THE 



GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



AND 



HORTICULTURIST. 



DEVOTED TO HORTICULTURE, ARBORICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS. 



Edited by THOMAS MEEHA.N. 



Vol. XXI. 



SEPTEMBER, 1879. 



Number 249. 



Flower Garden and Pleasure Ground. 



SEASONABLE HINTS. 



There are few flowers more gorgeous in Sum- 

 mer gardening than the Lily ; but it is only 

 occasionally that we see very good success with 

 them. Most people fail through having the 

 roots planted where the ground is hot or dry. 

 The lily plant, that is the top, rather likes an 

 open place to flower in, but the roots love a 

 cool and shaded place. The Autumn is the time 

 to plant them ; indeed as soon as possible after 

 the Summer leaves have faded away they should 

 be reset. Almost all bulbs are best set out at 

 this season. The many beautiful bulbs of Cali- 

 fornia have not been found to do well in Eastern 

 gardens, and probably from being set in too hot 

 a piece of ground. The time will probably 

 come when bulbs will be made a specialty by 

 cultivators ; then the earth will be especially 

 prepared for them, and everything made just to 

 their liking. 



There is scarcely anything more beautiful in 

 Spring than a bed of Hyacinths and Tulips well 

 intermixed. The Hyacinths go out of flower 

 just as the Tulips come in. In the Spring, Gladi- 

 olus and Tuberoses can be placed between these ; 

 of if desirable, some flowering bedding plants, 

 and in this way the gaiety and interest can be 

 preserved from Spring to Fall. Crown Impe- 

 rials are capital things for the centre of small 



beds, and the regular bedding plants can go 

 around them. Narcissuses keep their foliage too 

 long after flowering, as does the Snowdrop. 

 These can hardly be made available where regu- 

 , lar bedding is desirable for Summer. They are 

 } best in odd patches by themselves. Crocus does 

 ' well anywhere. It may even be set in the grass 

 about the lawn, as it is generally over before the 

 first mowing takes place. But it would not be 

 ' admitted into our best kept lawns. The vast 

 tribe of lilies come in rather late for Spring gar- 

 dening, but few will care to be without them. 

 Besides these there are many little items which 

 are noted in almost all bulb catalogues, from 

 which many interesting Spring blooms can be 

 had. No one will go amiss in looking well to 

 this class of plants. The best time to plant is 

 from now to frost. Mice and vermin are very 

 ' liable to attack these roots. Poisoning is the 

 best remedy. 



Ornamental shrubs also can be made to enter 

 largely into Spring gardening, and be made to 

 help the bulb in its beautiful work. "We need 

 not give lists of these Spring flowers here, as 

 all the leading nursery catalogues now give full 

 accounts of them. 



What shall be done with the "Fall Grass " in 

 the lawn is a continual question. Probably 

 there is nothing to do when it once becomes 

 established but to bera- with it; and indeed 



