variations, can scarcely be considered as perfectly hardy in the mildest
parts of the British Islands. It often flowers, however, when the bulbs
are planted out about the end of May or early in June, when danger from
frost is practically over. The flowers often appear before the foliage,
but the bulbs should not be lifted in autumn for storing until the
leaves show signs of withering. New plants are secured from offsets.
=STERNBERGIA.=--Charming plants, with roundish bulbs about 2 inches in
diameter, and strap-shaped leaves, which are in their prime sometimes
with the blossoms, as in _S. lutea_, and sometimes long before the
latter appear, as in _S. macrantha_. The bulbs should be planted in
spring, 5 or 6 inches deep, in rich and well-drained sandy loam and
leaf-soil. When in bold clumps the flowers present a charming sight,
either in the grass, rock-garden, flower border, or margins of thin
shrubberies. All kinds have beautiful crocus-like yellow flowers as
shown in Plate 33. _S. lutea_ (fig. 119), variously known as the "Winter
Daffodil" and "Yellow Star Flower," is considered to be the "Lily of the
Field" mentioned in the Scriptures. It blooms in September and October,
the yellow flowers nestling amongst the leaves. There are several forms
of it, differing chiefly in the size of the blossoms and width of the
leaves. _S. macrantha_ (fig. 120) is a still finer species, with flowers
much larger than those of _S. lutea_, with which they appear in autumn.
Other species are _colchiciflora_, the bulbs of which are only about an
inch in diameter, and the pale-yellow sweet-scented flowers appear in
autumn. _S. Fischeriana_ also has bright golden-yellow blossoms, but
differs from its relatives in producing them during the spring
months--February onwards--instead of in the autumn.
=TECOPHILAEA cyanocrocus.=--This distinct and charming Chilian plant,
popularly known as the "Chilian Crocus," has fibrous-coated corms and
narrow wavy leaves. The beautiful Violet-scented, funnel-shaped flowers
of a brilliant blue, with a white centre, appear in March and April,
borne in loose trusses. (See Plate 12, fig. 50.) The variety
_Leichtlini_ differs in having deeper blue flowers than the type, and
without the white centre.
In the milder parts of the kingdom the Chilian Crocus may be grown in
the open air in warm sheltered spots, such as on a south border at the
base of a wall or fence. Rich sandy loam and leaf-soil is a good compost
into which the corms may be planted, 6 to 9 inches deep, about
September. In winter it may be necessary to give protection with litter,
bracken, &c., in the event of severe frosts or continuous cold rains.
The plants are most readily increased by offsets.
=TIGRIDIA Pavonia= (_Peacock Tiger Flower_).--There are several species
of Tiger Flowers, but the one here mentioned, and its several varieties,
are the most useful for the out-door garden. They have bulbs 1-1/2 to 2
inches in diameter, and plaited Gladiolus-like leaves. The blossoms,
however, one of which is shown on Plate 30, fig. 110, are of exceptional
beauty and brilliance amongst bulbous plants, and although they do not
last a long time individually, they nevertheless follow each other so
rapidly that the plants are scarcely ever without flowers during the
summer months. The coloured picture will convey a far better idea as to
the colouring and blotching of the flowers than any printed description.
There are other varieties of _T. Pavonia_ besides the one shown on the
Plate. Perhaps the best are _grandiflora_, very large and brilliant;
_conchiflora_, yellow blotched with purple; _Wheeleri_, deep red; and
_alba_, pure white spotted with purple.
The Tiger Flowers are natives of Mexico, and therefore cannot be grown
successfully in the open air in all parts of the kingdom. In the mildest
parts, however, the bulbs may be left in the ground during the winter
months, care being taken to protect them with leaves, litter, &c.,
during severe weather, or from heavy cold rains. In less favoured spots,
where they nevertheless blossom out of doors in summer, the bulbs may be
taken up about the end of October when the foliage has withered, and
they may then be stored in frost-proof places in sand until the
following April or May. Whenever the bulbs are lifted the offsets should
be detached to increase the stock. The warmest, most sheltered, and
sunniest spot in the garden is obviously the best place for Tigridias.
In addition to this the soil should be a well-drained sandy loam
enriched with old cow-manure and leaf-soil. During active growth, and
especially in the hot dry seasons, it is necessary to keep the plants
well-supplied with water, otherwise the results are likely to be the
reverse of satisfactory.
