Part 8

=BABIANA= (Baboon Root).--Charming plants of the Iris family, with fibrous-coated corms about an inch in diameter, stiffish, hairy, plaited leaves, and dense spikes of funnel-shaped flowers. The latter, in most cases, are sweetly scented and brilliantly coloured, and in a cut state, are exceedingly handsome for decorative work. Unfortunately the plants are not very hardy, and can only be grown in the open air in the very warmest and mildest parts of the kingdom with anything like success. In favourable localities the corms should be planted 3 or 4 inches deep, in mild weather, any time between September and November. The soil should be very light, loamy, and well-drained, and the position should be the warmest and sunniest in the garden. Plenty of sand or grit around the corms is an advantage, and a covering of leaves or litter will keep off cold winter rains. Babianas are very useful for cool greenhouse decoration, and may be easily grown in pots, only giving water when roots have developed, and the new leaves are beginning to show. (See p. 46).

The best kinds are disticha, pale blue; plicata, violet blue; ringens, scarlet; stricta, the three outer segments of which are white, the three inner lilac-blue with a dark blotch at the base. This is the best-known kind, and there are many forms of it, notably angustifolia, bright blue tinged with pink; and rubro-cyanea, brilliant blue and crimson. All increased by offsets.

=BESSERA elegans.=--A pretty liliaceous plant, 1-1/2 to 2 feet high, with slender rush-like leaves, and scarlet or scarlet and white bell-shaped blossoms. Being a native of Mexico it is rather tender, and can only be grown out of doors in the mildest parts of the British Isles in the same way as the Babianas. As a pot plant it may be grown in a cool greenhouse. Increased by offsets from the brown silky-coated corms.

=BLOOMERIA aurea.=--This is the best known species. It is a native of California and belongs to the Lily family. The small corms are covered with netted pale brown coats, from which spring long narrow leaves, and umbels of bright yellow starry flowers about June or July. B. Clevelandi is another species with smaller yellow flowers. The corms of both kinds should be planted in warm sunny spots in well-drained sandy loam and leaf-soil in the autumn, and a little protection with leaves or litter may be given in cold wet winters.

=BOBARTIA aurantiaca.=--This pretty member of the Iris family is also known under the name of Homeria. It has roundish corms, an inch or more in diameter, covered with pale brown shaggy fibrous coats. The orange-red or yellow blossoms appear in summer and last a long time. The plant is a native of South Africa, and can only be grown in the mildest parts of the kingdom in the same way as the Babianas, Ixias, &c., which see. Increased by offsets.

=BRAVOA geminiflora.=--A graceful Mexican plant of the Narcissus family, with roundish fibrous-coated corms over an inch in diameter, and narrow sword-like leaves 12 to 18 inches long. The bright red or scarlet tubular blossoms droop in pairs from stalks 1 to 2 feet high from July onwards. In the milder parts of the kingdom this plant may be grown easily in sheltered sunny spots in rich sandy loam and leaf-soil, protection being only needed in severe winters from cold heavy rains or hard frosts by means of leaves or litter. Increased by offsets in autumn or seeds sown in spring.

=BREVOORTIA Ida-Maia= (Brodiaea coccinea).--This beautiful Liliaceous plant is popularly known as the "Californian Fire Cracker." It has roundish corms an inch or so in diameter, with brown fibrous coats. The leaves are very narrow, while the tubular flowers are borne in loose umbels in June or July on top of slender wiry stalks 2 to 3 feet high. The shape and colour of the individual blossoms are shown on Plate 19, fig. 75. They are very attractive in bold masses, and are excellent for cutting purposes. In the garden it is essential to support the slender flower-stems with thin sticks to keep the blossoms from trailing in the dirt. During September and October is the best time to plant the corms 3 to 4 inches deep, in rich sandy loam, in warm sunny spots in the border or rock-garden, where they should be allowed to remain for three or four seasons before they need be disturbed. Increased by offsets and seeds.

