STORAGE-ITEfl "lACMILLAN LP1-C20C U.B.C. LIBRARY Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from University of British Columbia Library http://www.archive.org/details/tulipsjacoOOjaco EDITED BY R. HOOPER PEARSON MANAGING EDITOR OF THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE A LIST OF VOLUMES IN THE SERIES IS GIVEN ON THE NEXT PAGE Tresent-Day Qardening List of Volumes in the Series. 1. SWEET PEAS. By Horace J. Wright, late Secre- tary and Chairman of the National Sweet Pea Society. With Chapter on "Sweet Peas for Exhibition" by Thos. Stevenson. 2. PANSIES, VIOLAS, AND VIOLETS. By William Cl'thbertson, J. p., and R. Hooper Pearson. 3. ROOT AND STEM VEGETABLES. By Alexander Dean, V.M.H., Chairman of the National Vegetable Society. 4. DAFFODILS. By the Rev. J. Jacob, Secretary of the Midland Daffodil Society, with Preface by the Rev. W. WiLKs, M.A., Secretary of the Royal Horticultural Society. 5. ORCHIDS. By James O'Brien, V.M.H., Secretary of the Orchid Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society. 6. CARNATIONS AND PINKS. By T. H. Cook, Head Gardener to Queen Alexandra at Sandringham ; James Douglas, V.M.H.; and J. F. M'Leod, Head Gardener to Mr. J. Pierpont Morgan. 7. RHODODENDRONS AND AZALEAS. {The first popular z'olume published on this subject.) By William Watson, A.L,S., Curator of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, with Preface by Sir Fred. W. Moore, M.A., A.L.S., V.M.H. 8. LILIES. By A. Grove, F.L.S., with Preface by H. J. Elwes, f.R.S. 9. APPLES AND PEARS. By George Bunyard, V.M.H., Chairman of Fruit and Vegetable Committee of Royal Horticultural Society. ID. ROSES. By H. R. Darlington, Vice-President of National Rose Society. (Double volume.) 11. IRISES. By W. Rickatson Dykes, M.A., L.-^s-L. With Preface by Professor I. Bavley Balfour, D.Sc, F.R.S., ifc 12. ANNUALS, HARDY AND HALF-HARDY. By C. H. Curtis, Hon. Sec. of the National Sweet Pea Society. 13. CHRYSANTHEMUMS. By Thomas Stevenson, with chapters by C Harman Payne and Charles E. Shea. 14. TULIPS. By the Rev. J. Jacob. (The first volume on Tulips in the English language.) 15. THE ROCK GARDEN. By Rkginald Farrer, Author of "Among the Hills," "My Rock Garden," "In a Yorkshire Garden,' <^c. These will be followed by volumes on Dahlias, Climbers, Trees and Shrubs, Paeonies, Primulas, Window Gar- dens, Cucumbers, Melons, Bedding Plants, Hardy Herbaceous Plants, Ferns, Tomatoes, Bulbous Plants, Peaches and Nectarines, Vines, Stove and Greenhouse Plants, &c. PLATE I {^Frontispiece) MRS. COLLIER DR. HARDY mips PREFACE My task is done. After the lapse of ever so many years, another TuHp book^ will soon seek the suffrages of the garden world. Here and there the innate fire of an enthusiast's heart has broken through the hard crust of conventional writing, for I am intensely fond of the flower. Its barbaric magnificence, no less than its superb refinement of colour and marking, appeals to me. I have lingered longer than perhaps I ought upon its historical past, but to me the intellectual and the cultural sides of its life are inseparable. I have tried to tell in a readable manner what I know of its requirements as a denizen of our Western gardens ; but alas ! no one knows his limitations better than the writer himself. Still, with all its faults of commission and omission, I trust there will be a sufficient residue of fact and suggestion re- maining to make this effort of love of practical utility to those who think highly of this glorious Eastern flower and wish to grow it. JOSEPH JACOB. September, 191 2. ^ This book on the Tulip being the first published in English, Mr. Jacob has had to contend with the usual difficulties of the pioneer. He has surmounted them, and his efforts have been well seconded by Mr. Waltham, to whom we owe the beautiful photographs. — Editor. CONTENTS CHAP. I. Introduction . PAGE I II. Chronology and Bibliography 2 III. The Tulip Mania 9 IV. Problems .... 12 V. Vocabulary i6 VI. Divisions of Tulips . 21 VII. Early Single Tulips 23 VIII. Early Double Tulips 28 IX. Cottage Varieties . 31 X. Darwins 39 XI. Rembrandt Tulips . 46 XII. Late Double Tulips • 47 XIII. Parrot Tulips . 48 XIV. Species of Tulipa 50 XV. The Florist Tulip . 54 XVI. Culture under Glass 65 XVII. Culture in the Open Air 71 XVIII. Tulip Combinations . 86 XIX. Tulips with other Plants 91 XX. Propagation and New Varieties 96 XXI. Diseases 103 XXII. Selection of Varieties . 106 Index .... 113 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PLATE I. Dr. Hardy and Mrs. Collier . II. T. PR^STANS {Tubergen) III. SuzoN AND Mr, Farncombe Sanders . IV. Beauty of Bath and Carnation V. Prince of Austria and Fred Moore VI. Schoonoord VII. Sir Harry and Solfatare . VIIL Euterpe and Frans Hals . Frontispiece pa(;e 14 . 26 42 . 58 • 74 . 90 TULIPS CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION In the present volume my first object is to provide a practical manual of tulip culture, suitable to the needs and inclina- tions of present-day gardeners. Hence, although there is a great deal of historical, literary, and scientific interest centred round the tulip, I am com- pelled by the limitations of the series in which this book is to find a place, to do little more than point out their exist- ence. One exception I must make. The summer madness of the Dutch in the first half of the sixteenth century is such an unique episode in the history of a flower, that I feel there must be many who will desire to know some details about it. To this subject I propose to devote the whole of a rather long chapter. Another chapter must perforce be taken up with a chronological table of the chief events in the history of the flower since it first became known in Western Europe in 1554 ; while, in a third and shorter one, I will state in as concise a manner as possible some at least of those absorb- ing problems which are, as it were, the advanced arithmetic of the tulip student. As the writing time of this brochure coincides with a somewhat unexpected and phenomenal rise in the prices of both Cottage and Darwin varieties, but especially of the latter, 1 make no apology for devoting a larger space to their A 2 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING consideration than I might otherwise have thought desirable. That they will prove to be the twentieth century tulips there is not a shadow of doubt. Twenty-five years ago they were practically non-existent ; to-day their importance is greater than that of any other type, and neither the brilliance of the mid-Asian importations nor the exquisite refinement of the florist varieties can vie with them in popular estimation. My plan for the second or practical part of the volume is as follows. First, to define certain terms which are or have been current coin among tulip connoisseurs ; then to take each type of flower in turn, describe it, suggest the purposes for which it will be found to be most useful, and finally to give a list of the better varieties which are grouped under that particular head. Then, secondly, 1 shall describe the ditTerent ways in which tulips may be grown, and give directions about their cultivation. Thirdly, propagation and ailments will be discussed; and lastly, there will be lists of the best varieties suitable for the different purposes of a house and garden. CHAPTER II CHRONOLOGY AND BIBLIOGRAPHY In this chapter I have set out some of the principal incidents in the history of tulips commencing with the year 1554. Vear. 1554. With the possible exceptions of such species as T. sylvestris and T. celsiana, tulips were unknown in Mid and Western Europe up to this date. Augerius Gislenius Busbequius, ambassador of the Emperor Ferdinand, noticed some tulips in a garden between Adrianople and Constantinople. 1559. The Swiss botanist Gesner saw some tulips in flower in Councillor John Henry Herwart's garden at Augsburg. CHRONOLOGY & BIBLIOGRAPHY 3 Year. 1561. The first picture of a tulip of which we have any record was pubUshed in Gesner's edition of TAe History of Plants by Valerius Cordus. 1562. A merchant at Antwerp receives "a cargo" of bulbs from Constantinople (Martyn's edition of Miller's Dictionary). 1 57 1. Introduction of tulips into Holland {History of Plants by C. Clusius, 1601). 1582. A few years before this date tulips were introduced into England (Hakluyt's Voyages). 1597. Publication of Gerard's Herbal. He says his "loving friend Master James Garret " has been twenty years experiment- ing to find out the number of varieties (of tulips); "all which to describe particularlie, were to roule Sisiphus stone or number the sandes." 161 1. Tulips first flowered in France in the garden of Fabri de Peires, " conseiller de Parlement de Provence." 16 14. Publication of the Hortus Floridus by Crispinus Passeus the younger, a celebrated engraver. In the full edition there are many figures of striped (that is " broken ") tulips. These must be some of the first illustrations of the flowers that eventually came to be called *' Florist tulips." 1629. Parkinson in his Paradisus enumerates about one hundred and forty varieties, thereby showing that tulip culture had gained a firm foothold in England. 1634-37. Period of the Tulip mania in Holland. 1637. The first edition of '' f Samenspraecken" (Anglice, Conversa- tions) pubUshed at Haarlem by Adrian Roman. The book purports to give a dialogue between two weavers, Waermondt and Gaergoedt. It is from this publication that we have got the greater part of our knowledge of how tulip sales and speculations were carried on in the days of the mania. The author is unknown. 1643. Second edition of f Samenspraecken, with numerous addi- tions. 1654. Publication of Le Floriste Francois by de la Chesn^e Mon- stereul. This is an exhaustive work in French dealing PRESENT-DAY GARDENING Year. entirely with the tuUp from a horticultural standpoint. It is, I believe, the first horticultural monograph ever published. The curious frontispiece of this very rare work is reproduced on page 5. The author's estima- tion of the flower may be gathered from the following extract from the beginning of his first chapter : — "Comma Ton voit qu'entre les Animaux I'Homme a la domination ; entre les Astres le Soleil tient le premier rang ; et entre les pierres precieuses le Diamant est le plus estimable ; ainsi il est certain qu'entre les fleurs la Tulipe emporte le prix, comme le sujet ou la nature influe toutes ses beautes et I'instrument sur lequel elle fait voir aux yeux du monde les plus beaux ornemens dont son divin Autheur I'a enrichie." 1665. First double tulip noted. 1665. The celebrated English florist John Rea published his Flora seu De Fiorum Cultura. One hundred and eighty- four varieties of tulips are noted in his lists. 1690. Parrot tulips first noted. 1710. The Tat/er (No. 218, August 31, 1710) ridicules a supposed tulip maniac of the day. It makes the owner of a tulip bed, which was two yards wide and twenty in length, say to a visitor, that he valued that bed of flowers " more than he would the best two hundred acres of land in England." 1734. A third edition of f Zamenspraecken published as a warning against a hyacinth mania, of which there were symp- toms. 1760. Traite des Tulipes first published at Avignon by le Pfere d'Ardene. (2nd edition, 1765.) This and Le Floriste Franfois are the two classical works of olden time. Much valuable information can also be gained from the English translations of Van Oosten {Dutch Gardener, ist edition, 1703) and Van Kampcn {Dutch Florist, ist edition, 1763). The large space devoted to tulips in both these works is very eloquent, but in the latter it is to be noted that the tulip has to some extent given place to the hyacinth. Cesl LAmour stui fit mt Culhut^ JIt PkoJfut enruJtit mts fleun SD'un nomhrt tnfim de. ceuUura L.une. trunc laulrc j'lus vtfue 'Prtnant It Pur JcJ Htmcntfi J)*^ H o I— t H < P^ DARWIN TULIPS 43 leaf because such cutting does not injure the bulb in the least. So many excellent varieties are now available that I have had the greatest difficulty in confining my list to fifty. Had I in- cluded those with yellow bases, such as Lucifer and Clio, my list most certainly would not have stopped where it has. This leads me to again say that I regret very much the wrong nomenclature which is now almost universally to be seen in catalogues. The original strain did not include bizarres, and it seems to me to be entirely wrong to put them into it now. I only hope Messrs. Krelage and Messrs. Barr will steadily refuse in the future, as they have done in the past, to list any yellow-based tulip as a Darwin. LIST OF FIFTY DARWIN TULIPS The numbers immediately following the name refer to the pages and sections of the Colour Chart {Repertoire des CouleurSf Libraire Horticole, Paris, 1905). Some of these numbers have been supplied by Mr. Rudolf Barr, to whom my thanks are due for his kind help ; some are my own. They purport to give the outside shade of the petals, but as so much de- pends on the age of the flower when gathered, and the light in which each one is examined, I cannot claim anything more than approximity for them. Where we have each done the same flower, in some cases, as in Professor Rauwenhof, we agree exactly ; in others, as in Suzon, we seem rather far apart. I hope, however, the references will be found useful, and that they may serve as a basis for future observation. Dark Shades Faust (191.1), purple-maroon. Frans Hals (185.4), deep reddish-purple. Jubilee (189.4), rich blue-purple. Morales (185.3), deep purple, with bloom on exterior. 44 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING Velvet Kmg (185.4), royal purple. Za?isibar {I'ji.^), deep, glossy maroon. Zulu (193.4), purple-black, very tall. Deep Crimson and Red A uber {G'x^sy Queen) (172.4), rich claret. Harry Veitch (165.3), dark blood-red. King Harold {16^.2), deep rich crimson. Millet (165.2), dark maroon-crimson. Mrs. Potter Palmer (174.2), red-purple. Raphael {I'^i.T,), dark reddish-claret ; a deep shade of Mrs. Potter Palmer. Pink and Rosy Pink Clara Butt (119.1), delicate rose-pink. Edmee (157.4), rosy-cherry, edged blush. Fanny (150.3), pale rose. Flamingo (150.1), pink. Haarlem (168.2), salmony-rose, edged pale pink. La Fiancee, similar to Edmee, but paler and earlier. Prince of the Netherlands (167. i), magnificent rosy-carmine with a paler edge. Stizon (7.4), or dark part (157.1), rosy flesh, edged flesh. Yolande (Duchess of Westminster) (119.2), salmon-rose, paler margin. Purple Marie (189.4), ^^'^^Y blue-purple, tall grower, long flower. The Bishop (189.4), true purple, round flower; rather late. Viking (189.4), medium height, intense violet. Mauves Bleu aimable (189.1), lovely vase shape, bluish-heliotrope ; extra. Crdpuscule (186.3), rosy-mauve. DARWIN TULIPS 45 Electra (175.2), silver-rosy lavender, very pale edge. Erguste (187.2), deep heliotrope ; a dainty flower. Euterpe (195. i), mauve with paler edge ; very beautiful. Mauve Clair (175.1), petals flamed reddish-mauve, with pale blush edge. Melicette (180.1), distinct open-shaped flower, rosy-mauve. Rev. H. Ewbank (188.3), silvery-heliotrope. Slaty-Lilac La Tristesse (188.3), very tall, slaty-blue, edged grey. Ronald Gunn (189.3), rather late, slaty-purple, with curious light tips to the petals as they are expanding. Reds Ariadne (116.4), brilliant red. City of Haarlem (115.3), dull, blood-red; very hand- some. his ( 1 13.3), fine tall scarlet. Madame Bosboom Toussaint {1^6.