=TRITONIA.=--This genus contains a handsome group of plants with
fibrous-coated corms, like those of a Gladiolus, but much smaller. The
plants formerly known as Montbretia are now also included in this genus,
but the corms in some cases (e.g., _M. crocosmiaeflora_) have slender
creeping rhizomes, from which new corms are developed by the end of the
season. The leaves are more or less like those of a Gladiolus, but
somewhat narrower, and often curved, while the showy blossoms are borne
in slender graceful spikes, that are very useful for cutting.
Only a few species and their numerous varieties are cultivated in the
open air, being either massed in bold clumps in the ordinary flower
border or rockery, or as beds by themselves in the grass. Being natives
of South Africa, warm, sheltered, and sunny situations, and a light
loamy soil, enriched with leaf-soil or well-decayed manure, naturally
suit them best. Although perfectly hardy in all except the bleakest
parts of the kingdom, the kinds mentioned below are best taken up and
replanted each year or two in the spring time. It is not, however,
essential to lift the corms in the autumn and store them in sand except
in very cold parts where protection would be troublesome perhaps. A
glance at the drawings on p. 26 will show the reader that offsets are
freely produced, and in this way the kinds are most easily propagated.
The kinds most suitable for open air culture are: _T. crocata_ (formerly
known under the names of _Ixia_ and _Gladiolus_) grows about 2 feet or
more high, having broadly sword-shaped and curved leaves, and spikes of
yellow or orange-coloured blossoms in June and July. There is a good
deal of variation in the colour, some varieties being much paler or
darker than others, and spotted with red, yellow, or brown.
_T. crocosmiaeflora_, better known as _Montbretia_, is a graceful and
popular garden plant, really a hybrid between _Crocosma aurea_ (see p.
67) and _T. Pottsi_. It grows 2 to 2-1/2 feet high, and resembles a
small Gladiolus in foliage. The brilliant orange-red blossoms appear in
great profusion from July onwards to October or November, and are always
attractive when grown in bold masses. There are numerous varieties of
it--one, _Etoile de Feu_--being shown on Plate 27, fig. 102; others
being _Germania_, _Globe d'or_, &c.
_T. Pottsi_, also better known perhaps as a Montbretia, grows 3 to 4
feet high, having narrow tapering sword-like leaves, and bright yellow
funnel-shaped flowers suffused with red. They are borne in gracefully
nodding spikes from August onwards, and exhibit great variation in
colour and markings according to the many varieties that are now in
commerce. The plant known as _Tritonia aurea_ is described in this work
as _Crocosma_ (see p. 67).
PLATE 30. CRINUM MOOREI (109) TIGRIDIA LILACEA (110)
=TULBAGHIA violacea.=--A pretty little South African plant with narrow
leaves and slender spikes of violet-purple flowers, as shown in Plate
32, fig. 113. This species seems to be hardy in the Thames Valley and
milder parts, but must be grown in large quantities to produce anything
like an effect. It grows well in ordinary well-drained garden soil.
=TULIPA= (_Tulip_).--Although the days of the ridiculous Tulip craze of
the seventeenth century have happily passed away, the love of Tulips has
increased by leaps and bounds, and thousands are now cultivated where
formerly dozens or hundreds were tolerated. Whether grown in lines or
circles in formal beds, in irregular clumps in the flower border or
rock-garden, or naturalised on grassy banks, Tulips constitute one of
the most pleasing and brilliant features in the garden during the spring
and early summer months. Indeed, one can hardly imagine what the garden
would be like at this period of the year without the beauteous forms and
glorious tints of the Tulip. The well-known brown-coated bulbs, 1 to 2
inches in diameter, are now so cheap that they come within the reach of
the most modest purse, and there is no reason why Tulips should not be
found in every cottage garden in the kingdom.
The culture of the Tulip is quite as easy as that of the common
Daffodil. There is one important difference, however, between the Tulip
and the Daffodil. While the latter likes partial shade, the Tulip enjoys
plenty of sunshine, and shelter from bleak winds. Any good garden soil
that has been deeply dug, and enriched with well-decayed manure some
time previous to planting will produce fine blossoms. In the open air
the bulbs should be planted about 4 inches deep, and not more than 6,
even in bleak localities, as a safeguard against frost. The best time
for planting is from the beginning of September to the end of October,
and care should be taken when planting formal beds to see that the lines
are perfectly straight, and the bulbs buried at a similar depth
throughout. To secure the latter result a blunt dibber may be used,
marked at the required depth with a cross-piece nailed on, or a piece of
hoop iron that can be slid up or down to any particular depth. In this
way, and by planting each bed with the same variety, uniformity in
height, colour, and period of flowering will be secured. In vacant
spaces in the flower border and rock-garden, such formality would be out
of place, and in such positions mixed Tulips produce a more natural
effect.
