The Book of Bulbs. Arnott Samuel
the earth," purple Fritillaries, yellow Tulips, Stars of Bethlehem with curious greenish flowers, Vernal Scillas, the not-so-pretty S. autumnalis, and the Broad-leaved Garlic, whose white flowers are among the most beautiful of all, though the scent of the whole plant is very "grosse and very unpleasant for fayre ladies and tender lily rose colloured damsels which often time profereth sweet breathes before gentle wordes." There are a few other British bulbous and cormous plants scattered among the various orders, such as the Meadow-saffron which is still used in pharmacy, but the greater number are contained in the three orders named.
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTORY
Our gardens owe so much of their charm to the free use of plants with bulbous or tuberous roots, that it is unnecessary to impress their value upon the reader. We have only to cast our thoughts upon the many flowers of this character which bloom from the dawn of the year to its close, to recognise their almost transcendent claims upon our notice. In the following pages an attempt has been made to assist those who wish to know something more than they have done about these plants. Much more could have been said, but the scope of the work would not permit of exhaustive details. In addition, however, to the information given in the chapters dealing with the various plants, it is desirable that a few general hints should be given regarding the uses of these plants, and how they may be turned to most account.
One of the most delightful phases of bulb-growing is that of the cultivation of hardy species in the grass. Nowhere do they look so well as against the grass, whose leafage seems to harmonise so well with the general character of the bulbous plants. In addition to this, many of these bulbous plants will thrive much better in grass than in a cultivated border, where there is often too much bare soil, and where other flowers of encroaching nature can injure them. Nearly all hardy bulbs do well in grass if the place is properly prepared for them by removing a portion of the turf, forking up the earth beneath, and adding fresh soil when it is too poor, and then replacing the turf. One thing must be remembered as a sine-qua-non, and this is, that on no account must the grass be cut until the plants have ripened their leaves. This will be shown by the foliage becoming yellow. Neglect of this has been the cause of much disappointment, and it is thus advisable that the bulbs should not be planted where a neatly kept grass plot is wanted early in the year. In planting the bulbs, they ought not to be arranged in regular lines, but in masses or informal groups. As good a plan as any to follow in planting in masses in the wilder parts of the grounds, is to throw the bulbs down from the hand, and to plant them where they fall. A good lesson will be given by a glance at a long-established plantation of Snowdrops or of the wild Scilla nutans, where these will be seen to have formed charming groups and masses of greater beauty than any formal arrangement would give.
It is more difficult to arrange bulbs in borders in pleasing ways, and in such a manner as to harmonise or contrast in colouring with other flowers in bloom at the same time. One desirable way is not to keep all the early flowering bulbs near the front of the border, as one would naturally do, because of their dwarf habit, but to plant them so as to give balance in the border at the different seasons. Bulbous plants, like most others, look better in groups than scattered singly in lines, and it is wiser, as a rule, to plant a clump of one kind than a mixed mass. One exception, at least, is in the Montbretias, which, when mixed, look even prettier than in separate groups of one shade. Colour arrangement is always a troublesome question in planting these flowers, and there is more satisfaction, if harmony instead of sharp contrast is aimed at, by arranging, say, different shades of yellow together, than in working to secure strong contrasting effects. Such a contrast as the white Galtonia candicans and Gladiolus brenchleyensis is striking at the time, but it is not one on which the eye would love to dwell from day to day and from hour to hour.
These plants afford an almost endless choice for cutting purposes, although some cannot be cut of great length of stem without destroying the strength of the bulb for another year. The flowers are generally best when cut before quite open, and such flowers will usually open perfectly in water, and will last much longer than if pulled when fully expanded. Where many flowers are used, it is better to grow a stock in the reserve garden or in an out-of-the-way border, to avoid destroying the beauty of the more conspicuous parts of the garden.
The greater number of bulbs are propagated by offsets, produced from the old bulbs, and which are best removed when the foliage has died down. Named Hyacinths are increased by cutting across the base of the bulbs, or scooping out the interior, afterwards allowing the wounds to callous partially. Young bulbs are produced at the wounded parts. Raising bulbs from seeds, although slow, is very interesting work, and ought to be more largely followed for the purpose of obtaining new varieties. Seeds are sown in the ordinary way in pans, and the young bulbs grown on until they attain flowering size, generally from two to five years, according to the genus and the treatment they receive. Liliums are also propagated by scales of the bulbs, inserted in pots or pans, with a portion of the base attached. These will eventually form little bulbs, to be grown on as in the case of seedlings. Tuberous-rooted plants, like the Anemone, are propagated by division of the tubers.
These plants are subject to a variety of diseases, such as always appear among plants grown in large numbers together. The leading genera, such as the Lilium, the Iris, the Gladiolus, or the Hyacinth, are all affected, and although many remedies have been tried it is difficult to find a cure. I find Veltha gives good results, but where the disease cannot be exterminated by such means it is better to destroy all affected plants, and to give the others fresh soil. A surface dressing of new soil with a little kainit added is beneficial.
CHAPTER II
HARDY BULBS
Although the effective Aconitums or Monkshoods of our gardens are usually classed with ordinary herbaceous plants, the best of those with tuberous roots can hardly be omitted from this work. They are of much service in the mixed border or the wild garden, and it is only the poisonous properties of these plants which make one view them with suspicion. They should not be planted where any danger can result to children or to animals. Their nomenclature is very confused but the names below are authoritative. The following are some of the best: – Cammarum, four feet, purple; flaccidum, six feet, violet; heterophyllum, two feet, yellow and blue; japonicum, six feet, flesh; Lycoctonum, a pretty yellow species, four to six feet high; Napellus, very poisonous, in several varieties, four to six feet; paniculatum, three feet; and variegatum, three to six feet, blue, white, or blue and white. All of these grow in any soil and can be planted in spring or autumn.
The Alliums can hardly be classed as among the choicest of bulbous plants; but although not among the élite of our garden flowers, there are, however, among them some pleasing and useful flowers, and a few remarks upon some of those most easily obtainable may be of service. It may be premised that the Alliums are most suitable for naturalising in grass or in wild gardens, as many of them are so prolific that they are apt to become troublesome in the border. They usually seed very freely and some produce offsets in great numbers, while others, again, form little bulbils on their heads which eventually form separate individuals. Almost all are of easy cultivation, although some of the Central Asian and Californian species need a little protection in winter.
A. acuminatum is a pretty dwarf species with deep rose flowers, and other pretty dwarf forms or species of similar or deeper colour are Bidwilliæ, Breweri, falcifolium, Fetisowii, macnabianum, narcissiflorum, ostrowskianum, and pedemontanum. A few blue species exist and are generally very pretty, though sometimes tender; of these, cæruleum, cyaneum, kansuense, and violaceum may be mentioned. A great many have white flowers and it is among these that we find the most valued of the species. The greatest favourite is neapolitanum, so much used for forcing, and which is grown in pots under the same treatment as other bulbous plants. Other pretty white species are triquetrum, subvillosum, Erdelii, and falciforme. None of the yellow species are equal to the old A. Moly, a bright June flower, but