^, rose, distinct. Mr. Farncombe Sanders (iii.i), rosy-crimson. Orion (110.3), a very bright red, nearly scarlet. Pride of Haarlem (116.1), old rose colour. Prof. Raiiwenhof {116.2), rosy-crimson. Sieraad van Flora (157.2), tall, bright rosy-red. Tara (168.4), ruby-red. William Pitt (114.1), crimson. White and Pale Shades La Candeiir (5.4), nearest approach to pure white. Margaret (7.2), rosy-blush, nearly w^hite outside. 46 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING CHAPTER XI REMBRANDT TULIPS These are broken or rectified Darwins. Except that they are taller and larger, they very much resemble the " Flamandes " or " Baguettes " of the French florists. Nantes has for many years been a centre for their cultivation, and, through the kindness of my friend Monsieur E. Gadeceau, I have grown some of the best varieties. I agree with what he says in his last letter whether we ought not to consider them "comme des Darwins d^gencries ou malades, comme il vous plaire." Of late years I have made a practice of marking and picking out all the broken ones amongst my Darwins, and I put these all together and plant them as a mixed bed. I like the bewildering medley of colour. To my eyes, it is a very effective and no mean substitute for that ideal glory of colour — a bed of modern English florist tulips well cultivated, well protected, and well arranged. " Not in Nature is there anything to compare with beds of such flowers seen as only they can be appreciated in the sunlight." Named varieties of Rembrandts are now to be had, and, as a sign of the times, I may mention that I was asked at the International Horticultural Exhibition by the head of a very well known Yorkshire firm of nurserymen to "write up Rembrandts." He was beginning to be asked for them, and in consequence he was introducing them into gardens with the happiest effects. Among the best I may mention (the descriptions are Krelage's) — Anne Mary, feathered and flamed lilac. Gretchen, vivid red on soft pink ground, white flame. Marco Spado, fiery red on white ground. LATE DOUBLE TULIPS 47 Quasimodo, crimson striped. Semele, large flower, vivid pink feathered. Victor Hugo, deep crimson flamed. CHAPTER XII LATE DOUBLE TULIPS There is nothing much to say about late double tulips except that nowadays the section is a very small one, and that they are of no use under glass. Out of doors I have grown a few from year to year, but thev have seldom been a success. A great many " ifs " have to come off before they do what they are expected to do when planted. They produce im- mense blooms, and after rain or wind it is no uncommon thing to go out and find many of the heads snapped off. In the most favourable circumstances it is as much as they can do to hold themselves erect. If they had stems like walking- sticks it would be another matter, and they would be more popular. There is no doubt Bleu Celeste (Blue Flag) is a lovely shade of pale (or faded) blue-purple, and in sheltered positions is well worth growing. I always like the crimson and white striped Mariage de ma Fille for its quaint markings and old associations. This section flowers at the same time as the earliest of the Cottage tulips. I recommend them only to be used as clumps in herbaceous borders. Our climate is too uncertain to allow them very often to do themselves justice in large beds, where so much of the effect depends upon the soldier-like precision of the ranks of blooms and where many vacancies spoil everything. In a clump, unless it is part of a formal row, failures are not so con- spicuous. 48 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING The following are some of the best varieties : — Bleu Celeste (Blue Flag), very tall ; pleasing shade of pale purple-blue. Count of Leicester, deep yellow. La Belle Alliance, a bybloemen, white ground feathered and striped with purple. Mariage de ma Fille, crimson and white stripes. Rose Pompon, pale yellow with red stripes. Yellow Rose, tall, yellow self. CHAPTER XIII PARROT TULIPS *' Parrots " have been in existence for ages. At their first appearance people looked askance, and, as was the case with the doubles, called them "monsters." In all old books they are delegated to a low position in the tulip hierarchy. It is extremely interesting to note that all the old varieties are bizarres. As I feel quite certain that any type of early or late tulip ^ may take on the spurs and lacerations which are characteristic of the parrots, it is not a mere chance that such is the fact. The probability is that those who tolerated bizarres went a little further and admitted parrots. At least they did not do to them what Alphonse Carr's auricula * I have seen the Early single Eleanora become quite a parrot in Zavanenberg Nurseries, Holland. The first break was in 1906. I saw the stock in 1908. Messrs. Barr & Sons offer Sensation which came as a break in a bed of an old Dutch breeder tulip, Reine d'Espagne. Mr. J. Duncan Pearson wrote me that in 19 1 2 he noticed signs of parroting in Gesneriana major and Margaret (Darwin). I noticed myself a Yellow Prince showing unmistakable signs some three or four years since at one of the exhibitions, and I have had Darwins develop spurs on the petals every now and again in my own greenhouse. PARROT TULIPS 49 fanciers did to the pin-eyed auriculas — "crushed" is his one word of comment. The bizarre people, who were the Flemish, preserved the strange new monsters, for their taste for novelty was tickled. From them we have probably got our parrots, and their French names seem to support this view. These quaintly-shaped flowers look well in clumps, although they are a little top-heavy. They may also be grown in pans or boxes for cutting, as there are many high-up positions in a room where they look very well indeed ; but they must not be forced, and they need not be put in the dark like the earlies. An effective and rather uncommon way of growing them is in hanging baskets of wire or wood. Thickly moss all round the exterior of the receptacle, and fill the inside with a retentive soil of half leaf-mould and half good fibrous loam and sand. Place the bulbs so that some will grow through the sides and some out of the top. The basket can be started as an ordinary pot, care being taken to stand it on something so as not to flatten the bottom too much. A flower pot does very well for the purpose. When a few inches of growth have been made, it must be suspended in a greenhouse or winter garden and kept well watered, especially in hot, windy weather. So treated, each one will make a very pleasing object, the great uncouth and ragged blooms hanging down in charming confusion and displaying their quaint colouring and weird shapes. The best parrots are as under : — Amiral de Constantmople, scarlet and deep yellow. Cafe Brun, reddish-brown and yellow. Cramoise Brillant, blood-red. Lutea major, yellow. Markgraaf vail Baden, orange and red. Perfecta, golden-yellow, with some deep red splashes. Sensation^ purple and white ; an excellent novelty. 50 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING CHAPTER XIV SPECIES OF TULIPA Hitherto I have only described "garden forms," but side by side with these in gardens there have generally been a certain number of wild species : very few, it is true, com- pared with the vast number of the others, but still they were there, and there they have been since the days of Gerard and Parkinson. It is a moot point if T. syhestris is truly wild in England, but it has long been a denizen of our gardens. Other old inhabitants are the charming little Lady Tulip {T. Clusiana), the "Sun's Eye" {T. oculis solis), and possibly T. suaveolens, figured by Gesner, the supposed parent of the early race of Due van Thols. These all came to us over three hundred years ago. Then there was a long inter- regnum, and, if we are to trust old works on horticulture, species of Tulipa must have become practically unknown to British gardens, for Miller (1732) does not allude to them in his Dictionary, nor Maddock (1792) in his Florist's Directory y nor Loudon in his monumental Encyclopcsdia in 1822. An interesting sidelight is thrown upon this disappearance by what Mons. Charles Malo (1821) says in his Histoire des Tulipes about T. Clusiana. He there speaks of its introduc- tion or reintroduction into Parisian gardens by M. Robert, a Toulon botanist, and a M. Amoureux, who sent it to M. Cels under the name of T. cypriani. What gave a lift up in popular estimation to the natural species was the opening up of Central Asia about thirty to forty years ago, and the explorations there of the Russian botanist Regel, who found and sent home many prizes, including T. Greigii and T. Kaufinanniana. Later still, the SPECIES OF TULIPA 51 expeditions organised by C. G. van Tubergen, junr., of Haar- lem, added more magnificent flowers, including T. Fosterzana, T. ingens, and T. prcestans (Tubergen). These Eastern species, combined with the much discussed NeotuHps of Northern Italy and Savoy, provide a diversity of size and shape that we miss in the garden forms. The origin of these latter (Neotulips) is very difficult to determine. Their mysterious appearances and disappearances in well- known places have occupied the attention of several Euro- pean botanists. Solms-Laubach {Weizen und Tulpe, 1899), Chabert {Bull, de la Soc. Bot. de France, vol, xxx., 1883), Fiori {Malpighia, vol. viii., 1894, and vol. ix., 1895), and Levier {Bull, de la Soc. des Sc. nat. de Neufchatel, vol. xii., 1884) have all written upon the subject and treated it very fully. As I have said elsewhere (page 84), the sudden flower- ing of tulips in my own churchyard at Whitewell this last spring, after the hot summer of 191 1, may have some bear- ing upon their curious behaviour. These must have been there upwards of ten years ; and until now have practically been without a flower since the year or two after they were first planted. With the exceptions of T. mauriana, some of the T. Billietiana varieties and T. Kaufmanniana, I do not think any are very well adapted for beds. They are uncertain in their time of flowering, or rather I should say that it seems to be impossible to get any large number to bloom all at the same time. I imagine we have to depend very largely on newly collected bulbs. This would account for it. I fear that most of these grand new species from Turkestan, Bokhara, Persia, and elsewhere will not be found to be good doers. Few make any offsets ; even such as T. Huifolia and T. Batalinii increase very sparingly, although they seem fairly at home. With me the best of the big, gorgeous-flowered ones are T. prcestans (Tubergen) and T, Eichleri. I have a whole lot which 52 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING I have left undisturbed for two years, and it is from the behaviour of these that I say what I have done about these species. Among the smaller species, T. linifolia, T. Batalznii, T. dasystemon, T. pulchella, T. prhnulina, and T. persica are the most satisfactory. I have seen T. persica forming the edging of a border, where it has been left undisturbed for some years, doing very well. T. dasystemon does excellently, and increases. Its golden centre is very striking. Tulips like the T. Billietiana series, T. mauriana, T. mar- jolletii, T. elegans (a doubtful species), T. Didieri, T. Didieri alba, T. slrangulata, and T. primulina may be treated exactly like the Cottage and Darwin tulips. They are just as satis- factory to grow, and seem to have taken kindly to our gardens. The purposes, then, for which the majority of the species of Tulipa are most especially fitted are clumps of greater or lesser size in herbaceous borders and the rockery. In the latter, colonies of T. linifolia would be very bright, and, given well drained, light rich soil, ought to succeed if left alone. T. dasystevion the same. Isolated specimens of such species as T. Greigii and T. Fosteriana would be very effective. The following is a list, with a very short description of the best and most satisfactory species : — Billietiana. — Soft yellow flushed carmine, after Golden Crown. The variety Illuminator is the tallest, largest, and highest coloured form of this species. Clusiana. — A slender plant, with white flower flushed with rose externally ; deep claret base. Dasystemon. — White with a large yellow centre; dwarf, many flowered. Didieri, — A charming, slender-looking plant, with a long, slender, crimson flower. Didieri alba. — Pure white. SPECIES OF TULIPA 53 £"zV^/m (Caucasus). — A magnificent crimson-scarlet flower. Fosteriana (Bokhara, 1904). — Almost vermilion ; some have dark bases, and some pure yellow. G^r^^^w (Turkestan). — A large flame-red flower, with a dark base bordered with yellow ; leaves spotted. Kaufmanniana. — Palest primrose ; many have great flames of carmine on the exterior of the petals, and some of the same colour round the pale yellow base. It is called '* Water Lily Tulip." An early flowerer. The variety aurea is a grand deep-yellow flower, whilst coccinea (Turkestan, 1900) is vivid scarlet with a yellow base. These two last varieties are very mag- nificent in full sunshine. Linifolia (Central Asia). — A dwarf grower, with a widely open flower of sealing-wax red, and well defined, black base. Marjolletii, — Slender-growing, pale yellow, exterior of petals rosy at the base ; excellent for cutting. Mauria7ia. — A grand, bright-red flower with yellow base ; very lasting, an excellent doer. Oculis soils (S. France). — Bright red, bordered yellow, black base. Perslca (Persia). — Dwarf, yellow and golden-bronze. Prcestans (Tubergen) (Bokhara, 1902). — Brilliant vermilion, several flowers on a stem ; foliage light green and downy. Primullna (Algeria). — Pale primrose. Pulchella. — Very dwarf, brilliant lake-red. Sprengeri. — Very late ; brilliant scarlet. Strangulata primullna. — Sulphur-yellow ; very effective and pretty. Sylvestrls. — Bright yellow. 