LACHENALIA

An elegant plant which is not quite hardy enough to be trusted in the

open ground; but it is the easiest matter possible to grow it well in

the greenhouse. The bulbs should be potted as soon as they begin to grow

in the autumn, and several bulbs may be put into each pot. There can be

no better soil than turfy loam, without manure or sand. It is of the

utmost importance that the plants should have abundance of water, when

they will produce leaves two inches across, and spikes of flowers fully

double the size of those commonly met with. An admirable use for these

bulbs is to insert them all over the outside of hanging-baskets, which

they will cover with the most graceful display of aerial vegetation

imaginable, the flower-spikes turning upwards, and the leaves hanging

down.