Beautiful Bulbous Plants Part 5

=Autumn-Flowering Crocuses.=--Colchic.u.ms, and especially _C. autumnale_, are popularly known as "Autumn Crocuses." They belong, however, to the Lily family, and must not be confused with those species of Crocus proper which belong to the Iris family, and also flower during the autumn months, sometimes even as late as December, when the blossoms are often spoiled by the weather, unless protected with handlights or frames. At this period they are very useful, with the Colchic.u.ms and Sternbergias, for the decoration of gra.s.sy slopes and banks, and may be intermingled with them in places where they can remain undisturbed for some years.

The chief difference in the cultivation of Spring and Autumn Crocuses, is that the corms of the latter should be planted in July, or not later than August--in fact, at the same time as the Colchic.u.ms. The following are among the best Autumn Crocuses:--_Asturicus_, violet, purple; _Boryi_, white and yellow; _cancellatus_, white to purple, and lilac; _caspius_, white tinted rose; _Clusi_, pale purple and white; _hadriaticus_, white and purple; _iridiflorus_ or _byzantinus_, purple, lilac; _Karduchorum_, lilac, veined with purple; _longiflorus_, lilac, yellow, sweet-scented; _medius_, purple, veined, see Plate 33, fig. 117; _ochroleucus_, creamy-white, orange, see Plate 33, fig. 121; _pulch.e.l.lus_, lavender-blue and yellow, veined; _Salzmanni_, lilac to white, veined; _sativus_, lilac, veined purple; the well-known "Saffron Crocus" of commerce, with several varieties; _Scharojani_, orange-yellow; _speciosus_, lilac, purple, with deeper veins, see Plate 33, fig. 122; and _zonatus_, rosy-lilac, veined purple.

All Crocuses may be easily increased by offsets, which may be detached when the corms are lifted. Seeds take about three years to produce flowering corms (see p. 34).

=DIERAMA= (=Sparaxis=) =pulcherrima.=--This is a charming South African plant with fibrous-coated corms, and long narrow sword-like leaves. It has beautiful funnel-shaped flowers, which droop from thread-like stalks about September and October, a period when they are sometimes injured by the bad weather. The blossoms, which are shown on Plate 31, fig. 112, are usually crimson in colour, but there also exist white, pale-red, and prettily-striped forms, all borne on stalks 3 to 6 feet high, and beautiful for cutting purposes. _D. pendula_, with deeply veined lilac flowers, is another species not so well known.

The plants cannot be considered hardy, except in the milder parts of the kingdom. In less favoured spots they may be planted in spring in warm sunny spots sheltered from cold winds, and if left in the ground in winter should be protected from cold rains and frosts with litter, bracken, lights, &c. A light sandy loam, with a little leaf-soil, will suit the plants best, and they may be increased by offsets.

=ERYTHRONIUM= (_Dog's Tooth Violet_).--These pretty plants of the Lily order have more or less oblong or cylindrical bulbs, sometimes with creeping rhizomes, and leaves more or less marbled or blotched or sometimes green. The 6-petalled blossoms are, more or less, drooping, but are usually conspicuous above the foliage and render the plants very attractive either in the rock-garden, flower-border, or gra.s.s-land. The plants like a moist sandy loam and leaf-soil, which, however, must be well drained so that the bulbs may not decay with the winter rains.

Offsets are the easiest means of increasing the stock, and are best taken off after the flowers are over and the leaves have withered, _i.e._, about midsummer.

