ROCK GARDENSBulbs in Rock Gardens 2Bonemeal is a good artificial manure for bulbs, and should be dusted round them at the rate of two ounces to the square yard; and thoroughly forked in in February; an equal amount of superphosphate may, with advantage, be added. No attempt should be made to remove leaves or flower-stalks until they have withered and decayed to such an extent that they may be pulled away by a very slight effort. The long sword-like leaves of crocuses, hyacinths, etc., should be neatly plaited together, to obviate untidiness of appearance, and should be allowed to remain until they are quite decayed.
The dead flowers
ought to be cut off just below the spike
of bloom, unless it is wished to save the
seed. This holds good for all bulbs that
have a woody or strong flower stem. Bulbs
have a tendency to rise to the surface, parch
the roots. especially corms, for in the crocus
and gladiolus, though not in the cyclamen,
the new corms are formed every year on the
top of the old ones, which perish. Most of
our spring bulbs are far more beautiful when
viewed in their natural surroundings among
the grass and in the meadows, woodlands,
or wild garden than when planted, however
naturally and artistically, in borders. Most
of them, too, especially daffodils, crocuses,
and scillas, do much better in this natural
state than in beds or borders where they
are constantly being disturbed. Do not plant
them on lawns, as the grass cannot be cut
until the leaves of the bulbs have turned
yellow and dried up. Another word of caution:
do not plant daffodils in pastureland, as
they are poisonous to cattle. The bulbs are
best planted in long, narrow, oval strips
some thirty to forty feet in length, shaped
like patches of snow driven by the wind into
long slender drifts on the ground. They should
be scattered on the grass over an area shaped
as above, so that they lie thicker towards
the centre of the "drift," and
should be planted with a trowel or bulb planter
just where they fall. There should be no
regular, well- defined margin to the "drift," the
edges should be indistinct and gradually
merging into the grass. August and September
is the best planting time; smaller bulbs
like the crocus and scilla should be set
some three inches apart, while daffodil bulbs
should have about ten inches between them. |
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