54 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING CHAPTER XV THE FLORIST TULIP To write a full historical account of the development of the florist tulip from its earliest beginnings in the days prior to the celebrated period of the tulip mania until the present time would be a very lengthy performance. In pre-Parkinson days in England — that is, before 1629 — technical colloquial names were given to the different markings of the petals, and we read of Dukes and Princes, and " Fooles Coates " and " Fooles Cappes/' thereby showing that the attention of tulip growers was directed to the varied markings of the flowers, so much so, in fact, that for convenience of reference these special names were coined. In France, too, before de la Chesn^e Monstereul wrote Le Floriste Franqois (1654), similar appella- tions must have been in vogue, for we find in this work the " broken " ones divided into Paltots, Morillons, Agates, and "les plus bells de toutes," Marquetines, or, even more esteemed still, the " Marquetrines," with four or five colours in their petals, each one clear and well defined. Much the same happened in Holland. The variations were noted and a process of selection kept going on. Chapter XXII of the Dutch Gardener (English translation, 1703) is headed " What Tulips are esteemed to be the best," and it begins "about this, all Florists are not of one mind, for some esteem the Violets striped with white. . . . Others prize the Bissants, yet both are to be esteemed, and a florist ought to be provided with both of them." It ends " Yet every one has his Darling, and a Man's Mind is his Kingdom." Confining myself to the changes that have taken place in our own island, after Parkinson we come to John Rea (1665). In his Flora we have a long list of Prxcoces and especially of Mcdias, but few THE FLORIST TULIP ^^ "Serotina." The diversity in the markings is noted, but no definition of the properties which go to constitute a fine tulip, "Agot/' "Pass," and "Widow" are amongst the technical terms used, and " besides these, there are many pretty new flowers which arise from good self colours, which the French call Bizars and we French Modes." A third edition was published in 1702, but beyond a number of names being added to the Medias, there is no important change and no desideratum described. The earliest definition of a florist tulip that I have been able to find is that contained in Philip Miller's Gardener's Dictionary, 1732. It is so important that I give it in full. They are, as he says, "the Properties of a good Tulip, according to the characteristics of the best Florists of the present Age. i. It should have a tall, strong stem. 2. The Flower should consist of six leaves, three within and three without ; the former ought to be larger than the latter. 3. Their Bottom should be proportioned to their Top, and their upper Part should be rounded off, and not terminate in a Point. 4. These Leaves, when opened, should neither turn inward nor bend outward, but rather stand erect, and the Flower should be of a middling size, neither over large nor too small. 5. The stripes should be small and regular arising quite from the Bottom of the Flower ; for if there are any Remains of the former self coloured Bottom, the Flower is in danger of losing its Stripes again. The Chives should not be yellow, but of a brown Colour. When a Flower has all these Properties, it is esteemed a good one." During the eighteenth century French and Dutch desig- nations crept into British nomenclature. Whitmill, in his Gardener s Universal Kalendar, published in 1765, mentions Bagats, "tall flowers, white and purple marbled. Agates, shorter flowers, veined with two colours," and Beazarts, " which have four colours tending to yellow and red of several sorts." 56 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING Justice, 1764, who took special interest in Dutch bulbs, divided them into " Baguets, Bybloemens, which are a sort of Baguets, and into Bisards." Thus we see Dutch and French names for the divisions coming into use. In Maddock's Florist's Directory^ I792» "Agates" have dropped out, and "Roses" (omitted by mistake in this edition ; see page 22, 2nd edition, 1810, edited by S. Curtis) have been introduced. The divisions are now " i. Primo Baguets ; 2. Baguet rigauts ; 3. Incom- parable vcrports ; 4. Bybloemens ; 5. Roses ; 6. Bizards. The first four have white bottoms or grounds and the bizards have yellow grounds." Thus we get a definite classification of the types of flower as it holds good to the present time, namely, Bybloemens, Roses, and Bizarres (see the schedules for the Royal National Tulip Society's shows). To show the advance that had been made since Miller first published his Dictionary, I now give the properties as we find them in Maddock (ist edition, page 67): — "The stem should be strong, elastic, and erect, and about 30 inches above the surface of the bed. The flower should be large and composed of six petals ; these should proceed a little horizontally at first and then turn upwards, forming almost a perfect cup, with a round bottom, rather widest at the top. The three exterior petals should be rather larger than the three interior ones and broader at their base ; all the petals should have perfectly entire edges, free from notch or ser- rature ; the top of each should be broad and well rounded ; the ground colour of the flower at the bottom of the cup should be clear white or yellow ; and the various rich coloured stripes, which are the principal ornament of a fine tulip, should be regular, bold, and distinct on the margin, and terminate in fine, broken points, elegantly feathered or pencilled. "The centre of each leaf or petal should contain one or more bold blotches or stripes, intermixed with small portions PLATE V PRINCE OF AUSTRIA FRED MOORE THE FLORIST TULIP 59 of the original or breeder colour, abruptly broken into many irregular obtuse points. Some florists are of the opinion that the central stripes or blotches do not contribute to the beauty and elegance of the tulip unless confined to a narrow stripe, exactly down the centre, and that they should be perfectly free from any remains of the original or breeder colour ; it is certain such appear very beautiful and delicate, especially when they have a regular narrow feathering at the edge ; but the greatest connoisseurs in this flower unanimously agree, that it denotes superior merit when the tuhp abounds with rich colouring, distributed in a distinct and regular manner throughout the flower, except in the bottom of the cup, which it cannot be disputed should be a clear, bright white or yellow free from stain or tinge, in order to constitute a perfect flower." One can get a good idea of what an up-to-date tulip was like about the year 1800 from a fine plate in Thornton's Temple of Floj-a, which was published in 1799. Towards the year 1830, and for the next ten or twelve years, we find there was a tendency to be more strict in insisting upon evenness of the markings, the substance of the petals, and the purity of the base. Some of the celebrated flowers of this date are illustrated in Sweet's Florist's Guide, 1 828-1 832. Some ten years afterwards — that is about 1840 — George Glenny, the "flower dictator," began to publish his celebrated Properties of Flowers. One by one all the best known and most widely cultivated plants of the day came under his notice, and he laid down arbitrary laws for their improvement. I suppose no one ever did more than he did to determine the directions in which so many flowers should be developed. Naturally he did not omit the tulip, and he framed twelve points, which must each one be satisfied by a good flower. The main differences to be noticed between him and Maddock are : — I, The form and shape of the flower itself ; 2, Quartering 6o PRESENT-DAY GARDENING prohibited ; 3, The even disposition of the colours or mark- ings ; 4, Unbroken feathering ; and 5, The behaviour of the beam. Many were the disputes which arose between Northern and Southern growers and exhibitors over some of these propositions. It was impossible to find flowers that fulfilled them all, and as a consequence people had to be content with the imperfect. It so happened that the Southern people valued most highly a good cup and a clear bottom, while the Northern growers insisted that the flaming and feathering of the petal were more important. The shape of the beam and the delicacy or heaviness of the feathering were also points which divided them. The establishment of the Royal National Tulip Society in 1849 did much to bring the Northern, Midland, and Southern growers together, and to remove the differences that existed. I am unable to give the date of John Slater's Amateur Florist's Guide, but I imagine it must have been published somewhere in the early fifties. In it we find a still further development of the necessary properties. The form of the cup or flower, the shape of the individual petal, the purity of the filaments, the homogeneity of the ground colour, the regularity and continuity of the feathering, the evenness of the branching of the beam, and the actual shade of colour of which the marking is composed are all considered important factors in the make up of a first-rate florist tulip. The latest writers on the qualities that an ideal flower should have are the Rev. F. D. Horner (who died July 1912), Mr. J. W. Bentley, Mr. A. D. Hall, and Mr. C. W. Needham. From The English Tulip and its History, published in 1897 by Messrs. Barr & Sons, we learn the desirable qualities of a modern flower. They are not so very different from those laid down by Slater, but there are advances — for example, in an ideal feathered bloom, the feathering must be entirely confined to the edge, the marking must be the same both on the inside and the outside of the petal, the colours must be more brilliant, THE FLORIST TULIP 6i the beam must be distinct and " not broken by intrusive ground colour, and the branches must be fine and distinct, allowing the ground colour to be seen between them," and they must " unite gracefully with the feathering on the edges." I fear even now the non-florists will hardly comprehend all these details, and the difference they make in a modern flower compared with one of sixty years ago. I can only suggest a visit to the National Tulip Show in London any spring when the opportunity occurs. Few realise the refine- ment and exquisite loveliness of the florist tulip, and the uninitiated scoff — but then they do not know. It was not a very good show in 1912. The season had been a very trying one ; and on the show-day the light was fitful and the tulips missed that final touch to their loveliness which only comes from the sun's rays. The R.H.S. Hall was full of a wealth of bright bloom, but to a certain few there was nothing there but these tulips. The show tulip is an essentially British product, thought out and brought to its present perfec- tion by a long line of raisers of our own country, including Clarke, Strong, Lawrence, Goldham, Gibbons, Slater, Hardy, Hepworth, Ashmole, Dymock, Horner, Lloyd, Thurstan, Barlow, Bentley, and Hall. I would like to dwell on the history of its cultivation, but space forbids. The tulip cabinet is as ancient as the hills. The necessity for protection when in bloom has been for a very long time well known. There is a picture of a tulip shade in the frontispiece of L'Ecole du Jardinier flcuristey in 1764. The dates for planting and lifting are solemn seasons, observed from old time almost as if they were red-letter days in the ecclesiastical calendar. The method of committing the bulb to the ground is a sort of sacred rite. In a word, the orthodox planter of to-day does as his fathers did in very many ways, but not in everything. One seldom sees 62 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING nowadays the old tent wherein the raised bed or beds were protected from the inclemency of the weather, and where seats were provided for the " curious " visitors. A movable glass light now does duty. It protects the growing plants from frost, and later on the flowers from wind and rain. The drainage of the bed is attended to more carefully, and if necessary it is raised six or eight inches above ground level. But four feet wide and seven rows of bulbs are still the practice, and if possible the soil is changed. Gross feeding has been abandoned. The culture of the florist tulip is extremely simple. Good drainage, good but not rich soil — protection from frost, hail, and wind ; care in lifting and storing. I had a visit this last spring from Mr. C. W, Needham, and he told me I was growing my florist tulips "all right." I treat them exactly as I treat my others (see chapter on Cultivation), with the one exception that I cover them with lights in good time in April. It is practically a glass um- brella that I put over them, for the sides are only protected with " coir screening," which is a very open net made of cocoa-nut fibre cord, and allows a free current of air to pass through all the time. On the brightest days I throw a light shade over the top of the glass for six hours when the sun is hottest. The lights are fastened to wooden supports four feet clear from the soil, formed of good, strong posts and with cross pieces nailed to the top, running along both sides of the bed. Immediately the flowers are over, they are removed. I have already said that the florist divides his tulips into Bybloemens, Roses, Bizarres, and Breeders. When a tulip breaks it may become either feathered (generally written fr.) or feathered and flamed (generally written fid.) ; thus we may have a Rose fr. and a Rose fid. ; a Bizarre fr. and a Bizarre fid. ; a Byblcemen fr. and a Bybloemen fid. We also get a liyblcumen breeder, a Rose breeder, and a Bizarre breeder. THE FLORIST TULIP 63 These nine divisions, grouped in various ways or taken singly, compose the schedule of the Royal National Tulip Society. No, I am wrong. For the last four or five years two or three classes have been provided for Darwins and May-flowering tulips, and the Council of Management enlarged to include representatives of growers of the last types. I look forward to a time when the lion will lie down with the lamb — when there will be an adequate representation of all sections at a great show where the oriental magnificence of the garden forms will be a contrasting foil to the quieter glory of the English type; and when its "feast" day will be as an important one in the Gardener's Calendar as its younger rival the Rose Show is to-day. I have spoken of breaking. Two breeders of the same variety may break differently, one may become feathered and the other flamed and feathered. As they have broken, so they will remain, every offset repeating the marking of its parent. We thus can have a flower in three conditions — e.g. Sir Joseph Paxton. It is a Bizarre, and we have it as a breeder, a feathered, and a flamed. To have a variety good in the three conditions is rare, for more often than not we only have it in two, like Dr. Hardy and Modesty, or only in one, as Glory of Stakehill. It is a strange fact that the brightest coloured and most pleasing breeders do not as a rule give the best and most beautiful rectified flowers. The reverse is usually the case. Again a breeder may break into a feather, but that par- ticular break may be a bad one, or it may be a good one. As the original character of the break is retained in the offset, which in turn becomes the flowering bulb of the succeeding year, it is important to know if we are getting a good strain when we get a new tulip. The name is not everything, we must have the additional information about its strain. To produce the finest show blooms there are many little details of culture which must be attended to, and which no book can 64 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING teach. It is impossible to tell the