Part 35 (1/2)

The named varieties are invaluable for pot and frame culture, and to force for decorative purposes; for though the individual flowers are short-lived, the finest bulbs yield a long succession of bloom, and in character Crocuses are quite distinct from all other flowers of the same early season. When grown in pots and baskets, the bulbs should be placed close together to produce a striking effect. A light, rich soil is desirable, but they may be flowered in a mixture of charcoal and moss, or in fibre, or moss alone. When required in quant.i.ty for ornamental baskets and similar receptacles, it is wise to plant them in shallow boxes filled with rotten manure and leaf-mould, and to lift them out separately, and pack them when in flower in the ornamental baskets. A perfect display of flowers in precisely the same stage of development can thus be secured, and successional displays may follow as long as supplies remain in the boxes.

==CROWN IMPERIAL==

==Fritillaria imperialis==

A n.o.ble plant which needs a deep, rich, moist soil, and an open situation, to insure the full degree of stateliness, but it will make a very good figure in any border where it can enjoy a glimmer of suns.h.i.+ne.

There are several distinct varieties, the flowers of which range in colour from palest yellow to the deepest shade of orange and reddish buff, and there are others which have variegated leaves. They should be planted in autumn eighteen inches apart, allowing from four to six inches of soil above the crowns.

==CYCLAMEN==

Although it is advisable to raise Cyclamens from seed every year, occasions arise when it is necessary to store the bulbs for a second season, and the best method of treating them during the period of rest must be considered. As the production of seed weakens the corms, preference should be given to those which have not been subjected to this tax on their energies.

At the close of the flowering season the bulbs should be gradually reduced to a resting state by withholding moisture. When the foliage turns yellow the pots may be laid on their sides in a cold frame, if available, or in any other convenient place where they will not be forgotten, until about the middle of July. They should then be placed upright, and have a supply of water. After fresh growth has fairly commenced, shake the bulbs out of the pots, remove most of the old soil, and re-pot in a compost consisting of mellow turfy loam and leaf-mould, with a sufficient admixture of silver sand to insure drainage. The corm should be so placed in the pot as to bring the crown about level with the rim, and every care must be taken to avoid injuring the young roots.

Place the pots in a close frame for a few days, after which ample ventilation should be given to maintain a robust condition. The lights may remain constantly open until there is danger from autumn frosts.

Specimens that show a great number of flower-buds should be a.s.sisted occasionally with weak manure water.

=C. Coum= and =C. europaeum= are rarely well grown, for although quite hardy, the climate of this country does not suit them in their season of flowering, which is the early spring. The cool greenhouse is the safest place for them, except in sheltered spots, where they may be planted out on a border of peat, or amongst ferns in a rockery. When grown in pots, light turfy loam and peat in equal quant.i.ties, with a fourth part of cow-manure and a liberal addition of sand, will form an excellent compost for them. The pots should never be exposed to the drying action of the sun or wind, but should be plunged to the rim in coal-ashes. The best time for potting or planting them is September or October.

Instructions on raising Cyclamens from seed will be found at page 256.

==DAFFODIL==--=see= ==NARCISSUS==, =page= 344

==DOG'S-TOOTH VIOLET==

The red and white varieties are as hardy as any plant in our gardens, and by their neat habit and elegant leaves and flowers they are admirably adapted to plant in quant.i.ties in the front of a rockery, in either peat or sandy loam and leaf-mould. They are equally suitable for edging small beds in gardens where spring flowers are systematically grown; in fact, they are true 'spring bedders.' Autumn is the proper time to plant the bulbs. But Dog's-tooth Violets are also worth growing in pots, especially where an unheated 'Alpine house' is kept for plants of this cla.s.s. Several bulbs may be put in a pot of the 48-size.

==FERRARIA==--=see= ==TIGRIDIA==, =page 350=

==FREESIA==

The singularly graceful form, wide range of beautiful colours, and delicious perfume of this flower have made it an immense favourite; and happily there is no Cape bulb which can be grown with greater ease in the frame or cool greenhouse. One characteristic is very marked, and it is the disproportion between the small bulb and the fine flowers produced from it.

Procure the bulbs as early in the autumn as possible, and lose no time in potting them. Any light rich soil will answer, but that which suits them best is composed of two parts of loam, one of leaf-mould, and one of peat, with enough sand or grit added to insure drainage. Commence with pots of the right size, for the roots are extremely brittle, and there must be no risk of injuring them by re-potting. The 48-size will accommodate several bulbs. Place under a south wall, and cover with leaf-mould until top growth commences, and then remove the covering.

At the end of September transfer the pots to a cold frame, and when the plants attain a height of four inches, support them with neat sticks, which should not be inserted too near the bulbs. Watering will require judgment, for too much moisture turns the foliage yellow. When the pots are full of roots, liquid manure twice a week will be helpful.

After the blooming season has pa.s.sed, encourage the foliage to wither by withholding water. The roots may be stored away in their own pots until the following August.

==FRITILLARIA==

Fritillarias produce bell-shaped flowers, varying in colour, but generally of a purplish tint, and beautifully spotted. They thrive in a good deep loam, but may be grown in almost any soil, and do well under the shade of trees. They are quite hardy, and, like most other bulbs, should be planted in autumn. Fritillarias are occasionally grown in pots kept in a cold frame, but they will not endure forcing in the least degree, and the mixed border is the best position for them. These flowers make a charming ornament when grown in bowls filled with moss-fibre.

==GLADIOLUS==

The Gladiolus is adapted for many important uses and it a.s.sociates admirably with Dahlias, Hollyhocks, Pyrethrums, and Phloxes in the furnis.h.i.+ng of clumps on the lawn and in the mixed border. It is perfectly in harmony with surroundings when planted in American beds or in the shrubbery. For supplying cut flowers it is invaluable, as they retain their freshness in a vase for many days, and a plentiful supply should be grown in reserved spots expressly for this purpose.