PLATE 18. CAMa.s.sIA CUSICKI (70) LILIUM PYRENAIc.u.m (71) ALLIUM ERDELII (72) IXIOLIRION PALLASI (73)

The Common Dog's Tooth Violet (_E. Dens-Canis_) is an old-world plant, and has been in cultivation many years. It has blue-green leaves, marbled with dull purple, and the flowers are of a soft rose or purple hue, although there are various shades (as shown on Plate 13, fig. 54), including a white one. There are now many other species and varieties in cultivation--all natives of temperate North America, and well worthy of a place in the garden. They all blossom from March to May, and vary in height from 3 to 12 inches. The following are the best known at present:--_Albidum_, white, tinged yellow, or wholly yellow in the variety _bracteatum_; _americanum_, golden yellow, tinged purple; _citrinum_, lemon yellow; _Dens-Canis_ (see Plate 13, figs. 54 and 55); _giganteum_, white, suffused with orange or yellow; _grandiflorum_, yellow; _Hartwegi_, creamy-white and orange; _Hendersoni_, rose to purple with yellow centre; _Howelli_, yellow and orange; _Johnstoni_, rosy-pink (see Plate 12, fig. 94); _montanum_, creamy-white; _propullans_, rose-purple; _purpurascens_, pale yellow tinged purple, or lilac in the variety _grandiflorum_; this species has sometimes about a dozen flowers on a scape; and _revolutum_, pink to rosy-purple, or white with a yellow centre in the variety _Bolanderi_ or _Smithi_.

=EUCOMIS punctata.=--This bold-looking plant is probably the best and most ornamental member of the genus. It has very large bulbs and tufts of gracefully spreading and recurved wavy leaves, bright shining green above, and densely spotted with purple beneath. The creamy-white or yellowish starry blossoms, with a conspicuous violet ovary in the centre, appear from July to September, and are packed close together on a stout purple spotted scape 1-1/2 to 2 feet high. Other species are _bicolor_, with unspotted leaves and greenish-yellow flowers; _nana_, which grows only about 9 inches high, has brownish-green blossoms; _undulata_, greenish-yellow ones; _regia_, white; and _pallidiflora_, with leaves over 2 feet long, and 4 inches or more broad, has greenish-white flowers.

They are all natives of South Africa, and may be grown in warm sheltered spots in the milder parts of the country. They like a rich and well-drained sandy loam, and if left undisturbed for a few years, will probably require protection in bleak localities from winter rains and frost. They may be increased by offsets. It takes four or five years to secure flowering bulbs from seeds.

=FERRARIA undulata.=--A distinct looking Iridaceous plant with tunicated bulbs, sword-like wavy leaves, and peculiar dull-purple flowers, each with six wavy segments spotted with purple, and appearing in March and April. This plant flourishes in well-drained sandy loam and leaf-soil, and may be considered fairly hardy in the milder parts of the kingdom.

Increased by offsets.

=FRITILLARIA.=--There are fifty species or more belonging to this genus, but many of them, although highly interesting, are so dull in colour or small in blossom, that they are only likely to be met with in botanical collections. The common Crown Imperial (_F. imperialis_), shown in Plate 16, figs. 65 and 66, with its st.u.r.dy stems, 2 to 3 feet high, bright green wavy leaves, and bright yellow drooping blossoms, is probably the best known; but there are many forms of it in which the flowers vary in colour from yellow to orange and bright red. The Snake's Head (_F.

Meleagris_) is another well-known species to be seen growing naturally in moist meadows in parts of England. Its beautiful white, rosy or purple blossoms (see Plate 8, fig. 33) droop from the stalks, 1 to 1-1/2 feet high in April and May, and are beautifully chequered with deeper coloured bands. For naturalising in the gra.s.s with Narcissi, Dog's Tooth Violets, &c., this is a very valuable plant. _F. Moggridgei_, a dwarf form of the purple, brown, and yellow _delphinensis_, is another good garden plant shown on Plate 8, fig. 31. The following kinds may be used for naturalising in the gra.s.s or for grouping in nooks of the rock-garden:--_Fusco-lutea_, _aurea_, _citrina_, _lusitanica_, _lutea_, _askabadensis_ (finely figured in "FLORA AND SYLVA,") _discolor_, _pallidiflora_, _pudica_, _Thunbergi_, _Whittalli_, all with yellow or greenish-yellow blossoms, and ranging from 6 to 12 inches high. To these may be added _F. recurva_ (Plate 8, fig. 34), a Californian species, about 1 foot high, and remarkable for its drooping bright orange-scarlet blossoms, the interior of which is yellow blotched with purple. _F.

camtschatcensis_, the "Black Lily," has deep blackish-red flowers. It flourishes in moist sandy loam and peat.