exact richness of any particular soil except by practical experience. We have to learn what, if any, artificial drainage is necessary. Intuition born of close observation has to tell us the psychological moment at which to cover the buds. And even then, such is the inconstancy of the flower, the most skilled grower can never be sure of what he will get in any particular year. The well-behaved plant of several seasons may suddenly "go wrong," while others which he had spared for the last time last year have given him unexpected surprises. " In short," to quote J. W. Bentley in The English Tulip, "it may be said that it is the bewitching combination of anticipation, disappointment, and unexpected delights which makes tulip- growing so fascinating to its votaries." The Royal National Tulip Society publishes a full list of all the flowers shown in the various classes in its annual report, and from these a selection may be made by anyone wishing to increase their stock ; but, as one name will be the same as another to a beginner, I append a list of a small collection which, if acquired, will serve as a nucleus for a more extended one. Messrs. Barr & Sons are, I believe, the only dealers who list these florist varieties. If, however, a new member has any difficulty in procuring what he wants, a letter to Mr. Peters, the genial Honorary Secretary (W. Peters, Farcet House, Cambridge), will result in his being put on the right way to get them. Feathered. Talisman. Trip to Stockport. Bessie. ByblcEmens Flamed. Talisman. Duchessof Sutherland. Chancellor. Geo. Edward Scho- field. Breeder, Talisman. Ashmole's seedling 126. Eliz. Pegg. CULTURE UNDER GLASS 6S Feathered. Annie M'Gregor. Mabel . Mrs. Collier. Modesty. Sir Joseph Paxton. Masterpiece. Wm. Annibal. Roses Flamed. Annie M'Gregor. Mabel. Madame St. Arnaud. Bizarres Sir Joseph Paxton. Sam Barlow. Dr. Hardy. Breeder. Annie M'Gregor. Rose Hill. Mrs. Barlow. Sir Joseph Paxton. Goldfinder. Alfred Lloyd. CHAPTER XVI CULTURE UNDER GLASS The purposes for which tulips are grown under glass fall under two main heads — i, the providing blooms for cutting, and 2, the decoration of the greenhouse or dwelling-house by means of plants in pots. I propose in this chapter to deal with both purposes in some detail. PART I HOW TO GROW BLOOMS FOR CUTTING For very early flowering, say in mid January or a little later, special means have to be taken to obtain good results. The great difficulty the private grower has to contend with is, how to get a long enough stem to make the flowers of use for either table or room decoration. Early-flowering varieties such as La Reine, Rosamundi, Huyckman, Fred Moore, and E 66 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING Yellow Prince are alone suitable for the purpose, and some of these, even if treated in the ordinary way as pot plants, would fail to give satisfaction. Very many of them are naturally dwarf growers, as anvone may see who pays a visit to the neighbour- hood of Haarlem and Hillegom when the early flowers are in bloom. So much is this the case that it is quite possible for any one to know (say) Cottage Maid under glass quite well and yet not to recognise it in the open, and vice versa. The problem of the long stem is all-important. To amplify and substantiate my own procedure, I have paid visits during the early part of this year to certain establishments where tulip forcing is carried on in a very large way ; and I wish here to acknowledge my indebtedness toMessrs. Victor and Thomas Page of Hampton, and to Messrs. Lowe and Shawyer of Uxbridge, for receiving me as they did and so kindly giving me much valuable information. Tulips before the 12th to 15th of January are much too ticklish a crop for me to advise anyone but the most experienced to attempt it, and the market gardener who is meditating taking up this branch of the cut-flower trade should proceed most warily. The necessary factors for success are large, well-ripened bulbs, early boxing or potting from the end of September onwards, a temperature of say from 65° to 70° until the buds are just beginning to show colour, and then a slight drop until they are cut, and, what is most important, a heavy shade during the whole of this period. As soon as the tulips are boxed they must be stood outside and covered to the depth of about two inches, partly to keep the soil moist and encourage root growth, partly to exclude frost, and partly to begin the drawing-up process. One tirm told me they used Lily of the Valley roots. Any medium will do, provided there is nothing in it to start any fungus growth. Then the September planted bulbs may he intro- duced into heat about the 5th to the loth of December. CULTURE UNDER GLASS 67 Different varieties require different treatment (thus Yellow Prince requires more heat than Fred Moore), but these details will be found out by practical experience. It is enough for me to put growers on their guard. The shading used is fairly heavy. What we locally call wrappering, or coarse stuff that very rough aprons are made of, is about the best thing. It is only in large places where tulips are required in con- siderable quantities that the foregoing treatment would be practical. In establishments of ordinary size good use can be made of any solid staging which has hot-water pipes under it, and where the front can be closed in so that the bulbs will be in almost total darkness. I have grown Due van Thols (scarlet), Proserpine, Yellow Prince, Duchess of Parma, Rose luisante. Prince of Austria, and others in this way, and have had most satisfactory results. I flowered some Due van Thols on January 26, 1912, with stems 9I to io| inches high, that had been boxed just a month, while in other cases the period was from six to seven weeks. All these were planted in the ordinary way and at once put under the staging, and, beyond keeping them dark and sufficiently moist, they gave no trouble whatever ; the blooms lasted pretty well, but perhaps not so long as if they had been brought on more slowly. When tulips are not required until February and early March, there are a considerable number of " any fools " varieties, as Mr. George Sawyer very happily called them, which are bound to do well ; such are Fred Moore, Duchess of Parma, and Prince de Ligny. These are improved with a little heavy shading during the early part of their growth, but it is not necessary, as they naturally develop good stems under glass. When we come to March and early April there are two or three "Cottagers" that will give good blooms. Isabella is one of the very best of all tulips for mild forcing, if such it 68 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING can be called. The rosy-pink, widely feathered edge on a groundwork of deep cream is a lovely combination, and it is deservedly one of the popular favourites with my visitors. Golden Crown is another variety to note. But the tulips for this period of the year are the Darwins. It has been found during the last few years that many of them are quite amen- able to this form of culture, I have had surprisingly good results myself, and I do not hesitate to advise anyone who can afford the room always to grow some under glass. The treatment I pursue is simple. I box or pot the bulbs at the beginning of October, and place them in a cold frame, from which frost can always be excluded. In the last week of January or the first in February, I bring a first batch into a cool house, which varies between 45° at night and 55° by day, and bring them slowly along, giving as much air as possible and staking when necessary. In ten days' or two weeks' time a second lot is introduced, and by this means I get a good succession of bloom. A list of some of the best varieties is given on page 107. For forcing for cutting it is not necessary to be too particular about the soil — any soil will do if it is fairly light and porous. Bulbs may be planted an inch apart, or in the case of the large-growing Darwins an inch and a half. The bulbs need only just be covered. I am disposed to think that varieties which have a long, hard, pointed brown skin are all the better for it being taken off before planting. We are inclined to imagine that growers of a hundred and fifty or two hundred years ago were a little fussy and pedantic with all their minutiae of planting directions ; but I have long since come to the conclusion they were not such old fussers after all, but that there was generally some fire with their smoke. From what I have been recently told, this question of the outer skin being removed before the bulb is put into the ground or potted is one to which we might give more attention. CULTURE UNDER GLASS 69 PART II HOW TO GROW PLANTS IN POTS OR BOWLS There is really not very much to say about the cultivation of tulips in pots. The ordinary routine treatment of forced bulbs suits tulips very well. If I make any difference in the soil, it is that I try to make it rather more retentive of moisture, but at the same time I am careful to keep it as porous as possible. I put more leaf-mould in my mixture than I would for daffodils or hyacinths. Tulips like plenty of water, but they don't care for it to be stagnant. The two greatest difficulties I find are the provision of a suitable plunging medium and the getting some varieties long enough in the stem to look well. If possible, I would not plunge them at all. In my own case it is not essential, as I have sufficient frame room, which I can shade heavily until roots are formed. Then to draw up the varieties that need it, such as Proserpine, I place the pots under the staging of the greenhouse where the pipes are never very warm, and where I can conveniently darken it with mats for a short time when they are first brought in. During the period the pots are in the frames I give abundance of air both night and day, and I am careful not to let the soil get soaked. It is almost unnecessary to mention that the pots should never be allowed to become frozen at any period. When bulbs are growing in the greenhouse, and especially during the time they are under the staging, they are liable to be attacked with green fly. A sharp look-out must be kept, and either syringing or fumigating resorted to immediately any signs of the pest are seen. With regard to the growing of all bulbs in bowls — that is, receptacles without any holes for drainage at the bottom — I have, after a considerable number of experiments, come to the 70 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING conclusion that it matters very little what it is that is used to fill them with. I have had splendid results from employing ordinary light garden-soil, common coarse white sand, ox: finely broken up peat (peat-moss litter) — just as good as I have ever had from using the most expensive made up "fibre." This method of culture I never recommend to anyone who can get good soil. But as there are many cases where it is impossible to get it, a substitute becomes a necessity. I feel, however, that I must warn those who are not accustomed to grow bulbs in bowls that tulips are the most difficult of all to manage, and that they need particular attention if the best results are to be attained. Cultural details are now given in so many bulb lists that it is unnecessary for me to say more on this subject beyond this, that if tulips are decided upon I should advise a first trial with the "easy" ones, such as Scarlet Due van Thol, Yellow Prince, Vermilion Brilliant, White Hawk, Brunhilde, Rose luisante, and Prince of Austria. A pleasing and rather uncommon way to utilise Parrot tulips for conservatory or winter garden decoration is to grow them in wire baskets suspended from a roof. The receptacle should be lined with a thick layer of living moss, and the middle filled with a light compost. Plant some to come out of the sides and others to grow out of the top. Start them in a cold frame, placing the baskets on inverted pots, and sus- pending them as soon as the growth requires it. The stems are naturally rather weak in proportion to the bloom they carry, and it will be found that they hang down, and if the basket is high enough up to look under the tulips, the tout-ensetnble^\\\ be most effective. Darwin tulips do very well in pots if they can have cold frame treatment and not be put into heat until the second or third week in February. The temperature should not be above 50° to 55° by day, nor below 40° at night. To get the most enjoyment out of them, put the pots on the Hour CULTURE IN THE OPEN AIR 71 of the greenhouse when they are in bloom arranged in a group. In this way it will be possible to see the beautiful bases which otherwise would be out of sight. Pots of any size may be used provided the number of bulbs used is in proportion to the diameter of the pots. It is very important to realise that there is a happy mean between overcrowding and niggardliness. It is the hitting this off that adds so much to the effectiveness of all tulips in pots. I put three earlies in a 5-inch pot ; five in a 6-inch ; six or possibly seven in a 7-inch, twelve in a lo-inch, and so on. This is quite thick enough. Whether it be tulips or any other flower, I like to see something of the green leaves with which Nature has endowed them as well as the flowers. Another important factor in the look of a pot is its height. A few years ago I made the acquaintance of dwarf pots, or in the large sizes what may be called deep pans, and I have found them to be such an improvement on the old, taller ones that now I invariably use them. Another little detail that counts for something is the form of support. Last winter I used a wire arrangement made by Allwood Brothers. It was originally intended for Carnations, but it is equally good for tulips. It takes the form of a wire circle supported on a central stick, and it is very easily and quickly put off and on, and looks neater than sticks and raphia. CHAPTER XVII CULTURE IN THE OPEN AIR From questions which are frequently asked, I think that I cannot be too simple or explicit in explaining the details necessary or conducive to success in the open. As the results which I attain at Whitewell are certainly very 72 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING satisfactory, I have decided to explain the methods which are practised here, mentioning as occasion requires diver- gencies which in certain other circumstances may be found useful. My soil is on the stiff side, and when it is damp weather it is what old James Green used to call "loving stuff." " Because it so sticks," he used to say. Many a time when he has finished "puning" a post, he has had a good shovelful on each boot. Hence my aim has constantly been to make it more porous and not so " loving." To do this I have incorporated, at various times, dead leaves, strawy cow manure, peat-moss litter broken up fine, and last, but far from being the least important, I have topdressed with slacked lime at the rate of about a ton and a half of lime to an acre. The longer I garden, the more do I believe in lime. It is the fairy godmother for most soils. It makes heavy soil