The Cultivation of Amaryllis and the Amelanchier

Firstly dealing with the Amaryllis, they are well known hardy bulbous plants.

The belladonna lilies are splendid plants for a warm shrubbery border or for planting in front of warm sheltered south walls, where they may be allowed to establish themselves without fear of fatalities through frost. They must on no account be confused with the greenhouse amaryllis, which would be dealt with under the botanical name of Hippeastrum.

To cultivate the Amaryllis the bulbs should be planted 9 inches deep in a fairly rich compost of sandy loam and leaf-mould. They will not tolerate stagnant moisture in the soil, and it is therefore advisable to excavate to a depth of 3 ft. and place a layer of clinkers and brickbats in the bottom of the trench. In cold districts it is advisable to cover them over with a layer of leaves or straw in the winter, both as a protection against frost and also to shoot off over-heavy rain. Copious waterings should be given during the summer months, and an annual mulch of well-rotted manure is also beneficial. It is not advisable to disturb the bulbs once they are established at more frequent than five-yearly intervals. When transplanting, it is essential it is best done immediately the foliage has withered.

Propagation of the Amaryllis is accomplished by means of offsets, which are detached from the parent bulbs and planted out in light soil in the autumn. They should not be disturbed for three or four years, when they may be transferred to their flowering quarters. All very well worth the effort, to see the large fragrant flowers of the Amaryllis belladona which are a delicate pink, shading to white.

Secondly the Amelanchier which are hardy deciduous flowering trees and shrubs.

The amelanchiers are very useful trees or vigorous shrubs for small gardens, flowering freely in the spring. They thrive quite well in town gardens, where Amelanchier vulgaris is popularly known as the Snowy Mespilus.

If you want to cultivate the Amelanchier then you will need reasonably good loamy soil, neither too light nor too heavy. There is no doubt this suits amelanchiers best. They do not thrive well in very sandy ground nor in that which readily becomes waterlogged. Young trees should be planted at any time from late October till early March, choosing so far as possible open weather when the ground is in good working condition for this task. No regular pruning is required, though if any lopping or thinning becomes necessary through lack of space for natural development this may be done safely in February.

To propagate the Amelanchier, seeds may be sown outdoors in March, but this is not a good means of propagation for the amateur, as germination is often very slow, and in any case many years must elapse before the seedlings develop into good-sized specimens for garden decoration. A better method of increasing stock is by layering young growths in spring.

Whilst growing from seed can be a major triumph, many middle aged gardeners might quite rightly fear of not being around to see the fruits of their labours.

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