THE FLORIST. 191 



THE LADIES' PAGE. 



" Slow move the sultry hours. Oh, for the shield 

 Of darkening boughs, or hollow rocks grotesque !" 



Graiiame. 



This month may be considered the turning-point of the floral year. 

 Spring is quite past away, and nature wears a mature and set aspect, 

 contrasted strongly with the tender greens and budding stems of the 

 previous months. The birds cease to charm with their songs, and 

 a general sense of fatigue is experienced from the heat of the sun, 

 leading to the wish expressed in the lines quoted above. In this 

 month I have found the amateur-gardener, who cannot delegate his 

 labours to others, is apt to become discouraged. There is much to 

 be done, and very little disposition to do it. The exuviae of the 

 spring flowers have to be removed ; plants bedded out demand almost 

 hourly attention in watering, pegging down, and other indispensable 

 operations ; the work of layering, piping, and general propagation, 

 cannot safely be delayed ; — yet for all this the gardener is unfitted by 

 the dog-days, and is sometimes ready to give up his work in despair. 

 The strongman, who has delved all his days, is conscious of his weak- 

 ness ; and therefore ladies who wait upon their favourite flowers 

 themselves cannot expect to be free from it. 



If I were not conscious of presumption in teaching patience to 

 the sex who practically exhibit it in seasons of weal or woe far more 

 habitually than we, who profess to be stronger, I should attempt by 

 several arguments to counteract this midsummer lassitude, and urge 

 to perseverance. Let it be sufficient to remind ourselves and others, 

 that the surest cure of indolence is exertion ; that refreshing rains 

 will soon temper the fury of the summer heat ; and that the profuse 

 beauty of the garden will, for months to come, make compensation 

 for every present inconvenience. Complain as we may, nature will 

 refuse to yield up her treasures without our care and toil ; and if we 

 withhold the " sweat of our brow," the sure result will be " thorns 

 and thistles." Labour, however, may be unnecessarily incurred, as 

 is often done, for instance, in watering gardens in hot weather. Be- 

 ware of the watering-pot ! In many cases its use is more prejudi- 

 cial than useful. Plants which do not flag need no help in this 

 way; and those which must be artificially assisted should have a 

 plentiful supply, and not a sprinkling. The philosophical principles 

 on which watering a garden should be conducted cannot be stated 

 here ; but they should be understood by every gardener. Lindley's 

 Theory of Horticulture is the best exposition of this and kindred 

 subjects which has yet been published. 



The scientific increase of plants in heated soils and glass-frames 

 must not be neglected, as many productions will only push forth 

 roots in this w r ay. But every lady knows how often she has been 

 successful in striking slips and cuttings in the open air; and this 

 simple and inexpensive plan ought not to grow into disuse. I have 

 known pinks and wall- flowers successfully propagated in this way, 