Although effective in themselves, the beauty of Tulips is greatly
enhanced by planting them in beds that are already carefully arranged
with such plants as Wallflowers, Polyanthuses, Primroses, Pansies, or
Violas, Dwarf Saxifrages, Double White Arabis, (_A. albida flore
pleno_), Yellow Alyssum (_A. saxatile_), Forget-me-Nots, Aubrietias, and
such like plants that blossom about the same period and make an
effective screen to hide the ground between the blue-green leaves of the
Tulips. In arranging combinations, it is as well to have the Tulips and
carpet plants arranged so that the colour of the one shall be quite
distinct and in lively contrast with that of the others.
Thus White Tulips may have Yellow Arabis, Primroses, Polyanthuses, &c.,
beneath them. On the other hand, red Tulips should not be mixed with red
Wallflowers, although they look remarkably effective with yellow ones.
And so on, more or less in accordance with the principles laid down at
p. 38.
For the benefit of those who take up their Tulip bulbs each year (when
the flowers have withered being usually the earliest period for this
operation) it may be as well to mention, that the bulb that is lifted
about midsummer, is not the same as that planted in autumn. Indeed it is
quite a new bulb altogether, and, as a rule, contains all the elements
necessary for the production of leaves and blossoms the following
season. The Tulip bulb planted in autumn is used up in the formation of
leaves and flowers, that are produced in early summer. Whence then comes
the bulb that is taken out of the soil when the flowering period is
over? It has been made out of the raw material that has been assimilated
by the leaves under the influence of sunlight. Very often there is more
than sufficient food for the formation of a large flowering bulb, in
which case the surplus food is converted into offsets at the base of the
large bulb. These offsets, if planted and grown on for two or three
seasons in specially prepared beds of light soil, will develop into
flowering bulbs. They should, therefore, never be thrown away as
useless.
=Seedling Tulips.=--Besides offsets (some of which drop several inches
below the parent bulb, and are called "droppers.") Tulips may also be
raised from seeds if one has the requisite patience and convenience.
When seeds are required, the old plants must of course be left in the
soil until the seed capsules have thoroughly ripened. The seeds should
be sown very sparsely in drills, in carefully-prepared beds of light
soil, and may be left undisturbed for about five or seven years, until
the first flowers appear. Of course weeds must be kept down regularly,
and to facilitate this operation, the seed beds should not be more than
4 or 5 feet wide, and the drills quite a foot apart.
The first flowers of a seedling Tulip are called "Breeders" or "Mother
Tulips" and are of one colour throughout, although the seeds may have
been saved from beautifully pencilled or flaked blossoms. When a
"breeder" Tulip develops markings of a different colour, it is said to
"break" or "rectify." Such rectified flowers are then divided into two
groups, (_a_) those with a pure white centre, base, or ground, and (_b_)
those with a pure yellow centre.
The white centred flowers (_a_) are again divided into (i) _Roses_, the
flowers of which are various shades of pink, rose, scarlet, crimson,
cerise, &c., and (ii) _Bybloemens_, the flowers of which display various
shades of lilac, lavender, violet, purple, brown, purple-black, &c.
The yellow-centred flowers (_b_) are called _Bizarres_, with various
shades of orange, scarlet, crimson, purple-black, brown, &c. These
various classes of "rectified" Tulips have the petals either "feathered"
or "flamed." A "feathered" Tulip has the petals beautifully pencilled
and feathered round the edges only; while a "flamed" Tulip differs in
having bright streaks, bands, or flames of a distinct colour shooting up
the centre of each petal from the base, and forking out towards the
pencilled and feathered margins.
Only specialists in what are called the "florist's Tulip," however, take
a keen delight in drawing these distinctions.
There are some hundreds of varieties of Tulips enumerated in
nurserymen's catalogues, but it is unnecessary to grow many of them to
make an effective display. The following--arranged according to the
predominating colour--may be regarded as a good selection for planting
in the open ground in autumn:--
=Single Varieties for Planting Out.=--_Red, Scarlet, Crimson, and
Pink._--Artus, Bacchus, Belle Alliance, Couleur de Cardinal, Crimson
King, Duc Van Thol, Pottebakker, Proserpine, Rose Luisante, Rose Gris de
Lin. _Orange, Brownish, and Terra Cotta._--Cardinal's Hat, Duc Van Thol,
Leonardo da Vinci, Prince of Austria, and Thomas Moore.