lighter, and light soil more retentive. It is the key of nature's store cupboard. It sweetens the sourest and most in- fested of soils. To tulips lime seems peculiarly welcome, and they show their liking for it in the heightened colour which they develop. I have often expressed to Messrs. Clark and Co.'s representative at the Spring Shows at Vincent Square my surprise and admiration for the wonderful colouring of their chalk-grown flowers from Dover. The tulip is a very hardy bulb, and frost neyer hurts it as long as it is safe below ground, and it would never hurt its leaves and stem were they allowed to thaw gradually without any sun falling upon them. For this reason I find, speaking in a most general manner, that tulips which are planted in higher ground which is not so subject to spring frosts, always do better and get less " fire " in their foliage than those grown on lower ground which is more exposed to them. In certain years the contrast is very great, and almost has to be seen to be believed. Sometimes with more favourable PLATE VI SCHOONOORD ^ CULTURE IN THE OPEN AIR 75 weather it does not seem to make much difference, but these occasions are the exceptions. PLANTING Time of Planting. — If tuHp bulbs are kept in a dry, dark, and fairly airy place, they will not show any inclination to make roots until November, and but few will have made any top growth. If they have, they are not much, if any, the worse, and may be planted with the utmost confidence if the young growth has not been bruised or broken off. I endeavour to get all my best bulbs in the ground between say the 20th of October and the 15th of November. Lord Mayor's Day (November the 9th) has been from " time immemorial," so to say, the ideal planting time of the old fanciers. But I have so many bulbs to put in that I am forced to extend the period, and one year I planted up to the week before Christmas, and although the ground was then just like mortar, as it had been excessively wet for weeks before, I never had a better show than in the succeed- ing spring. On this occasion they did not mind the condi- tion of the soil in the very least, but I do not recommend what I did then as a practice to be followed. Far better wait a bit after wet weather until the soil is again in a fairly dry condition. Different soils require different periods in which to dry, so I can lay down no hard and fast rule how soon one can plant after rain. It is all right when the soil does not clog the spade or trowel. The foregoing directions apply to lirst-size bulbs. If we are going to plant offsets, say to increase our stock in some out-of-the-way nursery bed, then I advise planting in September at the latest. The little bulbs succeed much better if put in then, and many will flower in the following spring which would not otherwise do so. The very smallest little chips are not worth putting in 76 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING unless the variety is a valuable one, or one that for some other reason we wish to increase as fast as possible. These tiny offsets, if planted, must have a protection of leaf-mould or "peat-moss," which need not be removed but can be just turned over at lifting time, or of rushes, heather, dried bracken, or similar covering, which must be taken off when an inch or two of growth has been made. Situation. — A warm, sunny, and sheltered position is the ideal one to choose. Avoid, as far as possible, damp, low places which are known to be exposed to spring frosts. Also wind-swept situations, remembering that some of the Darwin and Cottage tulips bear large flowers, and that many grow from 2^ to 3 feet high. I have to plant anywhere to accom- modate all my five hundred varieties, and I find if these ex- tremes are avoided that there is little difference in the behaviour of the bulbs in this place and that. In most gardens it is im- possible to pick and choose as one might wish, so it is well to remember how accommodating the tulip really is. Soil. — Some cultivators say that on no account must tulips " be planted two years in succession on the same spot." This is too sweeping a statement. I would never do it if I could help it ; but Hobson's choice has been mine on many occasions, and 1 have never seen any great evil follow from the practice. I should say, however, that the soil has always been very deeply dug and generally a little lime or bone-meal added before the "second time of asking." Without this thorough digging, I would never think of trying it. Tulips do best in a fairly stiff, well-drained soil, but any good garden soil will grow them very well. The only thing is not to expect such fine flowers from a sandy as from a heavier and more retentive one. In extremely light and sandy places they are benefited by a layer of cow manure and rotten leaves, some 2 to 3 inches below the bulb, as this keeps the ends of the roots cool; and also by a dressing of lime. If the soil is CULTURE IN THE OPEN AIR -j-] heavy, it is good to incorporate into it leaf-mould, soil from an old cucumber bed, peat-moss, strawy rotten manure, and lime. In both cases break up the soil to the depth of i8 inches ; tulips do not like stagnant moisture, and this helps the drainage. Depth to Plant. — The usual rule must be followed. In light soils plant deeper than in heavy ones. I have measured a good many of my own bulbs before they were taken up, and I find 5 inches or ^\ inches from the bottom of the bulb to the surface of the soil is our invariable rule for all except the small species and varieties such as T. linifolia, T. dasystemon, or T. pulchella. These should not be more than 3 inches deep. I have found stray bulbs of both larger and smaller varieties which have flowered well at greater depths. How to Plant. — Under this head I must mention first of all the question as to whether the brown skins should be left on or removed previous to committing the bulb to the ground. Eighty or so years ago, the old florists advised the skin being carefully taken ofif. I have put in thousands both ways, and with certain possible exceptions I have never seen the least difference in the results. This will be comforting to those whose bulbs, like my own, generally lose their brown coats before planting time, or who receive such bulbs from the dealers. They are none the worse. It will, however, be frequently noticed that when the outer skin has gone, the white interior is bruised and often is slightly mouldy. Unless this mould is very bad no notice need be taken, but in future I am going to act on the cautious side, and dress them with finely powdered flowers of sulphur. I am told this is a splendid thing to prevent any decay or fungus, and I have seen the results at Balls Park, Hertford, where the tulips in the spring are always magnificent. It is impossible to dogmatise upon the distances at which the bulbs should be planted. Everything must depend on 78 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING the space to be covered and the amount of money that can be afforded to buy bulbs to fill it. To have a brilliant effect, they must be planted rather thickly. In good-sized beds the largest Darwin and Cottage varieties may be planted 6 to 7 inches apart, between bulb and bulb and early singles about 4 and doubles about 5 inches apart. In clumps I would never put fewer than six bulbs. Suppose the diameter of the circle is II inches, I would put five at equal distances round it and one in the middle. In beds the whole of the soil should be well dug to the depth of i8 inches, and fresh soil and leaf-mould incorporated when requisite. Similarly, I would do the same as far as possible with clumps. The individual tulips may be planted with a trowel, having marked the places beforehand so as to get the holes equidistant. Care should be taken to see that each bulb touches the bottom and is not hung up. In large areas planting may be done either by removing all the top soil to the approved depth and then placing the tulips on the spots assigned to them, and finally covering all up to the soil level ; or bulbs may be "trenched in" — that is, they may be planted one row after another, the soil of the first hollow being removed to the opposite end of the bed to fill up the last row, then that from the second will go into the first, that from the third into the second, and so on. This is an excellent way to deal with nursery beds, or when they are to be used for cutting from. With my large quantity, I always plant in this way. My beds are invariably 4 feet wide. LEAVING BULBS IN THE GROUND 1 am quite certain that to get the best results tulips should be lifted every year. I cannot sec what they can gain by being left in the ground during the winter. The actual bulb that flowered say this year is no longer in existence when the CULTURE IN THE OPEN AIR 79 leaves and stem die down. It has finished its task weeks before, and the future is provided for by the new bulb. I have left tulips in the ground for three and even four years, and have had fairly satisfactory flowers each succeeding spring ; but then I have also bloomed bulbs for two years running without lifting, and the second time they flowered they have been very poor and the leaves badly affected with " fire." This is a very common occurrence — in fact, I might, on the majority of soils, call it the usual thing. Again, in a stiff soil slugs worry the bulbs dreadfully. The stem decays, and very likely is removed to tidy up, and the hole which it was in never gets filled up. Down goes the slug, and at the bottom he finds a toothsome tulip, to which he is very partial. Slugs are very destructive in stiff land ; they are not so troublesome in light soils, but even there my bulbs have suffered from them. If the soil is very light, tulips may do quite well for several years without being moved ; but in such cases they are not so large as if they had been lifted and replanted. I once bought a delightful old reddy-brown and yellow tulip out of an old cottage garden at Hanmer. It had been there between fifty and sixty years, and it was only moved three or four times in all that long period. So the old lady said who owned it, and who remembered it being planted. I had about twenty bulbs the size of small hazel nuts when I first took them home in my handkerchief. Four years afterwards the normal bulb of Old Times (so I christened it) was as big as a small hen's egg, and the blooms had trebled in size. To sum up: my advice to everyone is "lift every year. It pays for the trouble in the larger flowers, and in the more healthy foliage." LIFTING THE BULBS Bulbs are ready to be lifted when the foliage has turned yellow. I find it 3 little difficult to determine the precise cjay 8o PRESENT-DAY GARDENING Appearances are sometimes deceptive, and I have gone to a bed and found, although the leaves looked all dead, that the rich, ruddy brown which is the sign of ripeness had not begun to colour the bulb. However, tulips are such accommodating things that it is practically the same whether a bulb is a little under ripe, just right, or a little over ripe when it is lifted. In the first case it is pale in colour, but its skin does not so often split, and in the last case it is high coloured, but more often than not the husk falls off or gets very badly cracked before planting time comes round. I had for a long time been puzzled to find out why this brown skin should be as whole as it is on Dutch bulbs when on my own and on other British grown ones it so very often splits and falls off. But within the last few years I have had the opportunity of growing some in very light soil of great depth — soil in fact which in consistency resembles that of Holland. I have found that tulips from this garden retain their skins just like the imported ones. They do so even if they are over ripe when they are got up. The obvious conclusion is that the retention of the brown husk depends almost entirely on the medium in which a bulb has been grown. On light, sandy soils it does not split, and remains whole ; on heavier and damper soils, it cracks and peels off. I must again say that it does not make the least difference if the skin is off or on when a tulip is planted. The only thing is one must be more careful in packing and handling it when it is naked ; and those dry husks which are very frequently used for surround- ing them in bags should be avoided. When a bulb is lifted, the soil should be shaken out of the roots and the old stem taken off, care being taken in both cases not to injure the base of the new bulb. Even when a bulb has to be lifted when the foliage is green, I recommend it being taken away. It should then be cut off with a sharp knife, leaving two or three inches attached to CULTURE IN THE OPEN AIR 8i the base. Never put tulips in the drying boxes with the green leaves still on them. Again, do not leave bulbs on the beds exposed to hot sunshine, but get them put away in their drying quarters as soon as practicable. DRYING AND STORING Any dry and airy, but not draughty place, where the direct rays of the sun do not penetrate, does very well for drying and storing. On no account should a damp and poorly ventilated room be chosen. A good loft or shed, or an un- used bedroom is excellent. If many bulbs have to be pro- vided for, it is convenient to use wooden trays made like those made for potato "sets," with long legs at each corner to allow a free passage of air between each when they are piled one on the other. They may be made any convenient size, say 4 feet by 3 feet 6 inches, with supports 7^ inches high, which is what I happen to use, or they may be a little narrower, which I am disposed to recommend when there is only one man available to move them about. When the roots have become quite dry, and come easily away from the base without injuring the outer skin in any way, the bulbs may be " cleaned " and the offsets taken cfF. They may then be put away till planting time, either where they were dried or in any similar dry and airy place. They do all right in paper bags if there are not more than a dozen or two of a sort, but they must be perfectly dry before they are put in. I like bags because it keeps them in darkness, for I have come to the conclusion that if they are stored where they get no light that leaf growth does not begin so soon. I emphasize this, because bulbs are so much easier to handle and so much more convenient to plant when there is no green sprout to be careful about. Early tulips in my part of the world are generally ready F 82 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING to be lifted in normal years in the last week of June or first week in July, then the Cottage and Darwins follow. I believe the old Midland and North Country tulip men, who were and still are wonderful creatures of habit, say the second week in July for their florist varieties. MANURING Tulips like a good but not over rich rooting medium. I make no difference between them and daffodils in my pre- paration of the soil. Double digging to let air in is my sheet anchor. I have already referred to lime. I use a good amount, and