THE CAPE COWSLIP

Evening Star, Issue 22460, 3 October 1936, Page 23

THE CAPE COWSLIP

Lachenalias, or cape cowslips, are beautiful plants. The strap-hke leaves are spotted and early in spring, the plants bear slender spikes Sin to 12m long, of pendant, tube-shaped flowers in various colours (says ‘ Popular Gardening,’ London). For the greenhouse use clean, welldrained Sin pots, and. a compost of three parts loam and one part each of leaf-mould, well-decapod cow nianure, and sharp sand. Each pot-. will accommodate five or six bulbs. The bulbs should be set with their tops Jm to lin below the surface. After potting, the soil should be moistened, and the pots placed in a cool part of the greenhouse or a cold frame, where they should be allowed plenty of air. Keep the pots shaded until growth commences, usually in about four to seven weeks, and until leaves appear, very little water should be given. Early in November (May in New Zealand) the pots should be transferred to a greenhouse with a minimum night temperature of lOdeg F. When the flower spikes are forming, give the plants weak liquid manure twice weekly, but remember that any attempt to force growth is injurious; the day temperature must never exceed 55deg F. When the plants cease flowering, feeding must be discontinued and water should be gradually withheld. A charming effect may be obtained by planting the bulbs in hanging wire baskets, so that they will grow through the bottom and sides, as well as on the top. Good varieties are Pendula Superba, Ada Bryson, Brightness, Canada, Cowslip, Goldfinch,_ Greenfinch, His Reverence, Ireland, Leiden, Monte Carlo, Rosemary, Siam, and Tibet. The Whitewell seedlings range in colour from yellow to yellow shaded coral red; some have flowers of coral, yellow, green, and purple.