Soil has scarcely been mentioned; we all are apt to think our soil is normal and fertile, but new plants do benefit from a thorough preparation of the soil with admixture of peat and Growmore; in time they may need lifting, dividing and replanting with the same sort of assistance. It is very necessary to be quite sure about the placing of shrubs in the first instance for they are troublesome to move when large, whereas perennials are comparatively easy to transfer from one position to another. As shrubs grow above ground, so do their roots spread below ground; it is a wise step to sharpen a spade and to cut vertically downwards, severing the roots from shrubs or hedge where they may be invading the areas given to perennials.The term "bulbous flowers" used in its widest sense opens up a Pandora's box for the gardener as it covers not only the conventional bulb of the botany textbook but a multitude of plants that use some form of swollen rootstock as their food-storage system. Rhizomes and tubers of all shapes and sizes fall within the gamut of the bulb enthusiast and although many of the species grown belong to the monocotyledonous families, Amaryllidacem, Iridaceae and Liliaceae, such diverse dicotyledonous genera as Anemone, Corydcdis, Cyclamen and Tropaeolum include species with swollen rootstocks which fit neatly into the same garden situations as the true bulbs. If one looks at the distribution patterns of bulbous plants in the wild it quickly becomes clear that they occur mainly in situations where for a period of the year they undergo climatic extremes or conditions for growth are for some other reason unfavourable. This may be due to drought or severe cold or adverse light conditions and in order to survive they "go underground" during the unfavourable period. Their survival mechanism is by means of some form of swollen rootstock which contains sufficient foodstore for the plant to sit out the difficult period and provide the rapid boost to root and shoot growth required as soon as suitable conditions of temperature and moisture in the ground allow. In some cases bulbous plants have become very sophisticated in their growth patterns. Certain temperature-regimes, for instance, are critical to the development of flower buds for the following season, particularly in various members of the Amaryllidaceae, and when brought into cultivation and not given similar conditions to those in which they grow naturally they refuse to flower. Others adapt astonishingly well to cultivation in very different conditions from those in their natural habitat and many species that normally undergo a dormant period of summer drought cheerfully thrive out of doors in the variable weather of a British summer. It is always important when growing any plant you have not tried before to find out the growth pattern and climatic conditions of its natural habitat. In most cases this is a great help in deciding where and how to grow the plant and, blended with information from the experienced grower, usually results in the successful establishment of the plant concerned.