give the ground a good dusting every two years and then fork it in. It should look like a scattering of snow when it is put on. This recipe is a little vague, but mathema- tically inclined gardeners may reduce it to greater exactitude by remembering that i| tons per acre is the dressing I recom- mend. Raw bone-meal is my second stand-by. I use about 2 cwt. to the quarter acre, and apply it every second year, and as a rule alternately with the lime. Every fourth and fifth year neither bone nor lime is used. The ground is just dug, and nothing is added. The finer bone is ground, the more quickly does it act; hence I invariably get it "fine." To the uninitiated I may say in passing that raw bones can be had in several grades of coarseness or fineness ; "very fine" or " fine " are what should be used, and I like " raw " better than "boiled." There is more goodness left in, although it may not be quite so quick in its action. PROTECTION FOR TULIPS Tulips are perfectly hardy. I have tried protecting the beds, and I have left them unprotected. In an ordinary season I have failed to see any difference at flowering time CULTURE IN THE OPEN AIR 83 between those covered and those left uncovered. When, how- ever, I plant very late in the season I always keep a sharp look-out for any signs of frost, and at the least indication I cover them with branches of heather loosely laid on, as the bulbs must not be frozen before they have made roots. Last year and the year before, I used, instead of heather, peat- moss fibre made fine, but not into dust. I buy what is used in the Canaries for packing tomatoes for exportation. It comes in large bales, and is easily broken up by rubbing be- tween the hands. I put a layer i to i| inches thick on the beds or clumps on a still day ; then to keep it from blowing about I just cover it with soil, and damp the top with the watering can. In winter, when it is always moist, wind does not affect it. When peat is used I never remove it, and it gets incorpo- rated into the soil at lifting-up time. Heather, or any similar covering, I take away when about two inches of growth have been made. The show or florist tulips must be covered some time before their blooming, and the covering must re- main in position until the flowers have past. This matter is explained, together with certain other details of culture, under the head of "The Florist Tulip" (Chapter XV). Taking a wrinkle from this procedure, I have in most years arranged to protect some of my Darwin beds with a stout wooden frame with movable " wrappering " [i.e. coarse material such as is used for making rough aprons or for putting over furni- ture when sent by rail). It is so fixed that it can be partly taken off on dull days or when I want to see the flowers. This lengthens the blooming period, and might be worth the con- sideration of those who grow large collections and who wish to have flowers for as long a period as possible. If a covering of any description is used, it must be removed entirely as soon as the blooms have faded. 84 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING GROWING TULIPS IN GRASS I have had considerable experience with tulips in grass in our churchyard, and I cannot say that they are a success. If good bulbs are planted one autumn, they will flower excel- lently the following spring, and a few will do so again a second or possibly a third year ; after that they go blind. They only seem to have strength to produce the one big leaf which is the sure herald of " no flower." Very occasionally a stray flower appears, and that is all. In 1912 I was surprised to see quite a large number of blooms, and the idea at once occurred that it was the result of the phenomenal summer of 191 1. Possibly it was, and if so the further thought occurs, does it not throw some light on the finding of new Neotulips (page 20) every now and again at St. Jean, Bologna, and elsewhere, and then their mysterious disappearance ? All I can confidently says of tulips in grass is that natural species such as T. sylvestris appear to do better than garden hybrids. For planting I strongly advise the use of Barr's bulb planter. It makes a hole of any required depth, and in doing so lifts a round bit of sod out of the ground. It is worth while to make the hole six inches deep, then put two inches of light, rich soil, with some bone-meal incorporated with it, at the bottom ; on this place the bulb firmly, then knock away part of the core previously removed, and lastly place the round bit of grass on the top. If the operation is neatly carried out, there will be no traces of disturbance of the soil after the first shower or two of rain. FALLING PETALS Some one should go round all the tulips every morning when the blooms are fading, and pick off all the petals that have fallen on the foliage, and all from the ground. It is CULTURE IN THE OPEN AIR 85 surprising how soon a petal will set up decay if it is allowed to remain on the leaves, especially in damp, hot weather. As I have stated elsewhere it is well to keep the foliage as green as possible for as long a time as we can, because on this depends the welfare of the new bulb. In some gardens the beds in which late flowering varieties have bloomed are wanted immediately for refilling with other things whilst the plants are still in full leaf. If the bulbs are carefully lifted without injury to either the roots or the leaves and at once put in somewhere " by the heels " to dry off, it is astonishing how little they suffer from the operation. "FIRE" This is the decay which so frequently appears about flowering time or a little before. A good cultivator will keep a look-out for its appearance, and cut out all affected bits. It is essential to examine the plants frequently, as unfortu- nately it spreads quickly and soon disfigures the plants and weakens the new bulb on which the flowers of next season depend. SUMMARY OF THE MOST IMPORTANT POINTS Take up all bulbs every year. Never plant two years in the same ground, unless obliged to do so. Plant early in November. Store bulbs in a dark, dry, and airy place. Never put bulbs away to dry in boxes with their leaves still attached. Watch continuously for any appearance of "lire," and at once cut out all affected bits. Plant small offsets or side bulbs in September, and protect them from frost. Remember tulips do not like stagnant moisture, nor do they succeed so well in damp, low positions as on higher and drier ground. 86 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING CHAPTER XVIII TULIP COiMBINATIONS I HAVE from time to time jotted down pleasing combinations of two colours. In some cases the colours contrast and in others they blend. They may be useful as suggestions. It will be noticed that all the varieties in this list are either Cottage (C.) or Darwins (D.). 1. Suzon, D.y flesh pink, and Prince Maurits, D., medium purple. 2. Rose Beauty, C, rose-red (30 inches), and Morales, D., deep purple. 3. Ada, C, white with mauve inside, and Mrs. Moon, C, tall, yellow. 4. Ada, C, white with mauve inside, and Melicette, D., lilac- mauve. 5. Prince of the Netherlands, D., and La Tristesse, D. 6. Mr. Farncombe Sanders, D., and Suson, D. 7. Suzon, D., and Bleu Aimable, D., heliotrope. 8. Sophrosytie, D., rosy-pink edged blush, and Paul Baudry, C, browny-red. 9. Walter T. Ware, C, very deep yellow, and La Tulipe Noire, D., nearly black. 10. Morales, D., and Mrs. J. Robertson, C, rich yellow. 11. Inglescombe Yellow, C, canary-yellow, and Norham Beauty, C, curious grey. 12. Hippolyte, D., deep mauve, and Moonlight, C, pale yellow. 13. The President, C, pointed orange, and Gertrude, C, palest primrose. 14. Louis XIV, C, deep purple edged golden-brown, and Goudvink, C, dark tortoiseshcll-brown. TULIP COMBINATIONS 87 15. Flava, C.y tall, pale yellow, and Mrs. Kerriil, C, blend of amber and light rose, dwarf. 16. Morales, D., and Tara, D., rich ruby-red. 17. Rosetta, C, soft rose, dwarf, and Grand Monarque, D., plum-purple, tall. 18. Flamingo, D., tall, soft pink, and Ellen Willmott, C, tall, pale yellow, pointed flower, 19. Zuhi, D., tall, blackish-purple, and The Bishop, D., blue- purple ; not so tall. 20. Salomon, C, pale heliotrope, and Beauty of Bath, C, soft pale mauve and yellow. 21. Orange King, C, orange-red, and Mahony, C, deep orange and brown. 22. Lord Byron, C, early carmine-red, and Moonlight, C, early long, pale yellow. 23. The Bishop, D., blue-purple, and Solfatare, C, tall, pale canary, long flower. 24. Nigrette, C, dark red-brown with pale tips to petals, and Clara Butt, D., pink. 25. The Bishop, D., and Clara Butt, D. 26. Eric, C, chestnut-brown, and Madame Bosboom Toussaint, D., rose. 27. Orion, D., bright red, and Mahony. C., deep orange and brown. 28. King Harold, D., maroon, and Medusa, D., salmon-red. 29. The President, C, orange, and Night, D., very dark, nearly black. 30. Mrs. Moon, C, yellow, and Erguste, D., mauve. 31. Professor Rauwenhof D., rosy-red, and La Tulipe Noire, D. 32. La foyeuse, C, pinky-mauve, and Frans Hals, D., reddish- purple. 33. Isis, D., tall bright red, and Walter T. Ware, C, deep yellow. 88 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 34. Pompadour^ C, dwarf, rich crimson, and L Imiocence, C., pure white. 35. Sir Harry ^ C, mauve-pink, and Mrs. Keightley, C, pale yellow. 36. Cassandra, C, rose, rather dwarf, and Solfatare, C, pale tall, yellow. MORE GENERAL SUGGESTIONS ABOUT COTTAGE AND DARWIN TULIPS 1. A good mixture of mauve, heliotrope, and grey Darwins, with just a few dark ones amongst them. This makes a very popular bed. I prefer them not to be all the same height, and to look its best it ought to be so placed that there will be a dark background. As typical of what I mean, I would suggest such varieties as Electra, Erguste, Euterpe, Gudin, Dream, Rev. H. Ewbank, Nora Ware, Madame Virnot, Mauve Clair, with just one or two of varieties like Morales, Jubilee, and Velvet King dotted here and there. 2. A varied assortment of yellows (Cottage). 3. Pale mauve Darwins and pink and rosy-edged ones, such as Antony Roozen and Edmee with a few of a paler shade such as Suzon. Dark purples should also be included, but used very sparingly. EARLY VARIETIES The following make good combinations. They are given as examples, since it is very easy to add others from lists, as in most cases the height and time of flowering are stated. 1. Chrysolora and Dusart. 2. White Hawk and Artis. 3. Van der Neer and Ophir d'Or. 4- Prince of Austria and Chrysolora. PLATE VII SIR HARRY SOLFATARE TULIPS WITH OTHER PLANTS 91 5. Duchess of Parma and Fabiola. 6. Grace Darling and Golden Queen. 7. Fred Moore and Yellow Pottebakker. 8. President Lincoln and Chrysolora. 9. Hector and Princess H61ene. 10. Brunhilde and Vermilion Brilliant. 11. President Lincoln and Primrose Queen. 12. Prince of Austria and President Lincoln. 13. A mass of Le Reve by itself. 14. A mass of Couleur Cardinal. 15. A bed of Prince of Austria. CHAPTER XIX TULIPS WITH OTHER PLANTS To be seen at its best, the tulip must be associated with congenial companions. There is something about the flower which makes it demand suitable surroundings. Un- knowingly, and because circumstances have obliged me to do so, I have done just what it wants ; and "although I says it who shouldn't " I never get such satisfaction anywhere from contemplating this Eastern denizen of our gardens as I do from my own plants. Again and again the remark is passed as I take my many visitors round, " However did you think of that lovely combination ? " or *' That was a bold thing to do : / would never have dared to do it, but how well it looks ! " This latter observation was a propos of big blocks (8 or lo feet by 4) of such tulips as City of Haarlem, Orion, Mr. Farncombe Sanders, and Prince of the Netherlands planted alternately, with equal-sized masses of very dark purples like Velvet King, Frans Hals, Giant, Jubilee, and Morales. It certainly was most effective as one came upon it all at once 92 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING round a tall, thick, and naturally grown hedge of Cupressus Laivsoniana. I used to like it myself, and its sudden emer- gence into view always gave me intense pleasure. I want readers to notice the size of these clumps, for if any flower looks its best in a big mass it is the tulip. A second thing that I would call attention to is my seemingly casual mention of a hedge. Now my garden is all hedges or narrow planta- tions of evergreen trees and shrubs. It is broken up into little bits, and one cannot see anything like all of it at once. This is just the thing for tulips. It gives on all sides a dark tall background, against which they show to great advantage. " Your tulips, Mr. Jacob, must look well ; you have got such good backgrounds all over your garden." I would advise anyone who has a similar vacant position, say a holly or a yew hedge on a border with a wall of deep green foliage at its back, to try planting some in front. A third consideration is the colour blending of the diflferent varieties. Almost all my most effective and telling combinations come about by pure chance. To tuck away in comfortable quarters all my five hundred varieties, I have almost to plant them anywhere. There are lots of strange bedfellows in theory, but somehow they look "all right" when the blooming season comes round. I adduce three things from my personal experience as above narrated. First, tulips look best in big quantities. Second, their having a good background to show them up makes a tremendous difference. Third, so long as there are enough different sorts, one should not be needlessly particular how they are grouped together. These seem to me the three most important things to remember in assigning tulips their quarters in a garden ; and the success of such things as colour schemes in tulip gardens and of bedding arrangements depends in a great measure upon their being taken into account. From these general considerations let me now give two illustrations of my meaning in detail. Backgrounds: these TULIPS WITH OTHER PLANTS 93 need not necessarily be dark. By a purely fortuitous cir- cumstance, I found I had a long narrow mixed bed of pink and pale rose and mauve Darwins, with just a few darker reds and purples, against a wall covered with a deep rosy- purple Aubrietia. The effect was grand. Another suggestion is to try and combine tulips with flowering shrubs. An American lady, Mrs. Francis King, who is well known in her own country as an authority on colour, and who honours me with letters from time to time, has published in The Garden Magazine of New York a most stimulating paper on "Colour Harmonies in the Spring Garden" (May 1912). Two extracts show what I mean: "Below and among these spiraeas (5. Tliunbergii) are the great tulip La Merveille, orange-scarlet, and the old double Count of Leicester in tawny-orange shades, and before the tulips lie low masses of the Munstead Primrose." And again : " As for tulips, the loveliest combinations under lilacs or immediately before them, would surely ensue, if groups of tulips Fanny, Carl Becker, Giant, and Koningin Emma were planted in such spots." Similarly, grey stone and red brick walls may be utilised if only ordinary care is taken about what is put in front. BEDDING Give me, I say, a huge mass of one single variety alone — I don't mind which one so long as there is enough of it. This is my ideal. Any carpet plant detracts somewhat from my ideas of the fitness of things. The tulip must stand alone. It is best alone. It is a Napoleon in its ascendancy. It is a Solomon in its magnificence. It is a Junius in its unsolved problems of many-sided interests. Somehow its spirit com- mands solitude. But not to all. A tulip is only a tulip to some. I am sorry, but I cannot help it — I cannot see all that that exquisite writer Forbes Watson (^Flowers and Gardens) 94 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING saw in the golden crocus or the pale green leaf of the narcis- sus ; why should I expect everyone to see with me all that I can see in the tulip ? Most of us have our favourite flowers and plants — more than one perchance, as there are more months in the year than one. What to me were all the flowers in the gigantic International Exhibition (Chelsea, 1912) com- pared to those tulip groups that an unfeeling and untulip exe- cutive had banished to the Ultima Thule of the Exhibition ! I have digressed enough. I must return to the practical problem of "Allowed a carpet is wanted, what had it better be made of?" or "If there must be a different edging, what should it be ? " Plants like Ellen Willmott, Indigo Queen, or Queen Victoria, Myosotis (Forget-me-not), the double white Arabis ; some of the dwarf phloxes ; many of the aubrietias, both pale and dark ; primroses and polyanthuses in variety ; grey-leaved plants like Cerastium tomentosum, Festuca glauca, or Stachys lanata, possibly cut down Santolina incana ; wallflowers from the softest yellow to the deepest crimson, and their near relation Erysimun Allionii ; and violas such as Maggie Mott, are all eminently suitable for one or other of these purposes. The following are a few specimens of how such combinations may be made : — 1. Deep orange and yellow polyanthus-primroses with dot plants of Fred Moore tulip. 