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Varieties of Bulbs for Forcing: Gladiolus

Gladiolus bulbs are sensitive to frost and should not be planted until the ground has become warm and mellow. They should be spaced five or six inches apart and planted about four inches deep. If the bulbs are planted at intervals of two weeks during late spring and early summer, they will afford a long succession of bloom. They come into flower usually about six weeks after planting.

Many new introductions are offered each year. They are almost always prohibitively high in price when first catalogued, but there is solace in the thought that they will be just as lovely a few years hence when they are selling for a much lower figure.

Although some varieties of the giant gladiolus are startling in their splendor, I must confess that I think the little Primulinus varieties best of all. They are so piquant and their color shadings so delicate that it is only natural to allot generous spaces to them in the garden. Storing Gladiolus Bulbs during the Winter. Gladiolus bulbs should be dug after the leaf blades have ripened but before the ground freezes. After digging, the bulbs should be allowed to dry and cure for a few days in the open if the weather is favorable. During a spell of inclement weather following the digging, the curing will have to be done indoors. It is essential that the bulbs should be thoroughly dried and ripened before being stored away for the winter. They should be kept in a cool, dry place where the temperature will not drop below freezing. A far corner of the cellar is excellent. Paper bags are most satisfactory things in which to store the bulbs as they may be easily suspended from the ceiling in order to afford protection against inquisitive mice. Gladiolus bulbs should not be stored in large, deep boxes as they keep well only in shallow receptacles where the air can circulate freely around them. Shallow wire trays are good, but paper bags are cheaper and really quite as satisfactory.

Hyacinthus candicans (Galtonia) Hyacinthus candicans is exceedingly useful for autumn bloom. It may be placed delightfully in the perennial garden or may be used to give height and substance to an annual planting. The blooms are also picturesque when massed in front of shrubbery.