The Liberal democrat. [volume] (Liberal, Kan.) 1911-1924, 1914-10-30
BY JULIE ADAMS POWELL.


In planting a perennial flower-gar-
den one must spare corner, or strip
Of ground, for the hardy bulbs which
come up from year to year with very
little care, excepting the general care
which flower lovers all give to their
gardens, such as keeping the weeds
down, fertilizing the ground in the
fall and loosening the earth in the
springtime.
Scilla Siberica is very satisfactory,
1t being one of the first bright-blue
flowers to greet US, for It comes in
crocus time. Then there is the Scilla
campanulata, or Spanish bluebell.
These bulbs, grown In masses with
snowdrops, grape and feathered hya-
cinths, are charming in effect
My crocuses are planted in the
lawn and are done blooming before
the moving machine is run over that
part OF the grass.
find the Roman hyacinth will in
crease from year to year II left in
the ground.
While Roman hyacinths are cata-
logued as mot hardy" l have them
here In my garden in southern Con-
necticut, and their sweet, graceful
blossoms greet one In Maytime If /
give them very light covering of
rough manure late In the fall.
In my hardy bulb border / have
some old-fashioned white tulips, the
double kind, and these with a few of
the cottage garden tulips of brilliant
colorings make gay showing all
through May.
They may be left in the ground
from year to year and need no winter
protection. They are planted in the
earth about five inches.
II my border and my purse were
larger / would plant all the lilies of
the field" as we'll as those of the gar
den. But those of special notice
where space and purse are limited
are the pure white Madonna lily,
which blossoms in May or June; the
Canada lily, which is found in our
fields and is bright crimson in color,
with dark spots, and blossoms in
June or July; the Coral lily, which
comes to us in May; the Longiflorum
multiflorum, another pure white
beauty.
Then we have the Speciosum, white
with green band running through
the center; blood-red, and white, the
two latter heavily spotted with darker
crimson.
The golden banded Japanese lily is
one Of the handsomest, and comes just
when we need 1t most, in late sum-
mertime.
If ordered early in September, lily
bulbs will reach you any time from
the latter part of the month until No
vember; and 1t is well to prepare the
bed now, and as the season advances
cover 1t with six inches of litter of
any kind, and then if the bulbs do not
come until late, the ground will be in
condition to receive them when they
do come.
Again cover the ground with litter
and in the early spring remove 1t.
Lilies like a well-drained, moist soil,
deep and we'll worked over with fine,
well-decayed manure.
When the bulbs are set in the
ground handful of sand should be
placed around each bulb and through
this the root will reach the rich soil.
The Sternbergia lutia is a bulb
which gives us its blossoms in Sep
TENDER, often extending into the lat.
ter part of October. A clump of them
Is very striking, the flowers being OF
a pure golden-yellow in color.
The most satisfactory bulbs Of all
are the fleur-de-lis. iris or flags, the
narcissi and the daffodils. The ground
In which they are planted should not
be fortified, as this causes the bulbs
to run to leaf" and give but scanty
blossoms.
Once in three years, in the fall, the
dstfodils, the narcissi and fieur-de-lis