Ixia

Ixia - Charming S. African bulbs, slender and elegant in growth, and brilliant in flower, but not much grown, because some are tender and require glass protection. For culture outdoors, choose a light loamy soil, thoroughly drained, and with a due south aspect; if backed by a wall or a greenhouse, so much the better. In favoured gardens near the coast they are perfectly hardy in the open, and increase rapidly. Plant from September to January, 3 to 4 inches deep, and 1 to 3 inches apart. As the early plantings make foliage during the autumn, it is necessary to give protection during severe frost, and this may be best accomplished by hooping the beds over and covering when necessary with mats; or if tiffany is used, it may be allowed to remain till the danger of severe frosts has ceased. The December and January plantings require no protection in winter, but as they will flower later in the summer than the early plantings, an aspect where the suns rays are somewhat broken will prolong the blooming period. On stiff soil, or on soils that lie rather wet in winter, the beds should be raised, and the bulbs should be surrounded with sand, care being taken that they are planted 1 or 2 inches above the level of the path; and, where protection cannot conveniently be given, planting should not take place till December or January. A large number of varieties are in cultivation, and the chief species from which they appear to be derived are I. crateroides, patens, maculata, fusco-citrina, ochroleuca, columellaris, speciosa, and viridiflora, which last is of a beautiful sea-green, a color quite unique among cultivated plants, and in no case to be omitted. A collection of varieties might include the following: Achievement, Amanda, aurantiaca, Cleopatra, Conqueror, Duchess of Edinburgh, Gracchus, Hercules, Hypatia, Isabelle, Lady of the Lake, Lesbia, Loela, Miralba, Nosegay, Pallas, Pearl, Princess Alexandra, Sunbeam, Surprise, Titian, and Vulcan.

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• Category:Bulbs