_F. Walujewi_, with narrow tendril-tipped leaves, has silver-grey flowers suffused with purple brown, and spotted with red and white within (see Plate 8, fig. 32). To these may be added _armena_, dark purple; _Elwesi_, green and purple; _pyrenaica_, green and purple, spotted; _persica_ or _libanotica_, chocolate, purple and green; _latifolia_, purple, lilac, yellow, &c.

The Fritillarias have bulbs of various sizes, and many of them--notably those of _F. imperialis_--emit a very strong and disagreeable odour.

They produce offsets freely in most cases, and in this way the stock may be increased. The best time for lifting and transplanting the bulbs is after the foliage has withered.

PLATE 19. ORNITHOGALUM PYRAMIDALE (74) BREVOORTIA IDA-MAIA (75) BRODIaeA LAXA (76) BRODIaeA IXIOIDES (77)

=GAGEA lutea.=--This British plant, with small roundish bulbs, and long narrow leaves, is called the "Yellow Star of Bethlehem" on account of its yellow starry flowers, with a green central line, appearing from March to May on stalks about 6 inches high. It grows in ordinary garden soil and may be increased by offsets.

=GALANTHUS= (_Snowdrop_).--The common British Snowdrop (_G. nivalis_) is an old time garden favourite, not only on account of the purity of its blossoms--almost rivalling the whiteness of the snow--but because they appear during the very dullest months of the year, often before Christmas, and lasting till the Crocuses, early Narcissi, Chionodoxas, Bulbocodiums, Leucojums, &c., come to keep them company. A few blooms are shown on Plate 2, fig. 8, not because it was necessary to tell the reader what a Snowdrop was like, but to record the general appearance of other Snowdrops that are now to be met with in cultivation. The most important of these are _Elwesi_, with its varieties _globosus_ and _robustus_, all of which have large flowers; _Fosteri_ has been called the "King of Snowdrops" on account of its fine leaves and flowers. Other fine kinds are _Imperati_, _latifolius_, and _plicatus_, the last named recognised by its long broad and plaited leaves. Indeed there are many other varieties--including double-flowered ones--but it is doubtful if the ordinary observer would see any great difference between them and the best forms of the common Snowdrop. They all have roundish bulbs--some larger than others, and offsets are freely produced from them. They flourish in the border or rock-garden in rich sandy soil and leaf-mould, but their natural dwelling place is in the gra.s.s, where they should be planted in hundreds and thousands and left to take care of themselves, as they are in many gardens in the kingdom.

=GALTONIA= (=Hyacinthus=) =candicans.=--A n.o.ble-looking South African plant, with large roundish bulbs and strap-shaped leaves over 2 feet long. The pure white sweet-scented blossoms (shown on Plate 20, fig. 78) appear during the summer months, 20 or 30 in a raceme, drooping from stout stalks about 4 feet high. =G. princeps= is somewhat similar but not so attractive in appearance, as its white flowers are faintly tinged with green. Both kinds flourish in good garden soil and should be planted in bold clumps for effect in the flower border, and in warm sunny spots, where they may remain undisturbed for several years, until it is necessary to give them more s.p.a.ce, or to detach the offsets for increasing the stock.

