126 THE FLORIST. 



THE LADIES' PAGE. 



" Ye fostering breezes, blow ! 

 Ye softening dews, ye tender showers, descend ! 

 And temper all, thou world-reviving sun, 

 Into the perfect year ! 



♦ * * * 



Then spring the living herbs, profusely wild, 

 O'er all the deep-green earth, beyond the power 

 Of botanist to number up their tribes." 



Thomson. 



There is not a month in the whole circle of the year more fraught 

 with importance to the gardener than the present one ; for the calls 

 upon our attention are nearly as numerous as " the living herbs, 

 profusely wild," of the botanist, and none will bear absolute neglect. 

 First in consequence, because upon it depends the beauty of the par- 

 terre during the whole of the summer, is the filHng of the flower- 

 beds. For many reasons it is advantageous to do this early in the 

 month ; while, on the other hand, the too-frequent recurrence of 

 biting easterly winds and killing frosts, after a week of genial 

 weather had beguiled us into the belief that summer was come, 

 make caution and foresight necessary, as the mischief caused by over 

 haste might be irremediable, Plants of low stature can be readily 

 protected by hoops and mats when in masses ; such, therefore, should 

 be first turned out, commencing with the hardiest kinds, as Ver- 

 benas, which may l)e planted immediately, if the weather promises 

 favourably. In bedding Verbenas, regard must be had to the differ- 

 ent habits of the different varieties. Some partake of the character 

 of the old Melindres, — that is, have slender stems, which grow close 

 to the ground, — and such should occupy smaller beds, and also be 

 planted more thickly than robust growers like Robinson's Defiance. 

 After the planting is completed, let all the shoots that are long 

 enough be pegged down in a regular manner ; and, if the weather 

 is dry at the time, a sprinkling of water will clean and freshen the 

 foliage. 



The shrubby Calceolarias are also comparatively hardy, and 

 will consequently bear early planting ; besides, it is advisable to turn 

 these plants out before the roots get pot-bound, — that probably being 

 one cause of the sudden deaths to which Calceolarias are subject 

 after planting. Cuphsea platycentra, C. strigulosa, Neja gracilis, 

 Gazania uniflora. Salvias, Nierembergias, Petunias, Scarlet Gera- 

 niums, &c. may next be proceeded with ; leaving the Heliotropes, 

 Lantanas, and any others that are either known or suspected to be 

 impatient of cold, till later in the month. 



Of the Heliotrope, several new seminal varieties have been ob- 

 tained from the continent, neither of which, however, is likely to take 

 the place of the old kind in the flower-garden, although they may be 

 cultivated for the sake of variety. The one called Voltaireanum is 

 the most distinct, its colour being a dark smoky blue. 