PLATE 15. SPANISH IRISES (60-63)

=BRODIAEA.=--The plants belonging to this genus have practically the same characters as those of Brevoortia, the chief differences being that many (but not all) of the Brodiaeas have six fertile stamens instead of three, and the perianth in many cases is more funnel or bell-shaped than cylindrical. The corms are about the same size with netted, brown, silky coats, but are quite distinct from those in the section formerly known under the names of Milla and Triteleia. The cultural treatment is precisely the same as detailed under Brevoortia above. An idea as to the beauty of the blossoms of some of the kinds may be gained from a glance at Plates 13, 19, 20, and 24, in which B. laxa (fig. 76), B. ixioides (fig. 77) (also known as Calliprora lutea), B. Bridgesi (fig. 91), B. Howelli lilacina (fig. 80), and B. uniflora (figs. 51 and 52) (the last named being remarkable for having flowers singly instead of in umbels), are respectively depicted. Other species well worth growing are californica, rosy-purple; capitata, lilac or violet, and its white variety alba; congesta, deep violet; Douglasi, bright blue; gracilis, bright yellow; grandiflora, violet-blue; Hendersoni, salmon-yellow striped with purple; Howelli, porcelain-white striped with blue; hyacinthina, purple, and its white variety lactea; Leichtlini, white; multiflora, pale blue; Orcutti, lilac; peduncularis, porcelain-white to rosy-purple; Purdyi, rosy-purple to lilac; rosea, rose-red to pinkish-purple; Sellowiana, yellow; and stellaris, reddish-purple to deep blue. To these may be added B. volubilis, remarkable for having twining stems often 12 feet long, and having 15 to 30 rose-coloured flowers in an umbel.

=BULBOCODIUM vernum.=--A charming Crocus-like plant of the Lily family, closely related to the Meadow Saffrons (Colchicum), as may be seen by comparing the method of lateral growth of the brown-coated corms--each an inch or more in diameter. It is a native of the Alps. In mild seasons it often produces its violet or rosy-purple funnel-shaped flowers in January, not more than 6 inches from the ground, and remains in blossom in company with Snowdrops, Leucojums, &c. The leaves appear afterwards and elaborate food for the production of next year's corms before they wither. A rich well-drained loam with a little sand and leaf-soil suits it very well, and the corms may be planted in September or October about 4 inches deep, in bold masses in the rock garden or grass-land, and left alone for a few years, after which there will be numerous offsets to increase the stock. As slugs are very fond of the young growths, they must be carefully looked for morning and evening, and a little soot or lime carefully spread round the plants may help to check them (see p. 142).

=CALOCHORTUS= (Mariposa Lily).--A very distinct group of Liliaceous plants with brown-coated bulbs, narrow leaves, and very showy and distinct-looking blossoms--some of which are shown in Plate 22, fig. 84, and also in Plate 20 of the companion volume "BEAUTIFUL GARDEN FLOWERS." Joined to the Mariposa Lilies proper are the "Star Tulips," formerly known under the name of Cyclobothra--well-known representatives of which are shown in the same Plate, figs. 85 and 86. They are quite distinct in the appearance of the flowers, but botanically they are considered to be identical in the important characters. Both groups are well worth growing in the milder parts of the kingdom in warm sunny parts of the garden. This is essential as most of them are natives of California, Oregon, Arizona, and parts of Mexico, where they have plenty of sunshine and are not subject to the cold drenching rains that often characterise the British winter. In colder districts where they would be unable to survive the ordinary winter, the plants may be brought to perfection in a cold frame so long as they are free from frost and heavy rains. The soil in which they appear to flourish best seems to be sharp sand, leaf-soil and road grit, well mixed together with a little loam added. The bed--in which the bulbs are to be planted 3 to 4 inches deep, from September to November, but not later--should be raised above the general level, the better to throw the water off in winter. If the beds or borders are facing south and slightly sloping, so much the better. A light covering with reeds or bracken is advisable during severe weather, but should be removed on all warm days, and altogether from February and March, as the young growths will then begin to push through the soil. After the flowering period--i.e., July and August--is over, and the foliage has withered, the bulbs may be either lifted and carefully stored in sand or dry earth until the planting season comes round again; or, better still, lights may be placed over them to keep the bulbs dry and allow them to ripen thoroughly and naturally. If the latter treatment is adopted the bulbs need not be disturbed for three or four years, and will give better blossom on the whole in consequence. It must be remembered that although the bulbs dislike moisture when dormant, they must have a sufficient supply during active growth, otherwise they may soon become parched and withered. The easiest way to increase the plants is by means of offsets. When seeds ripen they may be sown very thinly in pots or pans in spring, and the seedlings may remain for a couple of seasons before being transplanted. Sometimes "bulbils" (see p. 32) are produced on the stems, and may be sown in light sandy soil as if they were seeds. From seeds and bulbils it takes from three to six years to produce a flowering bulb.

