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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER  September  19,  1901. 
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Attractive  Bulbs  for  Beds. 
Gadding  and  Gathering. 
“Hebe  awa’,  Thebe  awa’.” 
Displays  of  flowering  bulbs  in  flower  beds  in  spring  are  features 
worthy  of  extended  attention,  as  suitable  bulbs  of  various  species  may 
now  be  obtained  cheaply,  and  of  good,  reliable  quality.  The  beds 
must  necessarily  be  prepared  and  planted  in  autumn,  as  an  early  start 
in  rooting  while  the  tops  remain  dormant  for  a  time  goes  a  long  way 
towards  success.  Bulbs  in  general  only  have  a  limited  time  during 
which  they  bloom,  and  in  that  brief  period  most  of  them  are  exceed¬ 
ingly  attractive.  Hyacinths  may  be  mentioned  first,  because  for  a 
gorgeous  display  of  stately  spikes  nothing  can  surpass  them,  but  they 
are  naturally  stiff  and  heavy  in  appearance,  and  unfit  for  use  as  cut 
blooms.  The  beds  may  be  .  filled  with  rei,  white,  and  blue  varieties 
separately  or  in  mixture.  Reds  vary  in  shade,  also  the  blues,  while 
some  whites  are  purer  than  others. 
Among  blues,  select  Charles  Dickens,  Czar  Peter,  Baron  Van  Tuyll, 
and  Marie;  in  reds,  Amy,  Belle  Quirine,  Gertrude, and  Norma  ;  whites 
may  be  represented  by  Alba  maxima,  Grand  Vainqueur,  Grand 
Vedette,  Queen  Victoria,  Mont  Blanc,  and  Grandeur  a  Merveille.  The 
singles  are  in  all  cases  the  best  to  cultivate  in  beds,  the  doubles  as  a 
rule  not  being  nearly  so  attractive.  I  advocate  planting  beds,  whether 
Tulips  at  Long  Ditton. 
It  necessitates  some  power  of  imagination  to  revivify  in  the  mind 
at  this  season  the  impressions  of  magnificent  splendour  and  the 
reverberating  glow  of  that  indescribable  brilliance  which  fields  of  Tulip 
flowers  unfold  in  the  sunshine  of  May.  Yet,  looking  back,  the  period 
of  intervening  time  since  these  beautiful  flowers  vanished  last  from 
sight  is  but  like  a  night  and  a  day  somewhat  extended. 
And  here  we  are  at  the  opening  of  another  season,  one  that  might 
in  a  sense  be  called  the  gardener’s  premier  spring;  his  second  spring 
follows  winter !  While  Tulips  are  being  chosen  and  shortly  to  be 
planted,  I  have  taken  the  liberty  to  present  a  few  discursive  notes  taken 
on  a  visit  to  Messrs.  Barr  &  Sons’  sunny  grounds  at  Long  Ditton,  Surrey, 
in  May  last. 
Darwin  Tulips. 
included  all  the  Tulips  that  suooeed  the  early 
In  this  section  are 
ones  most  commonly  grown  for  bedding  purposes, 
gained  extraordinary  in  popularity  since  the  public 
taken  to  culti¬ 
vate  Tulips;  and 
perhaps  the 
true  breeders  of 
the  Florist  have 
1  o  b  t  thereby. 
The  Darwins 
are  mostly  self- 
coloured  Tulips, 
upheld  on  very 
lengthy  stalks, 
and  possess 
great  vigour. 
Some  of  the 
varieties 
follows  : 
a  most 
Tulip, 
cerise, 
with 
Darwins  have 
at  large  have 
best 
are  as 
Glow, 
lovely 
coloured 
toned 
plum  ;  Dorothy, 
which  resem¬ 
bles  Phyllis, 
the  latter  being 
a  r  o  s  y-1  i  1  a  c 
shaded  with 
mauve;  Maid- 
e  n’s  Blush 
(Krelage)  is  a 
beautiful  rosy 
blush  variety, 
becoming  well 
known  and  al¬ 
ways  admired. 
Then,  again, 
Fannypossesses 
an  elegant  form,  and  is  large,  being  coloured  a  charming  rosy  peach  ; 
Larton  resembles  Maiden’s  Blush.  One  of  the  handsomest  and  grandest 
of  the  deep  crimson  sorts  is  Sir  Joseph  Hooker.  Cordelia  is  a  deep 
amaranth  on  the  outside  and  plum  colour  within,  standing  2  feet 
high.  The  variety  G.  F.  Wilson  presents  nice  cup-shaped  flowers  on 
tall  stalks  ;  the  colour  is  rosy  crimson  with  a  dark  base.  In  The  Bride 
the  grower  has  a  pale  rose  Tulip  of  great  sweetness.  Pride  of 
Haarlem  is  another  very  tall  Darwin  variety,  most  brilliant  in  colour, 
to  wit,  a  combination  of  soarlet  vermilion  ;  this  is  of  the  best  that 
could  be  chosen.  May  Queen  is  specially  recommended  as  a  useful  and 
good  outdoor  Tulip;  the  colour  is  soft  rose.  Edouard  Andre  has  very 
large,  bold,  open  flowers  of  grand  shape,  and  are  rose-purple  coloured. 
