The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1915-10-16
Bulb
planting
In the fall


November. The sooner they are set
out the better, as it gives them that
much longer to make root growth be-
fore cold weather puts them to sleep.
But" some one says, Il see people
setting out tulips and daffOdils In the
spring" True, but they are ready to
bloom, having been started indoors or
in hothouses. You may do that, too.
If you have the time and the place, or
you may buy them from the florist
next spring all ready to bloom. But
that is expensive and not half the fun.
No one really knows the true JOY or
flowers who does not work among
them. 1t brings an entirely different
love.
Dormant bulbs are much cheaper.
just as seeds are cheaper than growing
plants.
Buy only bulbs of good quality from
reputable dealers. The heavier the
bulb the better it is. Isn't that sensi-
BILE when you consider that each bulb
has already stored up within itself al
most enough food for next years
growth and bloom? The rest it gets
by sending down roots into the earth;
but, no matter how good your soil and
how great your care, you can only i'm
prove the size and color OF the bios
SONS, not their number.
No amount Of culture will make one
more flower grow from any tulip bulb
nor one more bell on any hyacinth. In
that sweet mystery, a bulb, the exact
number Of flowers it will produce Is
already decided upon. Cut one open,
and If you have a magnifying glass
you will be able to count how many
blooms it would have had.
Here they come in gay succession
snowdrops, crocuses, squills, daffodils
and jonquils, hyacinths and tulips-a
wonderful procession. What q pity to
make geometrical beds or patterns of
themI Happy you If you have a cor
ner Of the garden where you can nat
uralize them, since all the bulbs but
tulips and hyacinths lend themselves
to this treatment and are infinitely
more beautiful growing naturally in
the grass at the base of a stump or
rock than when set in formal, even
lines.
Where this is possible simply scatter
the bulbs, planting them where they
fall. One authority says that we
should take the irregular shapes Of
summer clouds as a guide in this ar
rangement, noticing that the cloud Is
heavier at the center and thin ON the
edges and making the plantation fol-
low this idea.
Since few of us possess the possibili-
ties of a wild garden by all means
plant the bulbs in the hardy borders
in irregular groups of a dozen or more
here and there in the inches made by
other plants and with their foliage as
a background and contrast. Both col
umbine and bleeding heart have beau
tiful foliage and are early on the
scene.
And how deep should bulbs be plant
ed? A hard and fast rule cannot be
made, but a good general rule is, as
deep as the circumference Of the bulb.
This rule worked out gives an aver
age of three inches for crocuses, tulips
four inches, hyacinths five and narcis-
uses six. The latter vary greatly in
size, so it is a case Of individual OBJ
servation and care with these bulbs.
The distance apart also depends on
size and soil and kind Of bulb. Small
ones, such as the crocus and snow
drop, may be planted as close as three
inches. Early tulips should be five or
six inches apart and hyacinths the
same. But some of the stronger grow
ing, late Towering tulips and strong
growing daffodils may be planted six
to eight inches apart to good adyan-
tage. Bulbs will prosper either in full
sun or partial shade.
Dig the ground deep. 1t may seem
like an unnecessary waste Of labor to
dig one and a half to two feet deep
when you want to plant the bulbs only
three or four inches deep, but it is not.
In fact, 1t is essential for good results.
Take care of the soil. and the soil
Will take care Of the flowers"
II the ground Is inclined to be wet
and heavy and you are planting choice
kinds of bulbs it is worth while to put
a handful Of sand about each one.
Do not use fresh manure. II 1t is
well rotted and placed deep enough In
the hole to escape direct contact with
the rootlets it Is very beneficial Also
use part sand with any heavy soil to
make it porous. The ideal soil Is made
up Of one-third sand, one-third good
garden soil and one-third old manure.
Water lying about bulbs causes them
10 rot. For the same reason thin
skinned bulbs should be planted on
their sides, to allow any excess OF wa
ter to run or.
1t Is a serious mistake 10 cover your
bulbs until after the ground freezes.
II you do field mice and other vermin
are likely to take up winter quarters
! there In December and eat the bulbs
ut their leisure.