=GLADIOLUS= (_Corn Flag_; _Sword Lily_).--There are several species of Gladiolus rarely seen outside botanic gardens. The florists' varieties, like _brenchleyensis_, _Colvillei_, _Childsi_, _gandavensis_, _Lemoinei_, and _nanceia.n.u.s_, are much more popular owing to the brilliancy and beauty of their blossoms. _G. brenchleyensis_ (practically a form of _gandavensis_) is remarkable for its glowing scarlet flowers; _G. Childsi_ (raised from _gandavensis_ and _Saundersi_) attains a height of four or five feet, and has spikes of bloom often 2 feet or more long. The blossoms are 6 to 9 inches across, and possess many shades of purple, scarlet, crimson, salmon, white, pink, yellow, often beautifully mottled and blotched in the throat (Plate 28, fig. 105). _G. Colvillei_ (raised from _cardinalis_ and _tristis_) is an early-flowering plant about 2 feet high, with crimson purple and also pure white flowers--according to the variety. The form known as "The Bride" is the best white (Plate 21, fig. 81). Other early-flowering forms are shown in figs. 82 and 83. _G. gandavensis_ (raised from _cardinalis_ and _psittacinus_) forms a charming group as various in colour as the _Childsi_ forms, the individual flowers being variously striped and blotched with distinct colours. _G. Lemoinei_ (raised from _purpureo-auratus_ and _gandavensis_) is the origin of a beautiful number of hybrids, distinguished by having a large golden-yellow blotch on the lower segments, bordered with scarlet, crimson, purple, maroon, &c. (Plate 28, fig. 104). The colours are as numerous and as delicate as in the _Childsi_ and _gandavensis_ sections.

The _nanceia.n.u.s_ hybrids are remarkably fine plants, and are only comparable with those of the _Childsi_ group, although the blossoms are not quite so large. The colours vary from purple, claret, violet, carmine, orange, red, scarlet, violet, &c., and are all spotted in various ways (see Plate 28, fig. 103).

The kinds of Gladioli just mentioned may be grown to perfection in a well-drained loamy soil, which has been deeply dug and well manured the autumn previous to planting. From the beginning to the end of March is an excellent time to plant the corms or tubers, each one being inserted in a hole made with a stout dibber, or in a drill about 4 or 5 inches deep, and about a foot apart. Having covered the corms and made the soil fairly firm, little more is needed beyond keeping weeds down, until the flower spikes begin to show in July and August. Short stakes may then be supplied so as to keep the trusses upright. To secure extra fine blossoms the plants, when well-established, should be watered two or three times a week with liquid cow-manure to which a little soot and guano has been added. During hot dry summers especially, copious waterings should be given.

PLATE 20. GALTONIA CANDICANS (78) SISYRINCHIUM GRANDIFLORUM (79) BRODIaeA HOWELLI LILACINA (80)

When the flowers have faded, and the leaves begin to turn yellow, the corms may be taken up and carefully stored in a dry, airy, frost-proof place until the following March. New plants may be raised from the offsets, and also the sp.a.w.n or cloves to be found at the base of the new corms. They should be detached and stored, and the following April may be sown like seeds in drills about two inches deep. The larger corms may also be carefully cut in two at planting time, the cut surfaces being dipped in powdered charcoal, soot, or freshly-slaked lime.

Where s.p.a.ce will permit, the following natural species of Gladioli may also be grown:--_G. blandus_, 1 to 2 feet high, white, with red markings and a yellow tube; _G. byzantinus_, 2 feet, red, shaded with violet or purple; _G. dracocephalus_, 1 to 2-1/2 feet, soft yellow, striped and spotted with purple; _G. floribundus_, 1 foot, has flowers varying from white to flesh colour and deep red.

_G. oppositiflorus_ has white flowers, washed with rose or purple (Plate 23, fig. 87); _G. psittacinus_, 3 feet, rich scarlet, lined and spotted with yellow; _G. purpureo-auratus_, 3 to 4 feet, sulphur yellow, blotched with purple; and _G. Saundersi_, 2 to 3 feet, crimson or soft scarlet, spotted with pink and white. As they are all natives of South Africa they should be planted in warm sunny spots in March or April, and lifted the following autumn when growth has ceased.

=HABRANTHUS pratensis.=--A pretty Chilian plant, with ovoid bulbs about 1-1/2 inches through, and narrow leaves 1 to 1-1/2 feet long. The funnel-shaped, orange-red or scarlet blossoms appear in early summer on stems 1 to 2 feet high. Rich sandy-loam and leaf-soil, and warm sheltered spots are most suitable for this plant. In bleak localities the bulbs must be protected in winter. Increased by offsets.

