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Outdoor Bulb Culture (Chionodoxa Glory of the Snow)

Chionodoxa, Glory of the Snow. The Chionodoxa blooms with Scilla Siberica and Snowdrops in early spring almost as soon as the snow leaves the ground. They are low growing, mostly blue-flowering little plants, perfectly hardy, and used chiefly for naturalizing.

Galanthus, Snowdrops. Snowdrops are popular and well known especially for their early March bloom.

The winter snows are scarcely over before these hardy little white flowers appear, true harbingers of spring. It is necessary to plant the bulbs by the hundreds or thousands to produce an effect. Insert them in the soil to a depth of 2 or 3 inches and the same distance apart. They appear at their best when naturalized and when used in conjunction with early scillas, Chionodoxas, winter aconite and crocus. In moist, semishady situations and in sandy soils they often increase and remain in good condition for years. If planted in beds appply an occasional top dressing of rotted manure in the fall, and if naturalized, scatter bone meal liberally over the area planted.

Hyacinth. As hyacinths prefer very light soils large quantities of sand and a top dressing of wellrotted cow manure should be worked into beds prepared especially for their planting. Deep trenching is also beneficial; their root systems strike deeply into the [151] ground and best results are attained in open, well prepared soil through which the roots can ramify with ease. It is advisable to plant hyacinths in October or earlier as they make their root growth in the fall and the beauty of the flowers is enhanced by a strong root system. In the spring when the blooms fade remove the flower stalks immediately as too much energy is expended in the production of seed, hyacinths often dying out on this account. Plant the bulbs 6 inches apart and six inches deep surrounding them with ample sand. It is best to lift hyacinth bulbs every year after the foliage ripens and to store them in a cool, dry place until planting out time comes in the fall.

Varieties. Lady Derby, soft rose pink, Primrose Perfection, yellow, Yellow Hammer, light yellow, Moreno, pink, La Grandesse, white. King of the Blues, dark blue, Queen of the Blues, very light, slaty blue, Grande Maitre, lavender.