2. Indigo Queen Forget-me-not with Bouton d'Or, 3. ""Lavender" Aubrietia with the Darwin Erguste. 4. Cerastiiun tomentosum with Morales (Darwin). 5. A lavender phlox (divaricata) with Fanny (Darwin). 6. Queen Victoria Forget-me-not with Prince of Austria, 7. An edging of Maggie Mott viola round a bed of Frans Hals. 8. Double Arabis with Hector (early) here and there. 9. Mixed polyanthus of all shades of red and yellow with a fair quantity of mixed, late Darwin tulips. TULIPS WITH OTHER PLANTS 95 10. Madame de Graaff daffodil and Inglescombe Yellow tulip, planted alternately or in rows, in large beds, being careful that they are broadside on to the point of view usually seen. This double planting is a dodge I can strongly recommend. The same bit of ground gives two shows, and one is over before the other comes on. 11. The orange wallflower-looking Erysimum with Walter T. Ware tulip. 12. A centre of a late Cottage such as Pride of Inglescombe with a broad edging of double Arabis. 13. Vermilion Brilliant tulips with an edging of mealy leaved auriculas such as Celtic King. 14. Lines of wallflowers with higher tulips behind or among them. The combinations are innumerable. It is only necessary to say by way of warning that the carpet plants should very often be planted earlier than it is necessary to plant the tulips. These can easily be put in with a small trowel or a blunt dibbler later on. Personally I do not like too many tulips in any bed which is carpeted with another plant. There should be the low growing mass of colour just relieved with dots here and there of taller growing tulips. When these are a central mass inside a band of something else, they may be put in much closer. Then the effect comes from a solid mass of colour, A novel idea, which I believe is very effective when it is carried out with discretion, is to put isolated single bulbs of large-flowered Cottage or Darwins in herbaceous borders. When May-flowering tulips are at their best there is often rather a paucity of hardy flowers, and these bits of brightness relieve the green and bridge over the awkward time. I have referred in another place to clumps. I would always have some in an herbaceous border ; there are tall-growing tulips for the more backward positions and lower-growing ones for 96 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING the front, and as to colour the choice is very wide. The delicate young green leaves of the other inhabitants set off the bright tulips to perfection. With regard to a mixed bed of tulips, one desideratum is that the plants should not all be the same height. It is a com- paratively small detail, but it is these little things that "just make the difference." Quite recently a new race of branching tulips has been introduced by M. Bony, the best known one being Mons. S. Mottet, a long white flower which flushes with age. When these are to be had in several colours, Ihey will become very popular for bedding or massing, as in my opinion it will be a distinct gain to get more flowers at different heights either all of the same shade from employing one variety, or of different shades if there are several. I never had the luck until this spring to see what a good lot of these branching tulips was like in a bed by themselves. I may say I was very much impressed. They are as easy to manage, and as hardy as any others. All they require is extra rich ground in which to grow. CHAPTER XX PROPAGATION AND NEW VARIETIES All the different varieties of tulips may be increased by offsets, which in the majority of instances are produced in great quantities. There are, however, certain exceptions: for example, there are species such as T. Greigiiy florist tulips such as Mabel, and certain garden varieties such as Ada (Albion), which give very few or none. Where no off- sets are produced, the only thing to do is to sow seed if we wish to work up a stock. In the case of most of the natural species, the result is satisfactory, as I believe they generally PROPAGATION: VARIETIES 97 breed true to type, but in all other cases this is of no use, as the seedlings never resemble their parents. All that can be done then is to patiently wait for ofifsets. New varieties originate either from seed or from "sports." Garden and florist tulips, even if they are self-fertilised, usually throw an infinite number of new varieties, demonstrating clearly the hybrid origin of all of them. If deliberate crosses are made, definite results may be aimed at, and, from what information I have been able to gather, the progeny will tend to show the characteristics that are sought for. Sporting does not refer to the extraordinary change from a self to a striped flower, which is the natural thing to expect in the case of all breeders or mother tulips (see page i8) ; but to the sudden change of colour or colours which take place in the tulip more perhaps than in any other flower, and which can possibly only be matched by the marvellous diversity which so many members of the fern tribe exhibit — for example, the common Hart's Tongue {Scolopendrium vulgare) or the Polypody {Polypodiuvi vulgare). To take one or two examples — from the early tulip La Reine, there have come Hermann Schlegel, White Hawk, Rosy Hawk, and Flamingo ; from White Pottebakker, both Stanley and Grace Darlmg ; and from Joost van Vondel, the lovely white Lady Boreel (formerly called White Joost van Vondel). I have had examples of this sporting in my own garden ; probably the most striking being a sport of Golden Crown, which has given me a glorious, almost " all red," tulip. These sports seem for the most part to be permanent, and their offsets to come true. TREATMENT OF OFFSETS These are best sorted into sizes, and the smallest should be planted first. If August is not too hot and dry I plant them then ; but if it is, I wait until September, and not later. G 98 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING They should be put about two inches deep, not more. I cover the beds with an inch of peat-moss Htter in Novem- ber, and beyond seeing that this is secured (see page 83) so that it does not blow about, they get little or no attention until the following spring. They are then lifted in the usual manner, and thence- forward they follow the usual routine practised with the larger bulbs. It will be found that these small bulbs are very liable to produce "droppers" — that is, a bud develops in a peculiar manner, and, in place of making an ordinary little bulb at the side of the large one, a long tube is formed which descends downwards from 2 to 4 inches below the parent, and then at its ex- tremity forms a small bulb. Droppers are easily known by their hard skin, and should be very carefully looked for when lifting is in progress. Certain tulips display this ten- dency more than others, eg. T. Kanfmanniana and Ellen Fig. r — " Dropper ' bulb ; the new bulb .itmi ^a c r u ii -i . , , ' ., , . . <■ . , willmott. Some form bulbils IS placed at the bottom of a tube or sheath prolonged downwards. in the angle between the stem (From the GartUners' Chronicle.) and the loWCr IcaVeS, e.g. MrS. PROPAGATION: VARIETIES 99 Moon and La Tristesse. Both droppers and bulbils may be treated exactly like ordinary bulbs. The latter may be taken off when the leaves have died and the bulbs are being lifted. SEED SAVING AND SOWING To produce a good crop of seed, a sunny and dr\' early summer is necessary. In 191 1 I had any quantity of seeds in my own garden, and in one or two beds which I did not lift in the autumn, I found it had sown itself, as parts were thick wuth tiny seedlings in the following May. To get the best out of the plants, seed-bearers should be planted in beds by themselves in rather richer soil than usual, and in an airy and sunny position. If a glass light can be placed over them just before the flowers open, and free circulation of air left at the ends and sides, it wnll be found very helpful, and in rainy and damp seasons probably mean the difference between a crop and no crop. Seed-bearers may also be grown in pots w'here a cold greenhouse is available. For this purpose use y-inch or 8-inch pots, and put three bulbs in a pot. Make the soil rich and porous, and grow them the whole time without any heat and with abundance of air. All that is necessary is just to exclude frost. The pod is ready to gather when the edges of the seeds show plainly through the outer covering, and when the top just begins to open. The seeds are best kept in the pods until they are wanted for sowing, and if the pods are cut with about a foot of stem they may be stood in vases like flowers. Seed may be sown either in autumn or spring. As far as I can judge, better results are obtained from September or October sowings than from those made in February. If sown in the open air, the seed should be put about an 100 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING inch deep, and it should be topdressed with leaf-mould or peat-moss ; if in boxes or pans, the soil should be light and very well drained, and the seed just covered. It is best to keep the pans in cold frames. The seeds germinate in March and April, and for their first year their growth has a similar appearance to young onions. The solitary, slender, and cylindrical leaf dies down in June. The little bulbs should then be shaken out, stored in sand, and replanted in deep boxes or pans (6 to 8 inches) early in autumn again, keeping them in cold frames as before. The second season you get a bulb and a dropper. These must both be kept very carefully together when lifted, or else one of the two should be de- stroyed— the object of course being to avoid confusion in the new sorts. After this the little seedlings may be treated like offsets, and taken up each year until they flower. With re- gard to the actual operation of fertilising : the first thing is to pull off the anthers of the flower that is chosen as the seed parent before it opens, and at once cover the stigma with a little cotton wool. Pollinate as soon as it is found that the stigma is sticky. When it has "taken," the surface will begin to turn purple in a few hours, and when this happens no further protection is necessary, but at first the cotton wool must be replaced. As to what crosses to make, 1 fear I can give no advice. Mr. A. D. Hall says that, as far as the florist type is con- cerned, those who wish to breed good flowers which will be advances on the present varieties must be careful not to select blooms of a poor shape or with foul bases. They must also try to get as steady markers as possible. A great desideratum is a race that will yield flowers which come con- sistently good, and not such as only give one fine one in fifty. Yellow grounds are recessives to white, therefore yellow grounds are pure, and throw only yellows when mated together. Hence white ground crosses may throw yellows PLATE VIII EUTERPE FRANS HALS ^ r-\.