There are now several kinds of Mariposa Lily in cultivation. Of these the varieties of the venustus group are undoubtedly the handsomest. (See Plate 22, fig. 84.) They grow about 18 inches high, and have cup-shaped flowers 3 inches across, having three very large and three very small segments. The colour of the type is white, yellow at the base, deeply stained with crimson, and having a conspicuous blotch at the base. In the variety alba the flowers are wholly white; lilacinus, deep lilac; purpurascens, lilac-purple; citrinus, lemon-yellow; oculatus, with rosy buds passing into white, with a deep blackish-purple blotch in the centre of a yellow base; and Vesta, flowers very large, white flushed with rose, and marked with brown and yellow at the base.

Other kinds are albus, with drooping pearly-white flowers (Plate 22, fig. 85); apiculatus, lemon-yellow; Benthami, bright yellow; coeruleus, lilac or creamy-white, densely bearded with blue hairs; clavatus, golden-yellow; elegans, white tinged with purple, but rich pink in the variety amoenus; flavus, yellow, drooping; Goldyi, old gold with hairy centre; Howelli, creamy-white; Kennedyi, orange-red; lilacinus, pink, purple, or lilac, a fine species; luteus, yellow or orange, with purple hairs; Plummerae, large soft lilac flowers, with golden-yellow hairs and blotched with purple; pulchellus, orange-yellow, sweet-scented, drooping (see Plate 22, fig. 86); Purdyi, white, spotted with purple, and covered with long white hairs; splendens pale lilac, with silky white hairs and deep purple blotches at base; and Weedi, yellow.

=CAMASSIA.=--Graceful-looking North American plants of the Lily family, with rather large ovoid bulbs, strap-shaped tapering leaves, and loose racemes of starry blossoms which usually appear from May to July, and are useful for decorations when cut. They flourish in ordinary good and well-drained garden soil in warm sheltered spots. The bulbs should be planted in September or October, and covered with about twice their own depth of soil. They may be left undisturbed for a few seasons, but in that case a mulching of well-decayed manure in autumn would be beneficial. New plants are most readily secured by offsets from the old bulbs. Seeds, however, are freely produced in most places and should be sown in cold frames as soon as ripe. (See p. 36).

PLATE 16. MADONNA LILY (64) FRITILLARIA IMPERIALIS, VARS. (65-66)

There are only a few species, the best being C. esculenta, the Quamash or Camass Root of the North American Indians. The blue flowers, each about 2 inches across, are borne on scapes 1-1/2 to 3 feet high, and look very handsome above the narrow arching leaves. C. Cusicksi, with porcelain-blue flowers (see Plate 18, fig. 70), grows 3 to 4 feet high. C. Fraseri, with very pale-blue flowers, is about 1-1/2 feet high; while C. Leichtlini grows 3 to 4 feet high, and has large creamy-white blossoms, about 3 inches in diameter.

=CHIONODOXA Luciliae= (Glory of the Snow).--This charming harbinger of spring is a native of Asia Minor, where it pushes its beautiful brilliant blue and white blossoms (see Plate 2, fig. 9) through the snow-clad mountains early in the year. It has ovoid bulbs about 1 to 2 inches deep, arching leaves, and each flower-stalk 6 to 10 inches high, carries from six to twenty blossoms in February, March, and April. There are several fine varieties, the best being gigantea (or grandiflora), with very large flowers; sardensis, shown on Plate 13, fig. 53, has gentian-blue flowers. The variety alba has pure-white flowers, and Tmolusi and Alleni are also good varieties. A hybrid between C. Luciliae and Scilla bifolia is known as Chiono-scilla, but is not common. Other Chionodoxas are C. cretica, with white or pale-blue flowers very scantily produced; and C. nana, with white or lilac-tinted flowers.

Chionodoxas flourish in ordinary good garden soil, and are suitable for the rockery, flower-border, beneath deciduous trees in shrubberies, or in the grass. To be effective in any of these positions they should be planted in hundreds and thousands, and in grass-land may be mixed with the smaller-flowered kinds of Narcissus (e.g., minimus, cyclamineus, triandrus). In the latter case the bulbs may be left alone for years with advantage, as they never interfere with mowing operations.

