Title: The American florist : a weekly journal for the trade
Identifier: americanfloristw39amer (find matches)
Year: 1885 (1880s)
Authors: American Florists Company
Subjects: Floriculture; Florists
Publisher: Chicago : American Florist Company
Contributing Library: UMass Amherst Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Boston Library Consortium Member Libraries

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igoS. The American Florist. 663 Planting: Bulbs. Although, without doubt, /the earlier bulbs are planted the better, yet it is never good policy to plant in badly pre- pared soil, but rather to wait until this can be got into good condition. We have the word of one of our most successful park superintendents that he would calculatinK the numbers. Thus, at one foot apart, a bed 32 feet Ions and three feet wide would take 3<j bulbs, this al- lowing six inches between the edge and the first bulb. If planted nine inches ajiart, allow four bulbs to three feet, which would take ()4 bulbs, allowing a space of 4% inches between the edge and the first
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BED OF TULIPS AT Center Rows. Proserpine: Inner Cirele, Ko: WASHINGTON, D. C. ^.e Gris de Lin; Outer Rows, Belle Alliance. never hesitate to plant tulips and hya- cinths even if frost.v, provided the soil was not sufBciently frozen to render the work impracticable. The first thing to be done is to thoroughly spade the beds to a depth of 10 to 12 inches, breaking up the soil finely and well cultivating and raking the surface. Throw the soil well up in the middle of the beds and keep it well away from the grass edges. The easiest way to plant hyacinths and tulips is to make marks with a rake or drill in circles, straight lines or curves, according to the shape of the beds. Then lay the bulbs in the lines at the proper distances apart, six to nine inches for tulips and about six inches for hyacinths. By placing the bulbs in position in this way one is sure of having enough to plant a bed and is also sure that none will be missed. Plant with a dibber made out of the handle of an old fork or spade about four inches in length, thrusting it in quite to the handle each time to in- sure all the bulbs being planted to the requisite depth. Where the beds are not too wide to reach half way across there is no need to get on them for planting, but where they are too wide, a board should be used for the planter to kneel on. There is sometimes a diiBculty in deter- mining how many bulbs are necessary for beds of irregular shape and size, and for this reason it is not wise to commence to plant until the bulbs have been laid out as described below. Then, in case of there being too many or too few, it is easy, by placing them a little closer or a little further apart, to have the beds well filled, yet no bulbs over to be wasted. When there are just a few over they may be put into a thick line somewhere among the others and lifted in spring to fill any vacancies should they appear. Square and oblong beds are easily calculated by multiplying the width by the length and bulb, and so on in proportion as to the distance the bulbs are planted. Triangu- lar beds may be thrown into right-angled figures by measuring from the center of the base line to the point and multiplying this by half the base line, then applying the same rule as to the number of bulbs. Circles may be roughly but not exactly measured by dividing one-half the cir- cumference into triangles having for base lines two or three-foot sections of the arc, the point in each case being the cen- ter of the circle. Call these figures rectangular and again apply the rule as described above to determine the num- bers, the doubling allowing for the other side of the circle. Large circles may be divided into four upon the same prin- ciple by lines bisecting at the center. It will be more difficult, of course, where the outer and inner parts of the circle are planted to different varieties, and in this case it is best to get a rough esti- mate of the number needed and lay them out to fit. When all are planted the beds must be carefully and thoroughly raked over to insure each hole being filled with soil, as this prevents the bulbs lifting or frost from reaching them. After planting give a thorough watering, and this part of the work is complete. It is best to wait un- til the beds are frozen an inch or two deep before using any protective material. This will then keep the frost in the sur- face soil, preventing top growth, yet al- lowing the bulbs to make good roots. Chip horse manure is one of the best materials to use for protection, straw or hay manure the worst. The former is a good, non-conducting material that keeps close to tlie ground, but the latter when dry blows about in all directions, and the same thing applies to leaves, which, otherwise, are a good and natural proteclion. In early spring watch the beds closely and when an inch or so of growth has been m.ide tlie covering must be carefully removed. Very often at this sta.'je the beds are dry, and, if so, another good watering should be given; but this^ of course, depends upon the weather. In arranging large beds always use the tall- est growing varieties in the center. Among the best bedding tulips in exist- ence are Keizerskroon, Yellow Prince, Chrysolora. White Pottebakker, Thomas 5Ioore, Cottage Maid. Prince of Austria. Wouverman and Belle Alliance. These are all single. May flowering sorts. Four -rood doubles are Imperator Rubro- rum, Murillo, Titian and Tournesol. -\raong hyacinths, Chas. Dickens and King of the Blues are good blues; Baron Von Thuyll and Chas. Dickens (pink) good pinks, and Baroness Von Thuyll and La Grandesse white. There are, of course, many others, but these can be depended upon. Like every other branch of gardening, the success or otherwise of bulb planting depends upon its being thoroughly and

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