_Yellow._--Bouton d'Or (Plate 9, fig. 37), Canary Bird, Chrysolora, Gold
Finch, Golden Crown, Mon Tresor, Pottebakker, and Yellow Prince. _White
or Blush._--Albion (or White Hawk), Jacht van Delft, White Swan, Grand
Duchess, Joost von Vondel, La Reine, Immaculee, and Pottebakker. _Purple
and Violet._--Moliere, Purple Crown, President Lincoln. _Red, Pink,
Rose, or Violet, with White._--Bride of Haarlem, Cottage Maid, Couleur
ponceau, Standard Royal, Wapen van Leiden, Picotee (Plate 9, fig. 36).
_Red and Yellow combined._--Brutus, Duchesse de Parma, Keizerskroon.
=Double flowered Tulips.=--_Scarlet and Crimson combined._--Imperator
Rubrorum, Rex Rubrorum, Rubra maxima. _Pink and Rose._--Couronne des
Roses, Murillo, Raphael, Rose d'Amour, Salvator Rosa. _White._--Alba
maxima, Grand Vainqueur, La Candeur, Rose blanche. _Red and Yellow
combined._--Duc Van Thol, Gloria Solis, Tournesol, Princess Alexandra.
_Orange or Yellow._--Tournesol, Yellow Rose, Miroir.
=Parrot or Dragon Tulips.=--These remarkable looking flowers are
supposed to be descended from the curious green and yellow-striped _T.
viridiflora_. The petals are cut and jagged into all kinds of peculiar
shapes, while the colours are chiefly a mixture of reds, crimsons,
greens, and yellows.
PLATE 31. BELLADONNA LILY (111) DIERAMA PULCHERRIMA (112)
=Darwin Tulips.=--These are a very popular class of self-coloured Tulips
derived from _T. Gesneriana_. They are in fact "breeder" Tulips referred
to on p. 134. The individual blossoms are large and cup-shaped, and are
borne on stalks 1-1/2 to 2 feet high. There are numerous named varieties
(for which a catalogue should be consulted), but a mixed collection will
give a grand display, the colours being shades of apricot, yellow,
carmine, rose, pink, crimson, maroon, and white.
With the Darwin Tulips may be associated what are known as the "Cottage"
or "May Flowering" Tulips--vigorous kinds with tall stems and fine large
flowers, that are admirably adapted for the decoration of the garden.
For vases, bowls, &c., they are also excellent.
=Natural Species or Wild Tulips.=--Apart from the almost innumerable
florists' varieties of Tulips, keen interest has been taken of late
years in the cultivation of the natural species of Tulip which are found
growing wild in various parts of South Europe, Asia Minor, Turkestan,
&c. There are quite a large number of these natural species now to be
had, but the cream of them may be said to be _Gesneriana_, _Greigi_,
_macropsila_, and _Oculus Solis_, all with scarlet or crimson blossoms
and black blotches at the base. Other useful kinds for bedding out or
for naturalising with Daffodils, Bluebells, &c., are _Eichleri_,
_fulgens_, _Hageri_, _macrostyla_, _maculata_, _Didieri_,
_Ostrowskyana_, _planifolia_, _lurida_, _undulatifolia_, _suaveolens_,
all with bright red or deep crimson blossoms except _suaveolens_ which
is bordered with yellow. Yellow flowered kinds are _australis_ (Plate
10, fig. 40), _Batalini_, _flava_, _Billietiana_, _galatica_,
_neglecta_, _retroflexa_, _sylvestris_, _strangulata_ (speckled and
streaked with red), _viridiflora_ (with broad green band down the
centre), _Sprengeri_ (petals tipped with red), and _Kolpakowskyana_.
Apart from their value in the garden, Tulips are also popular as cut
flowers. As most of them produce their blossoms on sturdy stems 1-1/2 to
2-1/2 feet high, they are easily picked, and when bunched in vases with
foliage, or grasses, or even by themselves, they add a luxurious
appearance to any apartment.
The great mistake many make in picking Tulip flowers is that they gather
them often in the middle of the day when the petals are wide open,
especially if there is strong sunshine. In the expanded state the
blossoms do not last very long. They should therefore be picked either
early in the morning or late in the evening, when the petals are closed
in over the stamens and ovary in the centre. There is no need to
actually _cut_ the stems. By holding them close to the ground and giving
a staccato pull upwards, they come away easily from the bulb, and
possess the advantage of being a few inches longer than those cut with a
knife or scissors.