Offsets are freely produced from the old bulbs, and are the easiest means of increasing the stock. Seeds may be sown when ripe, but they take a few years to produce flowering bulbs (see p. 34).

=CHLOROGALUM pomeridianum= (Soap Plant).--A distinct looking plant about 2 feet high, with blue-green leaves and spikes of whitish purple-veined flowers, that usually open in the afternoon during the summer months. It flourishes in ordinary soil, and may be increased by offsets from the old bulbs. The best time to plant is in autumn.

=COLCHICUM= (Meadow Saffron).--In the autumn, when the landscape looks more or less dreary, the Colchicums relieve the monotony with their bright appearance. The bulbs are peculiarly one-sided, and differ a good deal in size according to the species, so that they should be planted at various depths according to size. The best time for planting is July, or not later than August, and if massed in bold patches in the grass, flower-border, shrubbery, or rock-garden, the effect later on will be much more effective than if the bulbs were put in sparingly. A rich sandy loam will suit most kinds, but any good and well-drained garden soil will give satisfactory results. It may be remarked that most kinds produce their flowers without the leaves. The latter appear the following spring to elaborate food for the new bulbs, dying down during the summer. Colchicums are best propagated by offsets. Seeds may also be sown about midsummer when thoroughly ripe, and will produce flowering bulbs in five or six years (see p. 34). There are many kinds, the most popular being: C. autumnale, a British plant, popularly known as the "Autumn Crocus"--owing to the shape and bright purple colour of its cup-shaped blossoms, which appear from the end of August to November. There are many varieties of it such as album, white; with a double form; maximum, purple; purpureum, purple rose; and striatum, red striped with white. C. Bivonae has flowers chequered with white and purple. C. Bornmuelleri, a fine species with rosy-lilac flowers. C. byzantinum has pale rose blossoms. C. giganteum, flowers rosy, very large. C. libanoticum, white. C. montanum produces its lilac-purple or whitish flowers in February and March. C. Parkinsoni has white flowers distinctly veined and chequered with violet-purple. The flowers of C. speciosum, shown in Plate 33, fig. 118, appear in September and October, and vary from reddish or rose-purple to deep crimson-purple. C. variegatum (a very old species also called Parkinsoni) has its rosy flowers beautifully chequered with violet purple.

=CRINUM.=--Most of the Crinums require the protection of a greenhouse or hothouse in our climate. The kinds mentioned below, however, may be grown in the open air in the milder parts of the country. The large and broad strap-shaped leaves, 2 to 4 feet long, more or less gracefully recurving from the long-necked bulbs, are in themselves a noble sight, but their beauty is considerably enhanced when the large, funnel-shaped blossoms are borne in clusters on the top of a stout, fleshy stalk. Given a rich and well-drained, loamy soil, warm-sheltered spots, and sufficient moisture during active growth, and the hardy Crinums usually flourish. They may be increased by offsets taken from the base of the large old bulbs; or by means of the large fleshy bulb-like seeds that are produced in favourable seasons. The seed needs only to be placed on the top of moist soil in a pot, and under the shelter of a greenhouse or cold frame will soon germinate in its own peculiar way. The best-known hardy Crinums are C. Moorei, a native of South Africa. It has large long-necked bulbs, broad bright-green leaves 2 to 3 feet long, and clusters of soft-pink flowers, each 6 inches or more across, on a scape 2 to 3 feet high (see Plate 30, fig. 109). C. Powelli, with a reddish wash down the centre of the petals, and its pure white variety album (Plate 32, fig. 115) are also two very fine plants for the out-door garden. They are really forms, or hybrids perhaps, of the South African S. longifolium (or C. capense), which has large white flowers with a central reddish stain on the outside of the petals. It is quite as hardy as the other kinds and may be treated in the same way.

