THE FLOEAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



141 



few of the stronger kinds raiglit be made 

 into round-headed standards for out of 

 doors. 



Venus di Medici is a very hardy one, 

 and may be kept growing in an ordinary 

 house all winter ; and on this amateurs 

 may try their skill at pyramid growing. 



I am much obliged to a *' iSubscriber 

 from the First," for the information he 

 gives me at page 109. He is not a town 

 gardener, I see ; if he were, he would not 

 talk about making a gay greenhouse with 

 verbenas, mignonette, and nemopliila. 

 Why, in the finest autumn (1857) , I never 

 kept verbenas in bloom after the middle of 

 November ; and as to salvias, it is very 

 little bloom they ever refresh a Londoner's 

 eyes with, blossoming so late as they do. 

 [Because the Londoners treat it badly, or 

 rather neglect it altogether, till it begins 

 to show bloom at the same time as the 

 chrysanthemums.] But citrus and coro- 

 nilla, which he is kind enough to recom- 

 mend, are excellent. These are the kind 

 of things for town gardeners, and which I 

 should be glad to know more of. Veronica 

 Andersonii is a good thing for late autumn 

 blooming ; I have a quantity of cuttings 

 just rooted, taken, from the old plants, 



would it be possible to flower them this 

 year, and how ? 



The " Select Greenhouse Plants" is just 

 the thing we want, giving such full infor- 

 mation on all points ; and I am extremely 

 obliged to you, feeling that you have done 

 so chiefly by my request. 



It has often occurred to mo that we are 

 very badly put to it in describing the co- 

 lours of flowers. In geraniums, for instance, 

 one will call a flower a crimson-lake, and 

 another a rose colour. Whether it arises 

 from colour-blindness, which is said to 

 aff'ect more or less every seventh person, I 

 know not, but would suggest that the in- 

 convenience might be greatly lessened by 

 having a " Standard of Florists' Colours," 

 in the shape of a card, with the various 

 shades of colour painted thereon in the 

 most permanent colours possible, and each 

 shade numbered. The cards to be sold at 

 about 1*. each. Thus, instead of purplish- 

 violet corolla, crimson-scarlet tube, in a 

 fuchsia, which would take one ten minutes 

 to conjure up, we should say — Tube 25, 

 cor. 40; and refennng to our card, seethe 

 flower itself without the form. Thirty or 

 forty shades would be sufficient. 



M. c. 



NOTES FOR JII]^E. 



KITCHEN GAEDEN. 



Give frequent stirrings of the soil, and 

 abundant waterings, use liquid manure 

 copiously, and clear off all crops that have 

 come to maturity, and fill the vacant 

 spaces with others for succession. Prick 

 out cauliflowers from the seed-bed ; plant 

 celery in trenches well manured, transplant 

 cabbage, kale, brocoli, etc. Any of the cab- 

 bage tribe that have clubbed roots should be 

 dipped in a mixtui-e of lime and soot before 

 planting, and the clubs cut away with a 

 sharp knife. Keep onion beds clean by 

 hand-weeding, and for this purpose, as 

 well as thinning out the beds for salad- 

 ings, a common table-fork will be found 

 to be the best implement. Give onions 

 intended for bulbing frequent soakings of 

 liquid manure, such as house-slops, diluted, 

 and with a little soot added, or guano- 

 water, rather weak. Sow salads, kidney- 

 beans, tiu'nips, broad- beans, and peas, for 

 succession. 



FEUIT garden. 



Lay tiles or short grass among straw- 

 berries, to keep the fruit clean. Cut all 

 runners away as fast as they appear, unless 



new plants are wanted, in -which case 

 plunge pots under the joints. Thin out 

 superfluous shoots on vines, and train any 

 wanted to cover gaps on the wall. Nip 

 back the foreright shoots on wall-trees ; 

 a week afterwards, cut away another two 

 or thi-ee joints; and in another week cut 

 them back to the old wood. Bud plums, 

 and peaches, and apricots. 



FLOWER OAEDEN. 



Pinks and carnations may be piped, 

 and seed sown for new stock. Dahlias 

 may still be put out, and so may all kinds 

 of bedding stock. Indeed, June is the sea- 

 son, rather than May, in the climate of 

 London, for general bedding out. Look 

 over roses, and syringe with weak to- 

 bacco-water, if infested with fly ; syringe 

 again with clear water directly, and amou" 

 strong standards play a powerful engine. 

 Plunge pot-plants to prevent exhaustion 

 at the roots. Tulips and hyacinths may 

 be taken up, as the leaves decay. Con- 

 tinue to strike chi-ysanthemums. Sow 

 seeds of greenhouse-plants, and choice 

 subjects for conservatory bloom late in the 

 season ; also annuals for succession. 



