38 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



A NEW USE EOB IYY. 



BY A TOWN AHATETJB. 



AM now occupying a house situated in a very smoky 

 locality, and, upon taking possession of it three years 

 since last Michaelmas, I was sorely puzzled as to 

 how I could give the garden a cheerful appearance. 

 Excepting a few half dead geraniums, and a few deci- 

 duous shrubs, such as lilacs and snowberry bushes, it was quite bare. 

 I referred to the back numbers of the Eloeal Woblb, and read 

 with much interest the various articles upon shrubs and trees that 

 thrive well in towns. But on making my purchases of the plants 

 recommended, I had to be content with dwarfs, whereas I wanted 

 something six or eight feet in height, that would produce an imme- 

 diate effect. Necessity is said to be the mother of invention, and 

 true enough it was in my case. Amongst other things recommended 

 for town gardens was the ivy, and knowing that when planted in 

 good soil it grows at a rapid rate, the thought struck me that a few 

 tall specimens could be extemporized with the strong-growing 

 varieties that would help to make up for the want of other tall 

 things. The idea was no sooner moulded into shape in mind than 

 it was carried out ; for an empty garden is bad enough in the 

 country, where we can look upon the green trees and fields, but to 

 be shut up in a town without a bit of greenery visible from the 

 window during the winter is to me a very great punishment. 



Such a grand hit was made in the use of the ivy that I cannot 

 refrain from giving you a few particulars respecting the way in which 

 we went to work, although, of course, the plan adopted is not new 

 to you. 



"We commenced operations in just the same manner as we should 

 have done had we been about to plant large hollies, or other ever- 

 greens eight feet in height, and selected the positions accordingly. 

 When the positions for planting the ivy were determined upon, a 

 circle of three feet in diameter was made at each, and the soil was 

 taken out to a depth of three feet. About twenty inches of the top 

 soil was of a very good quality, and was placed on one side of the 

 hole, but the other was light and stony, and after taking out the 

 stones, we spread it over the garden to make up the deficiency. We 

 procured a few loads of moderately good loam, and a cartload of 

 manure about three parts decayed. The soil was obtained from the 

 surface of some ground a few miles off, upon which building was going 

 on, and it answered admirably. We mixed enough loam with a mode- 

 rate quantity of manure to make up for the soil taken away, and 

 then filled the holes in again. 



The next step was to procure the plants, and the supports to 

 which they were to be trained. We went to a nursery a few miles 

 out of town for tlie former, and as preparations had been made for 

 six groups, nine plants of the strongest-growing form of the common 

 English, and the same number of the Irish ivy, were purchased, so 



