84 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



bloom a considerable time. Frequently- 

 clear up any litter, such as fallen acacia 

 flowers, etc., etc., which look very untidy 

 about the fronds of ferns and other plants 

 in the borders and rockeries. This dry 

 weather is favourable to repairs and 

 alterations, any of which it urgently 

 needed in consequence of mishaps during 

 the winter, had better be attende i to before 

 the hurry of bedding-out time is at its 

 height. Hard-wooded plants not very 

 attractive now may be removed to cold 

 pits, to make more room for coronillas, 

 cytisuses, pelargoniums, cinerarias, etc. 

 Clear away the hyacinths as they lose 

 their brightness, and if to be kept plunge 

 the pots in a border facing west, and give 

 them plenty of water alternating with 

 liquid manure, till the foliage begins to 

 show signs of decay. At the nurseries the 

 bulbs are always destroyed after flower- 

 ing, but private growers need not follow 

 that rule, as the hyacinth can be grown 

 as well in this country as in Holland, with 

 due attention to its peculiar habits. 



Floweii Garden. — Clear up everywhere 

 and everything that has a touch of un- 

 tidiness about it. At the first break of 

 genuine sunshine the ladies will be ex- 

 ploring the garden, and there ought not 

 to be a withered leaf, or a broken flower- 

 pot, or a scrap of stick, or cast off tally, 

 anywhere visible. Make all bright and 

 firm with broom and roller, and thin out 

 dead wood from all trees and shrubs. 



Evergreens. — This is a capital time to 

 move them, and to plant beds, borders, and 

 hedges. If the weather is dry, water 

 freely, or, better still, mulch heavily after 

 planting ; give no water at the root, but 

 syringe overhead two or three times a day 

 while they are making new growth. 



Grass Turf must have every necessary- 

 attention now, or the consequences will 

 be a burnt up lawn by July, and the pre- 

 dominance of coarse grasses. Proper care 

 of grass turf now not only preserves its 

 beauty for present enjoyment, but im- 

 proves the quality, frequent mowing tend- 

 ing to weaken the coarse grasses and 

 encourage the finer kinds, which latter are 

 overpowered and choked out when the 

 strong-growing kinds are allowed too 

 much their own way. Where there is any 

 extent of grass, it is high time the scythe 

 was abolished ; for the machine soon pays 

 for its cost in the saving of time, and it is 

 no longer fair to require gardeners to waste 

 their strength on scythe and broom and 

 roller, when the machine performs all 

 three operations of cutting, sweeping, and 

 rolling at once. A sprinkle of guano or 

 nitrate of soda, where the turf is poor, will 



be very beneficial now. Grass newly up 

 from seed to be handled very carefully, 

 and not to be rolled or beaten till after it 

 has been once mown. If appearances are 

 not important, it is a good plan to mow 

 seed-grass as soon as it is strong enough, 

 and leave the mowings on the ground. A 

 boy should follow the scythe and rake 

 them back on to the swathe cut ; if the 

 machine is used, take off the grass-box, 

 and let the knives scatter the cuttings. 

 The new turf will look unsightly for a 

 fortnight afterwards, but it will be im- 

 mensely benefited by the mulch of its own 

 material. Lawns may be made still ; the 

 best plan is to sow good seed. Spergula 

 planted now will have plenty of time to 

 get well rooted before hot weather i ets in 

 to try it. Roll well after planting out 

 tufts. Seed sown now will be fit for planting 

 out at the end of June ; it must be grown 

 without heat, and in its first stages have 

 as much care as is bestowed upon seedling 

 lobelias and other valuable plants. 



Hollyhocks planted now will bloom 

 well this season, so there is still time for 

 those who have not yet made up their 

 selections. The soil for hollyhocks should 

 be a deep well-manured loam, and the 

 plants should be from cuttings of last 

 autumn, now strong, in sixty or forty- 

 eight pots, the pots quite full of roots. 

 After planting, turn an empty pot over 

 every plant, to prevent exhaustion by the 

 sun for a week. 



Pansies. — This is a good time to buy 

 in stock of new kinds, and to sow for pot 

 and border bloom. Cuttings of bedding 

 kinds put in now will make nice plants to 

 bloom all the summer ; better than if 

 propagated earlier. 



Roses. — Begin now to use the syringe, 

 in the morning only, and before the sun 

 shines on the plants. This will in a great 

 measure prevent an outbreak of fly. For 

 the grub in the buds, hand-picking is the 

 only remedy. 



Vineky. — Vines in covered borders 

 require the full power of the sun on their 

 roots now, so remove the covering at once. 

 Let there be no neglect in stopping and 

 tying in, now that the vines are growing 

 freely. Vines coming into bloom should 

 never be hurried by raising the tempera- 

 ture unduly. A vast amount of mischief 

 is inflicted on vines by shutting the house 

 up close to hasten the growth, while the 

 roots being in outside borders cannot 

 possibly sustain the demands upon them 

 of the expanding leaves. Forward crops 

 may still require thinning of the bunches, 

 and if so forward as to be near changing 

 colour, raise the heat a trifle, say to near 