=CROCOSMA aurea.=--This beautiful Iridaceous plant is perhaps better known as Tritonia aurea. It is a native of South Africa, and has fibrous-coated corms, narrow sword-shaped leaves, and brilliant orange-red starry blossoms borne on branched stems about 2 feet high, in August or September. It likes a rich sandy loam and leaf-soil and soon makes fine clumps in the milder parts of the kingdom. In cold districts and the north generally, the corms may be lifted in October or November, when the leaves have withered, and may be stored in sand or soil until spring. Then they may be replanted, any offsets from the older corms being placed in separate beds and grown on until large enough for flowering. As a pot plant for greenhouse decoration, the Crocosma is most useful. After potting in spring, the pots may be plunged (i.e., sunk up to the rims) in ashes or fibre, and plenty of water should be given during the summer months when the growth is active. When the flower-spikes appear the plants may be taken into the greenhouse or conservatory.

PLATE 17. LILIUM CROCEUM (67) ALLIUM MOLY (68) SCILLA PERUVIANA ALBA (69)

=CROCUS.=--The popularity of the Crocus is undoubted, but popular favour generally confines itself to the white, blue, lilac, purple, yellow, and striped varieties of C. aureus, the Old Dutch yellow Crocus, and C. vernus. These all flower from February to April, and when planted in hundreds and thousands in the borders or grass-land they are then indeed a glorious sight, especially if naturalised with Snowdrops, Leucojums, and Bulbocodiums. The individual blossoms do not last long, but they are thrown up so profusely from the roundish corms beneath, that they give a continuous glow for several weeks in early spring. The above all flourish in light sandy loam and leaf-soil. To secure the best results the corms should be planted about 3 inches deep in September or October. When possible, as in grass-land for example, the plants should not be disturbed for a few seasons, so they may increase as Nature intended. In this way they will produce a more striking picture each succeeding year, especially if they have had the advantage of a top-dressing with well-decayed manure in autumn. When the corms have to be lifted each year to make way in the borders for summer-flowering plants, the best time to take them up is when the foliage has begun to wither. This process is often hastened by twisting the narrow leaves and tying them into little bundles.

Apart from the ordinary spring-flowering Crocuses, aureus and vernus (a selection of which can be obtained from any bulb catalogue), there are several natural species which also flower in spring, and may be planted and grown exactly in the same way. Amongst these the best known are alatavicus, white and yellow; Balansae, orange-yellow; banaticus, bright purple and white; biflorus, white to pale lavender, known as the "Cloth of Silver Crocus," of which there are many beautiful forms; Biliotti, purple; carpetanus, lilac to white; chrysanthus, orange-yellow, with several varieties; dalmaticus, lilac and yellow; etruscus, purple and yellow, striped; Fleischeri, white and yellow, veined purple; Imperati, lilac-purple, with deeper stripes; Korolkowi, yellow; reticulatus or variegatus, white to deep lilac, veined purple; stellaris, orange; suaveolens, lilac and yellow, veined purple; Susianus or revolutus, deep orange, known as the "Cloth of Gold Crocus"; versicolor, purple to white, veined purple; and vitellinus, orange.

=Autumn-Flowering Crocuses.=--Colchicums, and especially C. autumnale, are popularly known as "Autumn Crocuses." They belong, however, to the Lily family, and must not be confused with those species of Crocus proper which belong to the Iris family, and also flower during the autumn months, sometimes even as late as December, when the blossoms are often spoiled by the weather, unless protected with handlights or frames. At this period they are very useful, with the Colchicums and Sternbergias, for the decoration of grassy slopes and banks, and may be intermingled with them in places where they can remain undisturbed for some years.

The chief difference in the cultivation of Spring and Autumn Crocuses, is that the corms of the latter should be planted in July, or not later than August--in fact, at the same time as the Colchicums. The following are among the best Autumn Crocuses:--Asturicus, violet, purple; Boryi, white and yellow; cancellatus, white to purple, and lilac; caspius, white tinted rose; Clusi, pale purple and white; hadriaticus, white and purple; iridiflorus or byzantinus, purple, lilac; Karduchorum, lilac, veined with purple; longiflorus, lilac, yellow, sweet-scented; medius, purple, veined, see Plate 33, fig. 117; ochroleucus, creamy-white, orange, see Plate 33, fig. 121; pulchellus, lavender-blue and yellow, veined; Salzmanni, lilac to white, veined; sativus, lilac, veined purple; the well-known "Saffron Crocus" of commerce, with several varieties; Scharojani, orange-yellow; speciosus, lilac, purple, with deeper veins, see Plate 33, fig. 122; and zonatus, rosy-lilac, veined purple.