^:rW^K^ I: DISEASES 103 if both parents are impure whites. Yellow crossed with pure white gives white ; yellow crossed with impure white gives half and half. With regard to garden varieties and natural species, I cannot help feeling that there is a great unknown land before the careful systematic hybridiser, which so far has hardly been visited. Here and there work has been done in this direction, but I cannot hear of any results being as yet available for general information. For those who wish to embark upon an interesting and novel branch of gardening, I would suggest their taking up the cross fertilisation of these two types. T. Greigii alba, a probable natural hybrid between T. Greigii and T. Kaufmanniana ; T. elegatis, a possible hybrid between T. acuminata and T. suaveolens ; and T. retro- fiextty another suggested hybrid between T. acuminata and T. Gesneriana, give us glimpses of what explorers of the new, almost untrodden country of cross-fertilised tulips may find. CHAPTER XXI DISEASES There are three fungous diseases to which the tulip is subject. {First.) — Fire. This a very common ailment, and there are probably few gardens where traces of it may not be found in any year. Luckily it is not what may be called dangerous. Even in very bad attacks, when the foliage is completely destroyed, the bulbs themselves remain unafiFected. All that happens is that they do not attain their full growth, as the leaves are prevented from elaborating the food. The decay is caused by a fungus named Botrytis galanthina. As a 104 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING rule, it does not make its appearance until the leaves are well above the ground. With me it seldom is to be seen until about the time the buds are well developed ; whether up to then the outer skin of the leaves and stem is harder, or whether it is that there are no spores blowing about ready to do the mischief,^ I cannot say. I only know that it is shortly before and at the flowering season that I must keep the sharpest look-out for the small, greyish-looking spots and patches which I know are the beginning of the evil. Some of my men go round periodically with a knife and scissors, and cut out or cut off every bit that they can see. In a dry season this easily keeps it in check, for, to begin with, very little appears, and secondly, it does not spread quickly. But I know only too well what a difference two or three wet days make ; the disease spreads like magic, and if draggly weather continues it is apt to become master, and, in beds where it is bad, entirely wither up the leaves. Hail, cold winds, and hot burning sun on the dewdrops or the rain- drops on the flowers or foliage, are the accessories before the sad fact of the presence of this irritating visitor is apparent. As a preventive I would suggest spraying the developing leaves once or twice with the Wye Bordeaux Mi.xture (copper sulphate, slacked lime, treacle and water), and the constant cutting out of all infected spots as soon as they appear. I think the author of the Dutch Gardener, 1703, (see page 4) rather overstepped the mark when he wrote, "The Tulip is subject unto a dangerous Canker which must be met in time with a curious Eye and Hand," and called it a " Mortal enemy." It is bad ; but if we have a " curious eye and hand," and use the two in conjunction, I do not think we have anything to fear from this unwelcome fungus, * Mr. Polman Mooy of Haarlem maintains that it is possible to eliminate " fire " by consistently destroying every bit of fungus for several years together. DISEASES 105 [Second.) — A more serious disease is that caused by Botjy- tis parasitica. It attacks the young foHage, and also the bulbs. It is known by its producing little black round things that vary in size from a pin's head to a small pea. It also affects the dried or drying foliage and the seeds and seed pods. I have had it among bulbs boxed up for forcing, and I am inclined to think it was then due to the covering material, which was heather, and which had been lying in a close heap all the previous summer after having been used for covering the year before. For this reason I am very particular wha/ material I put over the boxes and pots, and advocate it possible the use of darkened cold frames with plenty of air in preference to any other covering. Want of air and damp are certainly two contributory causes to the appearance of this pest. Practically, whenever these little black peas or pinheads are seen, it is necessary to burn everything that they are on, and, if it is in bulbs in the open beds, remove the soil all round the diseased ones, or, if they are in boxes or pots, put it where it will not be used again. I would on no account put away in boxes to dry bulbs with the green foliage attached to them. The heat and damp generated by their decay are very conducive to disease obtaining a foothold. {Third.) — The worst disease by far is Sclerotium tuli- parum. This fungus infests the soil, and is said to destroy in a short time whole patches of bulbs. I am very thankful to say I have had no experience of it whatever in my own garden, nor have I ever seen it anywhere else. I am told that the best thing to do to keep it away is never to plant tulips in beds where diseased begonias, irises, or tulips have been cultivated in previous years. Danger from Living Things. — Rats, mice, slugs, and wire- worms are all of them very fond of tulip bulbs. A constant watch, therefore, must be kept lest they begin their depreda- tions without our being aware of it. I find virus (I use The io6 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING Liverpool Virus) an excellent remedy for mice and rats when I apply it according to the directions received when pur- chasing. Green fly is very partial to the young leaves under glass. As prevention is better than cure, I advise fumigating from time to time with a nicotine insecticide. The leaves suffer very much in appearance if this simple precaution is neglected. Be careful not to plant in virgin loam unless it is certain there are no wire-worms in it. They are almost invariably to be found in freshly cut sod. CHAPTER XXII SELECTION OF VARIETIES I AM not sure that I have not left the most difficult chapter until the last. In imagination it seemed the easiest thing in the world to jot down the best flowers for various purposes. Directly, however, that I took out paper and pencil, and began to make my lists, I realised how mistaken I had been. What to leave out is the trouble, especially so with the selections for "cuttmg"and for "out of doors." If ever the saying that there are as good fish in the sea as ever came out of it is true, it is of the tulips that might be included, but which are not. " My favourites," as I have headed two sections, have made it a little easier, but not much, so many appeal to me — some in the bright sunshine, some in the clearer but less glaring light before dusk, some for their historic associations, some for their delicate tracery and refinement, some for their barbaric splendour and gorgeous colouring, some for their beauty of form, some for the wonderful markings of their bases, and so on. No flower is more the creature of the passing hour than the tulip. It is its moods and its instant response to the uncertain play of light and shade that so SELECTION OF VARIETIES 107 fascinates its devotees, be they the exacting florists, or the more easily pleased "general public." (A.) — For forcing and growing under glass for cutting — First Earlies Scarlet Due van Thol, earliest of all. Fred Moore. La Reine. Le Matelas. Mon Tresor. Prince of Austria. Rose Gris-de-lin. Vermilion Brilliant. Yellow Prince. White Hawk. Couleur Cardinal. Couronne d'Or (double). Isabella (Cottage). Le Reve. Later Blooming Murillo (double). Salvator Rosa (semi-double). White Swan (Cottage). Later Still Antony Roozen. Clio or Bronze Queen (Cottage). Bonders. Euterpe. Golden Crown (Cottage). Jaune d'Oeuf (Cottage). King Harold. Margaret. Mr. Farncombe Sanders. Orange Beauty (Cottage). (mostly Darwins) Philippe de Comines. Pride of Haarlem. Rev. H. Ewbank. Saes. Sieraad van Flora. White Queen. William Copeland. William Pitt. Zanzibar. Zulu. (B.) — For pots — Brunhilde. Cerise Gris-de-lin. Cottage Maid. Duchess of Parma. Early Single Grace Darling. Jenny (my special favourite ; very sweet). Keizerskroon. io8 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING La Remarquable. Le Matelas. Mon Tresor. Potter. President Lincoln (Queen of Violets). Prince de Ligny. Prince of Austria (the best of all ; sweet). Princess Helene. Queen of the Netherlands- Rose luisante. Stanley. Van der Neer. Vermilion Brilliant. White Joost van Vondel (Lady Boreel). Early Double Cochineal (semi-double). Couronne d'Or. Murillo. Premier Gladstone. Safrano. Schoonoord (my great favourite). Tournesol. Vuurbaak. Darwins Ant. Roozen. Baronne de la Tonnaye. Bleu Aimable. City of Haarlem. Bonders. Erguste. Fontenelle. Gudin. King Harold. Madame Bosboom Toussaint. Melicette. Morales. Ouida. Painted Lady. Pride of Haarlem. Professor Rauwenhof. Rev. H. Ewbank. Sieraad van Flora. Suzon. The Bishop. Velvet King. William Pitt. Zanzibar. Zulu. (C.) — For cutting, grown out of doors. My favourites. (Those with an asterisk are Darwins.) Ada (Albion) when fully grown. It looks dingy when opening. Beauty of Bath. Bouton d'Or. Clara Butt.* Didieri. SELECTION OF VARIETIES 109 Didieri Alba. Do Little. Elegans Alba. Ellen WillmotL Erguste.* Euterpe.* Florizel. Gertrude. Gesneriana lutea pallida (Mrs. Keightley). Godet Parfait (Cottage). Goldmine. Goudvink, Hammer Hales. Isis.* John Ruskin. La Joyeuse. La Merveille. Leghorn Bonnet. Louis XIV. Loveliness.* Marie.* Melicette.* Morales.* Mrs. W. O. Wolseley. Orange Beauty. Orange King. Picotee. Pride of Liglescombe. Retroflexa (very charming). Royal Visit. Salomon. Solfatare. Sophrosyne.* The Bishop.* The Fawn. The President. Toison d'Or. Walter T. Ware. Yolande (Duchess of Westmin- ster).* {D.) — For planting in the open in beds or clumps. " My favourites." Many of these are included u?tder the previous heading, I have thought it best to repeat them here to make it easier for reference. Couleur Cardinal. Dusart. Fire Flame. Fred Moore Hector. Early Single Maes. Prince de Ligny. Prince of Austria. Scarlet Mammoth (mid-season). N.B. — Scarlet Mammoth and Le Reve bloom between the early and late varieties. no PRESENT-DAY GARDENING Cottage Andrew Hunter. Avis Kennicott. Carnation. Cassandra. Clio (Bronze Queen). Fairy Queen. Feu Ardent. Gesneriana lutea. Gesneriana major. Goldfinder. Goudvink. Grenadier. Hammer Hales. Illuminator. Inglescombe Yellow. John Ruskin. La Merveille. Le Reve (mid-season). Louis XIV. Lucifer. Marksman. Mauriana. Moonlight. Mrs. Moon. Mrs. W. O. Wolseley. Orange King. Pompadour. Pride of Inglescombe. Rose Beauty. Salomon. Scarlet Emperor. Sir Harry. Solfatare. The President. Walter T. Ware. Zomerschoon. Darwins Ariadne. Bleu Aimable. City of Haarlem. Cr^puscule. Edmee. Euterpe. Faust. Frans Hals. Haarlem. Isis. Jubilee. La 'Iristesse. Madame Bosboom Toussaint. Marie. Mauve Clair. Morales. Mr. Farncombe Sanders. Mrs. Potter Palmer. Pride of Haarlem. Prince of the Netherlands. Professor Rauwenhof. Suzon. Tara. The Bishop. Victoire d'Oliviera. Viking. William Pitt. Zanzibar. Zulu. SELECTION OF VARIETIES in Species T. Batalinii. T. dasystemon. T. Eichkri. T. Fosteriana. T. Kaufmanniana. T. linifolia. T. persica. T. prcestans (Tubergen). T. strangulata primulina. T. sylvesiris. (E.) — For grass. As I have said elsewhere, few tuHps succeed well in grass. T. sylvesiris seems to be the best of all. I know a Devon- shire garden where it is quite established, but I am told it does not often flower. T. elegans. T. sylvesiris. (F.) — For rockeries. All the Species, and especially the dwarf ones. T. elegans. Pompadour. Gloria Mundi (dwarf red and yellow striped). Mrs. W. O. Wolseley. Rose Doree (curious blend of orange and pink). INDEX Admiral van der Eyck, il Agate, 17, 54, 55 Agatine, 17 Alkemade, 29 AUwood Brothers, 40 Amateur Florist's Guide, 60 Anvers, 12 Azen, II Backgrounds, 88 Baguette, 17, 56 Baker, J. G., 8 Balls Park, 77 Barr & Sons, 64 Barr, Peter, 8, 32 Barr, P. Rudolf, 43 Base, 17 Beam, 17 Beds, tulips in, 88-93 Bennett-Poe, J. T., 30 Bentley, J. W., 60, 61, 64 Bibliography, 2 Bizarre, 17, 62 Bone-meal, 82 Bony, G., 34, 9^ Botrytis galantkina, 1 03 Botrytis parasitica, 105 Branching tulips, 34 Breeders, 18, 32, 62 Broken, 18 Busbequius, 2 Bybloemen, 18, 62 Carpet plants, 94 Chabert, 51 Chronology, 2 Clark, William, 7, 61 Clusius, Carolus, 3, 9 Coir screening, 62 Collegiums, 11, 16 Colour Chart, 43 Combinations of tulips, 86-91 with other plants, 91-93 Cordus, Valerius, 3 Cottage tulips, 18, 31 selections, 33 Cow manure, 82 Culture, bowls, 69 Darwin's, 68, 82, 83 Florist varieties, 54, 83 glass, culture under, 65 grass, 84 hanging baskets, 70 Parrots, 70 pots, 69 seedlings, 99 summary of, 85 Darwins, 8, 18, 39, 88 in pots, 40, 70 selections, 43 Das Lebeft der Tulpe, 8 Davy, 7 Diseases, 103 Divisions of tulips, 21 Doring, Edmund, 8 Dot-plants, tulips as, 94 Double tulips, early, 28 selections, 30 late, 47 selections, 48 Doubling, 29 Dragon-tulips, 19 Droppers, 8, 16, 98 "3 H 114 INDEX Drying, 8 1 Dues, 19 Dutch Florist, 4, 1 7, 28 Gardemr, ^,17 Dutch tulips, 19 Early season, remarkable, 8 Early double tulips, 28 single tulips, 23 End of Mania, 12 English tulip and its history, the, 8, 55, 61 English tulips, 19 Falling petals, 84 Feathered, 19, 62 Fire. 19. 85, 103 First tulip pictured, 3 to flower in France, 3 England, 3 double tulip noted, 4 parrot noted, 4 Flamandes, 46 Flamed, 19, 62 Fid., 62 Flemish, 19 flora seu De Flonim Culttira, 4, 17 Florist's Companion, 6 Directory, 56 Guide, 7, 59 Florist tulips, 19, 54, 83 culture of, 61, 83 selections, 64 Fooles coates, 16, 54 Forcing, 65,69 Foul, 20 Founding of Royal National Tulip Society, 7 Fr., 62 Gadeceau, E., 46 Gardeners Dictionary, extract about properties of a tulip, 55 Universal /Calendar, 55 Gerard's Herbal, 3 Gesner, 3, 56 Glass culture, 65 Glenny, George, 59 Grass, tulips in, 84 flowering in, 19 12, 84 Hall, A. D., 60, 61, 100 Harmonies, tulip, 86, 93 Hartland, W. B., 8, 32 Herwart, J. H., 2 Histoire des Tulipes, 48 Hogg, Thomas, 7 Horner, Rev. F. D., 60 Hortus Floridus, 3, 9 Hudson, James, 6 Hybridising, 100 Illustrations : — Beauty of Bath, 14 Carnation, 42 Dr. Hardy, Frontispiece Euterpe, 102 Frans Hals, 102 Fred Moore, 58 Frontispiece of Le Floriste Franfois, 5 In het ootje, 1 1 Mr. Farncombe Sanders, 26 Mrs. Collier, Frontispiece Praestans, 14 Prince of Austria, 58 Schoonoord, 74 Sir Harry, 90 Solfatare, 90 Introduction of Europe, 2 tulips to Western Jasp^e, 17 King, Mrs. Francis, 93 Krelage, E. H., & Son, 8, 39 La Couronnb imperiale, 29 Lale, 20 INDEX "5 Late double Tulips, 47 selections, 48 Late flowering, 20 Leaving bulbs in ground, 78 Le Floriste Francois, 4, 16, 54 Le Mariage de ma Fille, 29 L'£cole du Jardenier flcuriste, 61 Levier, £.,51 Lifling bulbs, 79, 81 Lime, 72 Maddock, J., 6, 50, 56 Malo, C, 50 Mania, 3, 9, 16 Manuring, 82 Marquetine, 17 Marquetrine, 17, 20 Massing, 92, 93 May-flowering, 18, 20 Mice, 105 Miller, P., 50, 55 Miss Fanny Kemble, 7 Monstereul, de la Chesnee, 3, 54 Moore, Sir F. W., 57 Morillon, 16, 54 Morillony, 17 Mother-tulips, 20 Munting, Abr,, 1 1 Needham, C. W., 60, 62 Offsets, planting, 97 "Old Dutch" tulips, 32 Ootje, II Open-air culture, 7 1 Parkinson, J., 3, 16, 54 Parisienne, 20, 31 Parrots, 16, 20, 48 selections, 49 Passseus, C, 3, 9 Peat-moss fibre, 83 Peters, W., 64 Plant supports, 40 Planting, 75 Plated, 20 Polyphemus, 7 Problems, 12 Propagation, 96 Properties, 5 3, 54 Quartering, 21, 33 Rats, 105 Rea, John, 4, 54 Rectified, 15 Kegel, A., 50 Rembrandts, 21. 22, 46 selections, 46 Revision of Tulipese, 8 Roses, 21, 62 Sautyn-Kluyt, W. p., II Savoy, 21 Sclerotium tuliparum, 105 Seedlings, 99 Seed-sowing, 99 Selections : — beds, 109 clumps, 109 cottage varieties, 33 cutting, 107, 108 Darwins, 43 double, 48 early double, 30 early single, 24 florist, 64 forcing, 107 grass. III parrots, 49 pots, 107 rockeries, ill species, 52 Semper Augustus, 9 Shawyer, G., 66, 67 Show, an early tulip, 6 at Cork, 32 at London, 1912, 61 era of local, 7 Situation, t6 Skin of bulb, 80 ii6 INDEX Slater, J., 7, 8, 60 Slugs, 105 Society, establishment of National, 60 its constitution, 63 Soil, 72, 75 Solms-Laubach, 8, 51 Species, 8, 21, 50 selections, 52 Sporting of tulips, 97 Storing when out of ground, 81 Sulphur, T7 Summary of cultural points, 85 Sweet, R., 7, 59 Toiler, The, 4 Temple of Flora, 59 Thornton, 59 Time to plant, 75 Traits des Tulipes, 4 t' Samenspraecken, 3, 4, lO Tulip, derivation of, 2 1 Tulip war, 7 Tu/ipes Plusi/lores, 21 Turkey, tulips in, 1 5 Van Kampen, 4 Van Oosten, 4 Van Tubergen, C G., 8, 45 Virus, Liverpool, 106 Vocabulary, 16 Wassener, N., 9 Watson, Forbes, 93 IVeizen und Tidpe, 8 THE END lo/ia PrinleJ by nAr.i.ANTy;»R, Hanson b' Co. Ililiiiburgh b* LonUoa ff*^ ?^ T^ ^ 3/ y'^T^t^'^jj^..^ i /C !^ y:>0 ^PfrQ< t.Qpy ^Mo'^4 I -4oV«^ 4. v.--^ . ^^^AjU/t^ ^LtVN -I-'- ' otg^-^x^ iSa: X-!^ ^ £ 3 9424 00621 9262