Page:Every Woman's Encyclopedia Volume 1.djvu/314

 THC OARDKN •92 Fill the tubs with good tibrous loam, which can Ix; had from a nurseryman or stores at the price of from is. 6d. per bushel. or 4s. or 5s. per half load, carried in. Pure - -xnjL TURFY LOAM OR. ' ■ ' LEAF -MOULD -CROCKS FOR DRAJNAGE.
 * iion*l dtAgram showing the right soil to be prepared for

growing bulbs in tubs loam is greatlv to be preferred to the nicely mixed and sifted potting soil which nursery- men will probably be more ready to recom- mend. After laying in some of the turfy portions of loarfi. or a little half-decayed leaf -mould, if it may be easily had, fill up the tul)s two-thirds of the way. A sprinkling of lime, if handy, can be mixed in with the soil. Kind5 to Grow Almost all hardy bulbs succeed admirably under conditions of tub and window-box culture. Snowdrops and aconites as ground- work, or edgings, can be grown if desired ; blue scillas also and chconodoxas (" Glory of the Snow ") ; crocuses, purple, white, and yellow ; narcissi and dafifodils ; these last succeed particularly well in the colder and shadier aspects. Hyacinths, especially the single varieties, do well, while tulips, both the early varieties and the late, or May flowering. can be relied on for a splendid show. A "centre-piece" of these may be fringed with double arabis or a white saxifrage. or arranged (in larger boxes) in gradations of colour, shading from deep pink or crimson through palest flesh- colour to white. Scarlet or golden-yellow is also pretty m combination with white. Uncommon Attempts Where tubs and lx)xes are fairly abundant, experiments may Iw tried in growing anemones ranunculus bulbs for later flowering, other uncommon plants. Eariy irises can also be grown. The Christmas rose— which IS not a bulb— should be started earlv and when m flower, protected from smoke and splashes by a l)ell-glass. Some lilies can be put in for a summer display, notably Lilium longiflorum and L. speciosum ; these bulbs should be smothered with sand when planted ♦K uu*^ ^*l?^ ^^ planting, roughly lay out the bulbs, allowing enough distance— say an mch asunder— to prevent their touching" each May-flowering Tulip, with Double Arabis and and other. Then make the holes, giving not more than double its depth to each Dulb, and keeping a uniform depth. Put a httle sand at the bottom of each, to assist dramage,' and so prevent decay. Press the soil down firmly, cover lightly, and water if fairly dry. When' spring is near, and the bulbs begin to push, stir the soil gently so as to admit' air. See that the tubs are kept moist, but do not saturate. Bulbs in small receptacles must never on any account get dry, or the flower-spike w^ll be affected with blindness, a trouble from which there is no recovery. If the tips of leaves are seen to become yellow, this is usually a sign of over-watering. In preparing soil for bulbs in boxes, manure should not be us 3d, but when good growth has been made a little artificial stimulant, very weak, may be given once or twice weekly up to the time of flowering. Staking must be done carefully where needed, using thin bamboos and raffia, both green for choice, securing the stems loosely, and hiding the stakes as successfully as possible. Bulbs, after flowering in boxes and tubs, are seldom useful for the purpose another year, but the expense of replacing such miniature flower-gardens is small, and the old bulbs will be appreciated if despatched to owners of gardens in the country for planting in wild borders or in the grass. The following is a small selection of bulbs suitable for growing in tubs and boxes, with their approximate prices : Yellow Trumpet Dafifodils : Ard Righ, Emperor, Golden Spur, Obvallaris; Bicolours : Empress, Ada Brooke, Horse- fieldii, Princeps, Michael Foster, Lent Lily. Price, 2s. to 7s. 6d. per loo. Also varieties of Narcissus Incomparabilis, Barri, Leedsi, Burbidgei, and Poeticus, at various prices. Hyacinths, single, in white and all colours, from 2s. per dozen. Named varieties from 3s. 6d. per dozen. Cheonodoxas, aconites, crocuses, muscari and scillas, from 28. 6d. per hundred. Single Early Tulips : Due Van Thol, gd. per dozen ; named early tulips in all colours, from is. per dozen. The following are specially recommended : Thomas Moore, terra-cotta ; Proserpine, crimson-pink ; Chrysolora, yellow ; Cottage Maid, pink-and-white ; White Sw^an. Double Early Tulips, from lod. per dozen : Murillo, pink-and-white ; Purple Crown, Salvator Rosa Alba, Tournesol, yellow ; La Matador, scarlet. May-flowering Tulips : Golden Crown. Bouton d'Or, The Fawn, May Queen, La Tuhpe Noire, Shandon Bells, La Merveille, Gesneriana in variety. Prices from 9d. per dozen, or 5s. per hundred.