THE 



GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



AND 



HORTICULTURIST. 



DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE, ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS. 



Yol. XXL 



Edited by THOMAS MEEHA.N. 

 APRIL, 1879. 



Number 244. 



Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground, 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



The English papers are deploring the fact that 

 the rage for carpet bedding have turned away 

 people's attention from other pretty styles of 

 gardening, and some of them are therefore turn- 

 ing their shafts wholly against this way of 

 doing things. But this is perhaps the other 

 extreme. A carpet bed ably designed and neatly 

 executed is a beautiful object ; but we need not 

 let the fashion take complete possession of the 

 flower garden, "We should like to see the greater 

 employment of belts and borders of mixed 

 flowers, with back grounds of low shrubs or 

 evergreens, and intermixed among them the 

 taller or stronger growing hardy herbaceous 

 plants. There are many things, such as Phloxes, 

 herbaceous Spirteas, Irises, Dracocephalums, 

 Funkias, Asters, Veronicas, Columbines, Mon- 

 ardas, and Tradescantias, that do remarkably well 

 under such circumstances. It is really a sort of 

 wild garden, touched up by the hand of art, as 

 all garden work, wild or otherwise ought to be. 



It is however getting too late for theoretical 

 instruction. The time has come for hard prac- 

 tical work, and bi'ief hints will be more accept- 

 able than long essays, we may therefore say that 

 among the matters requiring immediate attention 

 in the gardens of the Northern and Middle States 



I will be to prepare ground for planting. Soil 

 i loosened two feet deep dries out less in summer 

 \ than soil one foot deep. Rich soil grows a tree lar- 

 ger in one year than a poor soil will in three. Un- 

 der drained soil is cooler in summer than soil not 

 under-drained. The feeding roots of trees come 

 near the surface ; therefore plant no deeper than 

 necessary to keep the tree in the soil. If there 

 be danger of its blowing over, stake it, but don't 

 plant deep. One stake set at an angle, is as 

 good as two set perpendicular. Straw or mat 

 set round the tree keeps the bark from rubbing. 

 Large stones placed around a transplanted tree 

 are often better than a stake. They keep the 

 soil moist, admit the air, and encourage surface 

 roots. Shorten the shoots at transplanting. 

 This induces growth, and growth produces roots ; 

 and with new roots yom- tree is safe for another 

 season. Unpruned trees produce leaves, but 

 little growth, and less new roots. 



Place broad-leaved evergreens where they will 

 get no sun in winter, yet away from where the 

 roots of trees will make the ground dry in Sum- 

 mer. Deep soil, but shallow planting, is all im- 

 portant for them. In transplanting, take care 

 of the roots. Good roots are of more import- 

 ance than good " balls." Balls of earth are 

 useful in keeping fibres moist ; but don't sacri- 

 fice the best fibres five or six feet from the tree, 

 for the few fibres in the ball at the base. When 



