planted  bulbs  must  be  placed  at  least 
4  inches  below  the  surface  of  the  soil,  and  during  all  ordinary  winters 
will  be  perfectly  safe.  Liliums  are  much  hardier  than  many 
people  suppose  ;  but  to  be  doubly  sure,  we  have  covered  the  beds 
containing  them  with  litter  during  very  severe  weather,  and  failing 
this  have  scattered  fine  ashes  over  the  surface  of  the  soil  to  the  depth 
of  2  inches.  We  have  also  used  short  manure,  cocoa-nut  fibre  refuse 
that  has  been  removed  from  the  houses,  and  even  sawdust.  These 
covering  materials  can  be  raked  off  towards  the  spring,  say  in 
February,  when  all  fear  of  severe  weather  is  past,  or  when  we  may 
naturally  look  forward  to  more  genial  atmospheric  conditions. 
The  other  two  kinds  named  may  be  planted  out  with  a  greater 
degree  of  certainty  because  they  do  not  arrive  so  early,  and  therefore 
do  not  start  into  growth  so  soon.  We  have  planted  both  longi¬ 
florum  and  eximium  a  few  days  before  Christmas  and  good  results 
have  followed.  Again,  the  latter  variety  has  been  planted  in  February 
and  equally  good  growth  and  bold  flowers  have  followed.  The 
bulbs  had  been  stored  in  an  old  frame  and  covered  with  cocoa-nut 
fibre  refuse,  and  severe  weather  came  on  before  they  were  planted. 
The  frame  was  covered  during  severe  frost  with  litter,  and  February 
had  well  advanced  before  the  ground  was  suitable  for  planting. 
The  bulbs  had  rooted  freely  and  commenced  top  growth.  Extra 
care  was  needed  both  in  lifting  and  in  planting,  but  they  did  even 
better  than  some  bulbs  that  had  been  planted  previous  to  the 
commencement  of  growth  and  approach  of  severe  weather. 
When  grown  outside  in  smoky  districts,  especially  near  large 
towns,  the  blooms  are  liable  to  injury.  It  is  almost  impossible, 
without  protection,  to  keep  them  as  pure  as  market  florists  require 
them.  A  heavy  rain  will  stain  them,  and  heavy  dews  will  bring 
about  the  same  results.  Great  attention  is  also  needed  in  the 
removal  of  the  pollen  from  the  stamens,  or  a  heavy  dew  or  slight 
rain  spoils  the  work  of  the  seaaon  and  renders  the  blooms 
unsaleable. — 0.  M. 
HARDY  FLOWER  NOTES. 
Those  who  wish  to  have  their  gardens  to  present  something  of 
beauty  and  interest  at  all  seasons,  not  only  with  tall  plants  but 
also  with  those  of  lower  stature,  will  not  cavil  at  one’s  speaking  so 
often  of  the  Crocus,  especially  of  the  species  which  flower  when 
autumn  is  far  advanced,  and,  while  it  is  well  to  call  attention 
at  times  to  the  rarer  ones,  it  is  well  to  speak  also  of  those  which 
can  be  easily  procured  at  a  moderate  price.  Thus  I  desire  to  say 
something  about  C.  zonatus,  one  of  the  most  pleasing,  easily  grown, 
and  moderately  priced  species.  Very  pretty  is  it  as  it  opens  out  to 
the  sun  with  its  orange  coloured  bearded  throat,  and  its  rosy-lilac 
segments,  which  are  veined  in  the  inside  with  clear  purple  lines, 
and  having  at  the  base  two  semicircular  orange  spots  giving  the 
appearance  of  a  zone.  The  anthers  are  white,  and  the  filaments 
yellow.  The  leaves  appear  afterwards,  and  have  the  keel  only  a 
little  narrower  than  the  blade.  C.  zonatus,  which  comes  from 
Cilicia,  north  of  Tarsus,  was  discovered  by  Balansa  in  1855.  It 
has  flowered  relatively  later  than  usual,  as  it  should  flower  earlier 
than  C.  iridiflorus. 
From  the  Crocus  to  the  Snowdrop  is  an  easy  transition,  and  it 
may  be  interesting  to  note  that  the  first  Snowdrops  to  appear  here 
this  autumn  have  been  G.  corcyrensis,  or  one  bought  some  two  or 
three  years  ago  under  that  name  ;  and  one  received  from  a  firm  on 
the  Continent  in  1893  as  G.  montanus.  I  observed  a  few  dayr  ago 
a  note  in  a  contemporary  stating  that  at  Baden  Baden  G.  Olgae 
FIG.  61. — BOEN  1545  AT  NANTWICH,  IN  CHESHIRE,  AND  DIED  AT 
LONDON  IN  1611-2. 
Eeginre  appeared  to  be  about  three  weeks  earlier  than  G.  octro- 
brensis.  This  does  not  seem  to  be  the  case  here,  as  neither  of 
these  are  above  ground  here,  while  G.  “  corcyrensis  ”  and  G.  “  mou- 
tanus  ”  were  well  advanced  on  October  4th.  I  am  putting  these 
names  within  inverted  commas,  as  there  seems  so  little  difference, 
that  so  many  names  among  these  autumn  Snowdrops  are  super¬ 
fluous  and  confusing.  They  do  well  here  in  the  light  sandy  peat 
soil,  and  are  always  welcome  when  they  come. 
There  is  a  charming  little  biennial  Androsace  still  in  flower, 
which  is  not  as  yet  too  widely  grown,  although  it  is  neat  enough 
and  pretty  enough  to  please  the  most  fastidious  grower  of  Alpines. 
This  is  A.  coronopifolia,  which  is  said  to  be  synonymous  with 
A.  septentrionalis  ;  if  so,  the  latter  name,  which  is  distinctly  more 
difficult  to  pronounce,  must  have  the  preference,  as  it  is  the  one 
given  in  the  “Kew  Hand  List.”  The  pretty  lanceolate  leaves  are 
serrated,  and  the  small  pure  white  flowers,  with  a  touch  of  yellow 
at  the  eye.  are  produced  on  slender  stems  about  6  inches  high.  It 
may  be  treated  as  an  annual  or  biennial,  but  is  practically  as  good 
as  a  perennial,  as  it  sows  itself,  and  soon  increases  in  light  soil  in 
the  rook  garden. 
Looking  at  the  garden  in  detail  ere  drawing  these  notes  to  a 
close  we  find  many  other  plants  still  lingering  on  or  giving  a  second 
growth.  The  old  double  white  Eose,  which  a  tradition  in  this  part 
of  Scotland  says  was  worn  as  a  badge  by  Prince  Cha-rlie’s  troops  in 
his  march  south,  has  come  into  flower  for  the  second  time— a  most 
unusual  occurrence.  If  there  is  any  truth  in  the  tradition  this 
