THE GARDEN

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19013, 7 March 1930, Page 6

THE GARDEN

NOTES FOR THE AMATEUR.

By

D. COMBRIDGE.

The season has arrived when attention must be given to the planting of the largest section of the bulbousrooted flowering plants. There is something very fascinating in growing bulbs, of whatever size, for at this period of the year most of them are hard, use-less-looking things, but, strangely enough, they are remarkable for their elegance and nobility of form when in flower, whilst some of them are very' sweetly scented. Another point in their favour is tre fact that they are very easy of cultivation, and well repay the attention given them when they are planted. They burst into flower at a time of the year when the absence of blooms from the garden makes their appearance -exceedingly welcome, and, a-j there is a very wide section of flowering plants termed as bulbs, which gives as wide a period of blossoming, it is wise to give the planting of them careful consideration.

The forms of these bulbous plants vary. For instance, some bulbs are tunicated, that is, their various skins are formed in rings or layers (the hyacinth is the best known example of this type), or they are scaly; the liliums are a well-known form of this type. Bulbous plants, however, cover a section of flowering and ornamental plants which in their dormant state have a swollen form that carries on the life cycle of the plant to the next season. There are several that have a corm, as the crocus or the gladiolus; a corm being a fleshy, underground stem, solid and bulblike, but without apparent scales. We also have tubers, examples of which are found in the rhizomes of the iris; a rhizome is a rootlike stem either on or under the ground, from the underside of which roots are formed, while shoots, leaves and flower stalks arise from the upper surface. The lily of the valley forms crowns, spoken of as pips, small, swollen, root-like formations, from which the new leave? and flowers are thrown up. There are also included in the section plants with fasciculated roots, as in the peonies and the ranunculus. The true or feeding roots of the bulb are produced from its base usually, ex-> cepting in the case of some lilies; the stems, leaves and flowers come from its apex, crown or e3 r es. A bulb actually contains in itself the perfect flower which was formed there the preceding season, and all that is necessary is the correct conditions to cause the flower to come out. The bulb is really only a storehouse of material to produce the leaves and flowers of its species. As has been remarked already, bulbous plants are of remarkable beauty and very easy of cultivation. They commence flowering almost in the depth of winter, and continue through their various families until late in the autumn. First we have the true English snowdrops, followed by the chionodoxia (glory of the snow), anemone, scilla, crocus, winter aconite, bulbicodium (hoop petticoat). These in turn are succeeded by hyacinths, tulips, earl> r and mid-season; the narcissus in all their various sections, late tulips, poeticus narcissus (the poet’s daffodil), dicentras, which are not over when ranunculus, peonies, irises, hemerocalis (day lilies), lilies, montbretias. tritonias, ixias, with gladiolus, late lilies and iris completing the season’s flowering period. The finest and showiest of the bulbs for present planting are undoubtedly hyacinths and tulips, and these should not be missed. The best place for planting them is in the herbaceous border, as there they brighten what at their flowering period is a dull corner of the garden, and they are also left undisturbed after they have finished blooming, a most important point towards their continuance in usefulness during succeeding years. Put out in clumps of four or six bulbs, they make a most phasing effect. For planting in lawns, use crocus, scillas, chionodoxia. snowdrops, snowflakes, tritelia; the foliage of these has all disappeared before it is necessary to cut the grass. If there have been some heavy .rains during early autumn, all that is needed is to press the small bulbs into the soft ground; but if it has been at all dry it is wiser to lift a piece of turf and place the bulbs in position about three inches deep, and return the grass to its original position, giving it a good bucket or two of water to start tt off again. Whenever planting bulbs, the ground should be well worked, free and well drained. It is an advantage to dig in manure, but it must be well rotted or it will damage the bulbs. If artificial manure is used bone dust is all that should be put in. and it must be used lavishly. It is a slow-acting man-

ure, and its value remains in the soil for some time. The depth to plant is always a point of indecision. A good general guide is always plant deeply, because if bulbs are left in the soil from year to year they need, the coolness of the depth of earth in summertime during their resting period. The practice adopted is to reckon the depth of a bulb to be put down three times its average diameter. The ideal soil for most bulbs is open loam tending to sand, its advantage for bulbous subjects being that it allows free drainage and admits all the air necessary. Heavy soil must have plenty of sand incorporated prior to planting and at the same time work in some leaf mould. An excess of humus is not good, and freshly dug-in green manure or garden refuse is very detrimental. Early planting is most necessary. Natural processes are going on all the time with bulbs, whether they are in or out of the soil, and if bulbs are left out too long no matter how well they may be stored, they soon begin to shrink and the resultant blooms show the effect the following spring. The main deterrent to early planting, of course, is the lateness of many of the summer bedding plants. It is a pity to spoil a showy .bed, say, this month, when it will look well for another four weeks. No doubt this is, and always will be a consideration, but it would be better to plant our bulbs deeply between our rows of flowering plants and ensure a good spring show than put our bulbs in late. Referring agai* to soil for growing bulbs, in Holland; where the hyacinths have been cultivated for so many centuries, the bulbs are grown in pure sand, and it is a noted fact that the best hyacinth bulbs in the world come from that country. It is a pity that it is not possible in this part of the globe to obtain bulbs as freelv as they are procured in the Homeland, but freight and change of season spoil the prospect very considerably. The very alteration in seasons puts the imported bulbs back three years, and in that time the bulbs cannot be brought to the first grade quality that are offered in Europe. European-grown hyacinths are so fine and offered at a reasonable price that they are planted by the score in beds of one or two colours and nothing finer could be wished for. There is an art in getting the bulbs to flower as nearly as possible simultaneously; this is done by removing four or five inches of soil off the bed and making the soil so exposed as level as a table. The bulbs are then placed in position oil a small handful of sand to prevent rotting and the attacks of insects; sand is next placed over and round each bulb for the same reason; finally the soil is replaced on the bed, carefullv firmed, and in the event of heavy winter weather a layer of clean straw is spread over the bed as the bulbs break through, to prevent injury through frost. Second size bulbs are usually chosen as the bloom spikes are not too heavy and do not get beaten down, by w’ind and rain. For early flowering the Roman hyacinths are put in. These are narrower in foliage and the bloom spikes have their separate flowers spaced further apart. Next in order of flowering come the single Dutch varieties, followed by the later double flowering kinds. Th/sse latter lend themselves especially to pot culture for house or conservatory. They also are very serviceable for growing in glasses, in water, on pebbles or ir. the special hyacinth jars.