In  Circe  the  grower  has  a  peculiar  lavender-lilac  bloom.  Queen  of 
Roses,  rosy  crimson,  and  Loveliness,  satiny  rose,  are  two  gems  that 
greatly  please  the  connoisseur.  Auber  may  be  described  a  s  a  rich 
mahogany-red,  but  that  is  an  uncommon  combination,  and  perhaps 
purplish  maroon  will  better  convey  an  idea  of  the  shade.  Pygmalion  .s 
a  new  variety,  lilac  mauve  in  colour ;  Rev.  H.  Ewbank,  of  medium  height 
with  strong  and  good  flowers,  is  violet- purple.  B  t  it  would  be 
wearisome  to  go  on  in  this  catalogue  style,  especially  when  a  real 
catalogue  can  always  he  had  from  the  Messrs.  Barr  by  asking  them.  I 
will  name  just  a  few  others,  and  these  are  Sultan,  Mrs.  Krelage,  Van 
Poortvliet,  Violet  Queen,  Dorders,  and  Theodore  Jorisen.  All  of  the 
foregoing  are  distinot  and  beautiful. 
The  Parrot  Tulips  were  also  growing  robustly  in  beds  and  open-air 
borders  at  Long  Ditton.  For  their  grotesque  shapes,  laciniated  as  their 
petals  are,  and  the  wonderful  bizarre  splashes  and  combinations  of  the 
most  brilliant  colours  shown  off  by  them,  one  might  plead  in  their 
favour.  In  beds,  where  gardens  are  warm  and  sunny,  they  always 
furnish  a  feature  of  unusual  beauty  and  interest. 
Messrs.  Barr  have  also  a  varied  selection  of  Tulips  with  variegated 
leaves.  When  the  leaves  are  unmistakeably  variegated  it  adds  a 
little  to  their  oharm.  The  species  of  Tulips  are  all  but  unknown 
throughout  the  provinces.  What  flower  in  April  or  May  is  more 
glorious  than  Tulipa  Greigi  or  T.  retroflexa  ?  Others  that  are  almost 
equally  glorious  include  Clusiana,  Eichleri,  Catalini,  and  suaveolens. 
Many  of  the  Cottage  Tulips  are  likewise  conspicuously  brilliant, 
as,  for  instance,  Bouton  d’Or,  billietiana,  Didieri,  Haageri,  La  Mer¬ 
veille,  maorospila,  superbly  fine ;  Mrs.  Moon,  also  exquisite,  and  is, 
moreover,  rare;  elegans  alba,  Faerie  Queen,  Firebrand,  Gesneriana 
spathulata,  together  with  fulgens,  flava,  and  many  that  I  must 
perforce  omit  to  name,  let  alone  describe. 
Double  Tulips. 
The  double-flowered  Tulips  are  not  more  suitable  for  cutting  than 
t  he  single  varieties,  but  they  certainly  stand  longer  without  shedding 
their  petals.  Some  of  them  are  exquisitely  beautiful,  as,  for  example, 
El  Toreador,  La  Parfaite,  La  Grandesse,  rosea  perfeota,  and  William  III. 
These  are  specially  beautiful.  We  have  also  Murillo,  one  of  the  most 
charmingly  sweet  of  them  all ;  Rex  rubrorum,  Imperator  rubrorum, 
Couronne  de  Cerise,  alba  maxima,  La  Candeur,  L’Innocenoe,  Rose  blanche, 
Tournesol,  Tournesol  Yellow,  Salvator  rosa,  Vuurbaak,  and  others.  All 
of  these  are  brilliant  and  handsome  double  Tulips.  The  Messrs.  Barr 
provide  a  list 
of  Tulips,  ar. 
ranged  accord- 
ing  to  the 
harmonies  and 
effectiveness  of 
their  colours  for 
bedding.  The 
varieties  are 
single,  and  are 
as  follows  : — 
Princess  Mari¬ 
anne,  O  p  h  i  r 
d’Or  and  Wou- 
verman ;  Potte- 
bakker  White 
and  Chrysolora; 
Prince  of  Aus¬ 
tria,  President 
Lincoln  and 
Chry  sol  ora  ; 
Rose  Grisdeline 
and  Princess 
Marianne ;  Pot- 
tebakker  Yel¬ 
low  and  Thomas 
Moore ;  Chryso¬ 
lora  andDusart; 
Princess  Ida 
and  Rosamundi; 
Duchesse  de 
Parma  and  Fa- 
biola  ;  Rosa- 
ERYTHRONIUM  REVOLUTUM.  (See  page  267.).  mundi  and  Rose 
Superbe  ;  Cou- 
leur  Cardinal 
makes  a  grand  show  bedded  by  itself,  but  Snowdrift  goes  well  with  it ; 
Keizerskroon  makes  a  fine  bed  with  Queen  Victoria  as  an  outside 
border. — Wandering  Willie. 