=WATSONIA.=--Although popularly called "Bugle Lilies" the Watsonias
really belong to the Iris family. They have fibrous-coated corms,
stiffish, ribbed, sword-like leaves, and more or less funnel-shaped
flowers. They are indigenous to South Africa, and may be grown in the
open air under much the same conditions as Ixias, viz., warm, sheltered
spots, and in light sandy soil. In the mildest parts of the kingdom the
corms may be left in the ground during the winter, if necessary, but
they should be protected in severe weather with litter, &c. In less
favoured spots, it is safer to lift the corms in autumn when the leaves
have withered, and store them in dry soil or sand until the spring.
The varieties depicted on Plate 27, figs. 99 to 101, show some of the
most graceful kinds. _W. Meriana_, fig. 99 (also known as _Antholyza_)
has several varieties including a scarlet one (_coccinea_), a white one
(fig. 100), and a pink and white one (_rosea-alba_), which bear their
blossoms during the summer months on stems 2 to 3 feet high. _W. rosea_
resembles a Gladiolus in appearance, and indeed was once known as _G.
pyramidatus_. It has several forms, including _angusta_, shown in the
plate (fig. 101). Perhaps the most charming variety of all, however, is
the beautiful _Ardernei_, the large pure white blossoms of which always
attract attention owing to their purity and delicacy (Plate 26, fig.
96).
As a pot plant for conservatory decoration, _W. Ardernei_ is very
valuable, owing to its graceful appearance. In the open air it requires
warm, sheltered, and sunny positions, and a rich sandy soil.
=ZEPHYRANTHES= (_Zephyr Flower_).--Beautiful plants with small
brown-coated bulbs about an inch in diameter, from which spring narrow
leaves and rather large funnel-shaped flowers, only one, however, on
each stem. There are only a few species that may be grown in the open
air in the mildest parts of the kingdom. The soil cannot be too well
drained, and should consist of a rich sandy loam, while the position
should be the warmest and most sheltered in the garden. The kinds most
likely to succeed are _Atamasco_, a native of the damp woods and fields
of Virginia. The flowers shown on Plate 29, fig. 106, are at first pure
white, but become tinted with pink or purple. _Z. candida_, the "Swamp
Lily" of La Plata, has pure white blossoms, as shown on Plate 32, fig.
114, as have also _Treatiae_ and _tubispatha_, while _carinata_ and
_rosea_ both have rose-coloured flowers. The average height of these
kinds is about a foot, and they may be increased from offsets or from
seeds. At one time the Zephyr Flowers were grown in warm greenhouses,
but experience has proved that they are much hardier than was at first
supposed.
PLATE 32. TULBAGHIA VIOLACEA (113) ZEPHYRANTHES CANDIDA (114) CRINUM
POWELLI ALBUM (115) LYCORIS SQUAMIGERA (116)
ENEMIES OF BULBOUS PLANTS.
Bulbous plants are subject to the attacks of various insect and fungoid
pests in the same way as other plants are, and steps should be taken to
free the plants from them whenever they appear, or to prevent them
appearing at all.
It is easier to carry out the latter recommendation when insect enemies
only are to be dreaded, but it is quite another matter with fungoid
diseases, the presence of which is only revealed when they have reached
the "fruiting" or spore stage, and have already done a certain amount of
mischief.
=Wireworms, Grubs, &c.=--When a soil is infested with any of these
pests, the gardener may be almost sure to find his choicest roots or
bulbs eaten by them. He should, therefore, take the precaution to have
the ground turned up, if possible, some time before planting, so that
these pests may be brought to the surface and exposed to the keen eyes
of the "birds in the air" who are always on the watch for any choice
morsels that are likely to improve their voices.
It would not be safe, however, to trust altogether to the natural
enemies of these pests who are usually endowed with keen powers for
evading their attacks. It may be necessary, therefore, to lay traps of
pieces of potato, carrot, parsnip, or any fleshy and enticing material
in their haunts, and examine them regularly. A piece of stick thrust
into these substances will make a convenient handle for lifting them up
for examination. The best time of course to catch the enemy is when he
is dining off his piece of potato, parsnip, or carrot. He and his
friends should then be led forth for execution beneath the weight of the
foot, or into a bucket of boiling water, or in any other way that the
ingenious reader may devise. The main thing, however, to bear in mind is
that the enemy must be _killed_ without mercy or remorse. And no matter
how ruthlessly he is persecuted, it will be found each season that there
are still some of his family left to carry on a guerilla warfare against
the gardener and his plants. So that one must be really always on the
watch for attack, and, like a wise general, be ready to meet it, or
spoil it altogether.