=HYACINTHUS= (_Hyacinth_).--The florists' Hyacinth, evolved from _H.

orientalis_, has been for generations a great garden favourite, and is still amongst the most popular of bulbous plants for the decoration of the out-door garden, or for growing in conservatories, or the dwelling-house in more or less ornamental receptacles. There is a good deal of difference in the size of Hyacinth bulbs, but the reader must not imagine that the largest bulbs will throw up the best truss of flowers. Indeed it is often the case that quite a small bulb comparatively, will give a finer display than one much larger. Size, therefore, is not the main point about Hyacinth bulbs. Weight or density is the most important feature, and bulbs that are in any way soft or flabby may be regarded as useless.

=Hyacinths in the Open Air.=--What are known as "Bedding Hyacinths," to be had in various colours--red, rose, pink, white, blue, violet and yellow--are generally grown out of doors. They should be planted in October, or not later than November, 5 to 6 inches deep, and 6 to 8 inches apart, care being taken when planting round, oval, oblong, or other shaped beds to keep the lines or curves equidistant so as to secure uniformity in the results. The varieties should not be mixed when formal beds are planted. In vacant s.p.a.ces in the flower border, however, mixed Hyacinths look very well. Although these Hyacinths will grow well in ordinary good garden soil that has been deeply dug, and contains some well-decayed manure, it may be said that a light sandy loam that has had some old cow-manure incorporated with it some weeks previously is regarded as the best. When the soil is naturally heavy it must be well turned up, and have plenty of sand or grit mixed with it as well as old manure. In such a soil, a further precaution may be taken to have a handful of sand placed in the hole under each bulb to further improve the drainage.

Combinations with out-door Hyacinths are sometimes made by covering the surface of the beds with such plants as Forget-me-Nots, Polyanthuses or Primroses, Silenes, White Arabis, Yellow Alyssum, and sometimes Narcissi bulbs are planted alternately with the Hyacinths, the object in all cases being to produce a fine effect and contrast in colours in spring.

When the plants are in bloom they require but little attention, except perhaps a slender stick here and there to some flower-truss that has been blown down by the wind, or topples over with its own weight. As soon as the blossoms have withered, the flower stems should be cut away, leaving the still green leaves to a.s.similate food until they begin to turn yellow. The yellowing leaves indicate that the bulbs may be taken up, dried, and cleaned, and stored away in cool airy places until the following September or October. As Hyacinths, however, deteriorate in our fickle climate, it is better to buy new bulbs each year for planting formal beds, while the old ones may be planted in ordinary flower border or shrubbery.

PLATE 21. EARLY-FLOWERING GLADIOLI (81-83)

=Hyacinths in Gla.s.ses, &c.=--Ornamental bowls, gla.s.ses, vases, &c., of various designs afford an easy and interesting means for growing Hyacinths in the dwelling house. Many fail to have good results with Hyacinths grown in these receptacles because they allow the bulbs to touch the water, or they place them in too high a temperature to begin with. The bulbs should not actually touch the water, the base being little more than 1/8-inch away from the surface. They should then be stood in a dark place with a temperature of about 40 to 45 F., until roots have developed into the water. The plants may then be exposed to more light, after which all that is necessary is to change the water occasionally, about once a week, so that the roots may secure a fresh supply of oxygen. The finest bulbs give the best results naturally when grown in this way. What are known as "Miniature Hyacinths" are suitable for growing in bowls, vases, &c., in moist moss and charcoal, or in Jadoo fibre, or even in coco-nut fibre. Indeed, Hyacinths generally may be grown more easily, perhaps, in this way, instead of in water, the only point to bear in mind being to get the roots started in a cool place before the flower-stem and leaves begin to grow.

=Hyacinths in Pots.=--For greenhouse and conservatory decoration Hyacinths are most useful. One large bulb or three smaller ones may be placed in a 5-inch pot in light sandy soil, the top of the bulbs being well above the surface. The pots should be placed in the open air and covered with fine ashes or coco-nut fibre. Roots soon develop, after which the bulbs may be brought in as required, and can be had in blossom long before those in the open ground begin to appear. In warm greenhouses the graceful Roman and Italian Hyacinths may be flowered in the same way.

