The nanceianus section comprises a number of very showy flowers, particularly suited for garden decoration or for cutting for large vases. The plants are tall, and the blooms are of great size. The Childsii varieties are also very effective plants in the garden, and are of fine colours. Several new hybrids are at present in course of improvement and will, in time, add much to the beauty of our gardens.
The species are not much grown, but there will be found among them a number of very pretty plants, which only await a demand to be readily obtainable. I have only space to refer to such as alatus, cardinalis, galeatus, hirsutus, dracocephalus, præcox, ringens, Saundersii, psittacinus, purpureo-auratus, and tristis, as all being interesting and not devoid of beauty of their own.
The hybrid Gladioli, as well as the species, make good pot plants which may be treated in a similar way to such bulbs as Hyacinths. Named varieties are propagated by offsets, by division of the corms, each portion having an eye attached, and by "spawn," the cormlets at the base of the corms which are grown on until they reach flowering size. Gladioli are also raised from seeds, sown in pans, or in the open ground in spring.
Ixias, Sparaxises, Babianas, Morphixias, and Tritonias
For convenience of treatment, these pretty and useful bulbs may well be grouped together. They are possessed of brilliant colouring, and few things are prettier or attract more attention than beds of these flowers. They are also lovely pot plants, and can be well grown in the cool greenhouse or conservatory. In some places they are hardy and may be left without much attention, but, as a general rule, they need the little care now recommended to bring them to perfection. For their cultivation, a bed with a south aspect, of rich, light loam, raised six inches above the level of the garden, is to be preferred, special care being taken that the drainage is perfect. The bulbs should be planted from October to January, at a depth of from three to four inches, and about three inches apart. If the foliage does not appear until spring, a little dry litter is all the protection required, but should it pierce through the soil earlier, a mat or two may be placed over the bed in frosty weather. When the foliage dies down after flowering, the bulbs may be lifted and dried off. For pot work, from five to six bulbs are enough for a five-inch pot, and loam, leaf-mould, and silver sand form a good compost. The best time to plant in pots is from September to December, and the soil should be slightly moist, but not so wet as to be adhesive. After making the compost firm about the bulbs, place the pots, plunged in cocoa-fibre or ashes, in a cold frame until the plants appear, when water may be given very moderately, and the lights kept off in all favourable weather. When the plants have made some growth, remove the pots to the greenhouse or conservatory, keeping them near the glass and giving a sufficiency of water.
The Ixia, or African Corn Lily, is a charming plant, with long racemes of brilliantly coloured flowers, whose dark centres add much to their beauty. Mixed varieties can be bought very cheaply, and will give many beautiful flowers. Bulb dealers also offer named collections at moderate prices. Azurea, blue; Beauty of Norfolk, yellow; Conqueror, yellow; crateroides, bright scarlet, and a capital thing; Donnatello, scarlet; erubescens major, rose-carmine; Excelsior, crimson-scarlet; magnificum, yellow; nitens, magenta; Queen of Roses, rose; viridiflora, a charming thing, with sea-green black-centred flowers; and White Queen, pure white, with crimson centre, are all desirable. Morphixias are now included by botanists with the Ixia. They bloom rather later. The varieties of paniculata should be grown. Sparaxises are equally beautiful, but are of dwarfer habit. Among the most useful is S. tricolor, which has scarlet flowers with a yellow centre. The others are not so much grown under name as formerly, as mixed varieties are cheaper, and give good flowers. Fire King is bright with its scarlet and black flowers, with a yellow centre, and Angelique, white; Garibaldi, crimson; Lady Carey, white, blotched purple; maculata, white, purple, and primrose; Queen Victoria, white, yellow, and black, are all good.
Babianas are also very beautiful with their dwarf habit, plaited hirsute leaves, and their self-coloured or strongly contrasted flowers. Apart from the species, of which there are upwards of twenty, there are a number of named varieties. Atro-cyanea, purple-blue and white; and rubro-cyanea, blue and crimson, are both varieties of B. stricta. Others worth growing are:—Attraction, blue; General Scott, lavender; Hellas, yellow; Julia, white and blue; speciosa, mauve; and villosa, blue. The plant called S. pulcherrima is Dierama pulcherrimum, which is named among hardy bulbs.
The Tritonias now include Montbretia Pottsii, but the plants, forms of T. crocata, generally known in gardens by the former name, more resemble the Sparaxis in their habit than the popular Montbretia of modern times. They are grown like the Ixia, but are rather more tender, and do best if kept indoors in winter. They bloom later than the Sparaxis, and differ in their leading colours, these being buff, rose, salmon, and orange. Good forms and varieties are amœna, yellow; Bella, blush; crocata, bright orange; elegans, orange-cerise; Eleonore, buff; and speciosa, orange-scarlet. Mixed varieties can be bought cheaply.
CHAPTER XIV
HALF-HARDY BULBS
Ixiolirions — Moræas — Ornithogalums — Oxalises — Phædranassas — Pancratiums — Tigridias — Zephyranthes — Cooperias