MAY. 137 



Coles Crystal Celery is a valuable acquisition to white Celeries : not 

 too large, but solid, compact, and of excellent flavour, either raw or 

 cooked. 



New DK-arf Green of the Horticultural Society. A very dwarf gi'een 

 variety, equally valuable for early or late use ; we prefer it for the latter 

 purpose. Its dwarf habit makes protecting it in severe weather an easy 

 matter ; and a large quantity can be gro\\Ti on a comparatively small 

 space of ground. 



HINTS ON PREPARING BORDERS FOR BEDDING OUT 

 PLANTS. 



To grow in perfection the different plants now usually found in well- 

 arranged flower gardens requires a considerable acquaintance vnih. the 

 habits of the various things grown ; for, differing as they do in habit and 

 tendency to bloom when transferred to the free soil of the flower garden, 

 it must be ob\-ious that a due preparation of soil is necessary, in order 

 to ensure a fine display of bloom at the proper season ; these hints are 

 therefore intended as general guides in its preparation. The arrange- 

 ment of plants for summer decoration should, if possible, be made the 

 autumn previous, when the greater part of the plants intended to be 

 gro\\m ai'e in bloom, and when the colour of their flowers and habits 

 can be seen to best advantage. A plan of the beds should then be 

 committed to paper, and the plants to occupy each bed written thereon. 

 This will not only be a good guide as to the number required to be 

 propagated, but will enable you, in the course of the spring, to prepare 

 each bed with suitalde compost, so that each plant may be accommo- 

 dated, as near as possible, with a soil to grow in calculated for producing 

 the greatest amount of flowers, by checking a too luxuriant growth in 

 some cases, and stimulating weak gi'owths in others. With the above, 

 by way of preface, I will commence with the Pelargonium, of which 

 in every class, scarlet, ordinary and fancy kinds, large numbers are 

 each spring turned out. Among what I have tenned ordinary or 

 common Pelargoniums, certain kinds have been selected as constant 

 bloomers, and as such valuable for the purpose ; to have these in per- 

 fection, a poor and dry soil will, in most cases, grow them sufficiently 

 strong for blooming fi-eely. IMost of the common kinds cultivated, to 

 keep them in check, are plunged in their pots, but a very poor and 

 shallow soil answers the same purpose ; for if the soil be at all rich, 

 nothing but luxuriant foliage will be the result. Fancy Geraniums 

 are very pretty, when bedded ; but the soil, as above, must be poor, and 

 well drained, and they require some protection fi'om veiy heavy rains. 

 Scarlet and variegated Geraniums, which are always largely planted, 

 require some management, to do them well. A good plan is to place 

 a substratum of richer soil about six inches below the surface, which 

 should be poor. They will, however, gi'ow strong enough in this till 

 somewhat exhausted by blooming (which vf\\\. take place early in the 

 poorest), by which time their roots will have reached the better soil 

 below, which keeps them in vigom* throughout the remainder of the 