For a selection of Hyacinths of various colours the reader will find it best to consult a good bulb catalogue or a nurseryman. Plate 11 shows a few varieties, but the size of the page renders it impossible to show them in all their natural grandeur.

Besides the florist's Hyacinths there are one or two natural species that are worth growing in the rockery, flower border, or in the gra.s.s.

These are the Spanish Hyacinth (_H. amethystinus_), with bright blue drooping blossoms, or white in the variety _albus_, in May and June (see Plate 7, fig. 30). The other is _H. azureus_, which very much resembles one of the Muscaris, and sends up its sky-blue drooping flowers as early as February (see Plate 2, fig. 10).

Hyacinths may be increased by offsets. These may be stored in dry sand until planting time in the autumn, when they should be placed in beds by themselves, and will reach the flowering stage, with care, in two or three seasons. Full-sized bulbs are induced to develop bulblets by cutting them cross-wise, about half-way through from the base, or scooping the bottom out into a hollow. The bulbs are placed to dry after cutting, and by and bye the bulblets appear. They may be detached and planted like the offsets.

=IRIS= (_Flag_).--As the various kinds of Irises, known as "rhizomatous," "bearded," "beardless," and "oncocyclus or cushion," have already been dealt with in "A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS," and in the companion volume to this, "BEAUTIFUL GARDEN FLOWERS," it is only necessary here to refer to the "Bulbous" Irises, as coming appropriately within the scope of this work. The best-known examples of Bulbous, or Xiphion Irises, as they are sometimes called, are the Spanish Iris (_I.

Xiphium_) and the English Iris (_I. xiphioides_). Varieties of the last-named are shown on Plate 14, while forms of the Spanish Iris will be found in "BEAUTIFUL GARDEN FLOWERS," Plate 20, and also in this work, Plate 15. Besides these well-known examples of Bulbous Irises, there are many others now well-known. They are, however, much smaller in stature as a rule, more fragile, so utterly distinct in appearance from the ordinary Flag Irises, and so curiously and beautifully coloured, that many amateurs liken them to orchids, although, perhaps, they can scarcely be termed "Poor Men's" Orchids like their commoner relatives.

On Plate 3, five species of charming and early flowering Bulbous Irises are shown, and a glance will show that no description could do real justice to the charming beauty of the blossoms.

The following comprise some of the best kinds of Bulbous Irises:--_I.

alata_, and its numerous varieties, bright lilac-purple to white, October to December; _I. Bakeriana_ (fig. 12), sky blue and white, blotched with violet, January to March; _I. Boissieri_, reddish purple, June; _I. caucasica_, pale yellow, February and March; _I. Danfordiae_, or (_Bornmullieri_) golden yellow, February (fig. 14); _I. juncea_, golden-yellow, fragrant, June and July; _I. Kolpakowskyana_ (fig. 13) has reddish-purple and golden-yellow, with purple veins in March; _I.

orchioides_ has very large bulbs and bright-yellow flowers in March and April; _I. persica_ (fig. 15), and its varieties, with light purple, lavender, lilac, sea-green, and other shades of colour, and usually distinctly spotted and sweet-scented during February and March; _I.

pumila_, lilac, purple, or deep violet, April. _I. reticulata_ has deep violet fragrant flowers in February and March; there are very many distinct varieties of it, such as _cyanea_, bright blue; _Histrio_, blue, blotched with golden-yellow, December to March (fig. 11); _Histrioides_, bright blue tinted with violet; _humilis_, rich red, purple, orange, and white; _Krelagei_, claret purple and yellow; _purpurea_, reddish purple; _sophenensis_, varying from reddish and bluish purple to lilac and lavender; _I. Rosenbachiana_, variable in colour, purple, yellow, and white to rich crimson and purple blue, March and April; _I. sindjarensis_ has sweet-scented slaty-blue flowers; and _I. stenophylla_ or _Heldreichi_, mauve purple, February and March.