THE PLANTING OF FALL BULBS
The time for planting of hardy perennials and shrubbery is optional
with the gardener, many things doing quite as well when planted at one
season as at another, but in the planting of spring blooming bulbs less
latitude exists; these must be gotten into the ground in fall if any
measure of success is desired. The handling of this class of plants is
one of the luxuries of gardening, as they come all ready to commence
root growth, but in a perfect dormant condition, and may be gotten into
the ground very much at one's convenience, and regardless of weather;
the earlier they are planted the stronger root growth they will be able
to make before the ground freezes, which makes for stronger bloom in
the spring.
Crocus, scillas, narcissi, daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and the like
may be planted from the time they can be procured from the florist
(which is usually in September) until the ground freezes. They will
grow and bloom to perfection in any good, well-drained garden soil,
providing it is not infested by moles and ground mice but beware of
these, as they seem to possess an insatiable appetite for bulbs and
once they have entered a bed will seldom leave it until they have
exhausted its resources.
I recall that a few years ago I planted, in an empty canna bed on the
front lawn, some five hundred choice, named tulips. The following
spring just three tulip plants appeared above ground—the moles having
destroyed the other four hundred and ninety-seven. In the flower garden
where other hundreds of bulbs had been used to border beds of hardy
perennials, they fared somewhat better, the greater part coming up, but
many had been destroyed and still others carried far from the place of
their planting, coming up as much as three feet away in the middle of
paths and in sod.
One of the most satisfactory ways of using tulips is to plant them
as a border to beds of perennials or shrubs, setting them in single,
double or triple rows, along the edge and leaving them to ripen and
increase from year to year; in this way one gets the greatest good
at the least expenditure of time and space. When they are planted in
beds by themselves it is customary to lift them when through blooming
and to heel them in some out-of-the-way spot until the tops have died
when they may be lifted and stored in paper bags until time to plant
out again in the fall. This leaves the beds free for summer annuals
or bedding plants. If it is not desired to lift them, then one may
sow seed of some annual of light root growth such as the myostis or
forget-me-not, the schizanthus, pansy, verbena, or phlox Drumondii, as
these plants will not interfere with the maturing of the bulbs and the
protection afforded them from the heat of summer will be of benefit.
The soil for any variety of bulbs should be rich, mellow and thoroughly
well drained and it is better in planting any but the smallest bulbs
to remove a few inches of the top soil and having leveled off the
surface mark it in straight lines from side to side each way so that
the lines cross each other and set a bulb at each intersection of the
lines. For tulips the lines should be five inches apart each way and
for hyacinths seven inches. Where solid beds of hyacinths or tulips
are planted small bulbs, such as crocus, scilla or winter aconite, may
be used for filling in the spaces between with charming effect. White
crocus and blue scillas are especially dainty, or the lovely ixias may
be used but in this case the beds must be very carefully protected
against the cold and covering removed with discretion in the spring.
Narcissus, daffodils, jonquils and all that family appear to better
advantage when planted in long double or triple rows and should be set
a foot apart each way and about four inches deep. These bulbs increase
by forming new bulbs in a circle around the old bulb and should be
allowed abundant room to increase and once planted should not be
disturbed until they have become too crowded to bloom well.
Crocuses are never so lovely as when studding the green of the lawn
in early spring and this is the simplest form of planting, it only
being necessary to lift a bit of sod with a trowel, slip a crocus bulb
underneath and press the sod back above it. Plant them informally,
singly, in groups. Scatter them freely about with the hand and bury
them where they fall. There is one precaution, however, to be observed
in this system of planting—the lawn-mower must be withheld in spring
until the crocuses have matured their leaves or there will be no
flowers the following spring.
All spring bulbs profit by a liberal application of _old, well-rotted_
manure but this should be either spaded deep in the beds below where
the bulbs will set or used as a top dressing after the soil removed
before planting has been replaced and not allowed to come in contact
with the bulbs. Manure is not only harmful in itself but it is also
the home of the little white wire worms so injurious to all bulbs and
especially to lilies, and almost always when bulbs are found to be not
doing well the trouble will prove to be either worms or poor drainage.
A part of the winter covering of all bulb beds should be lifted as
soon as growth starts in the spring as a stockier, stronger growth
results but the finer portion should be left and in case of such tender
bulbs as ixias that removed may be kept handy to replace in case of an
unusually cold snap.
Many of the miscellaneous bulbs offered by the florists are desirable
when grown in well established groups, but lack effect planted singly
or in too small groups. One of the loveliest of summer-blooming bulbs
is found in the anthericum or St. Bruno's lily. These should be set
in colonies in the hardy border where they may remain undisturbed for
years. Plant about three inches deep and four inches apart. Alliums,
chinodoxia, and bulbs of this class need grouping to be at their best,
otherwise they are apt to appear rather straggly. I like to see bulbs
colonized among the shrubbery and the edge of evergreens where they
appear at their best in the early days of spring and do not seriously
interfere with the use of the lawn-mower later on.
[Illustration: _An effective treatment of ramblers_]