ago 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[October, 



in so that it must touch the roots. It is best to 

 ram such a tree as if it were a post. But if the 

 earth be not well worked in among the roots, ram- 

 ming may be an injury. 



Pruning out some of the branches is often a 

 benefit. It lessens the evaporation till the roots 

 get enough moisture to supply the waste. 



Watering trees at transplanting is rarely a 

 benefit. In most cases it is an injury, as the earth 

 is taken away from the under surface of the roots 

 by the sinking of the water in the soil. 



Evergreens planted in exposed places are bene- 

 fitted by screens from the wind where they are 

 likely to suffer. A rare evergreen may often be 

 much helped by having a bottomless barrel placed 

 around it. It is wind not frost that is the great 

 €nemy to evergreens. 



Small things as well as large do better planted 

 in fall, if they can be protected from being drawn 

 out by frost. 



Plants draw out by frost, because they are 

 lighter than the thawed earth. The earth and 

 that which is in it expands— rises — by frost; when 

 it thaws the heaviest sinks first, and the plant gets 

 left. Any light covering above the plant that will 

 keep it pressed down when the thaw comes, is 

 therefore a guard against thawing out. 



Roses, and many similar plants that are half 

 hardy, die in winter only because their juices dry 

 out. Bent down and covered with earth the 

 evaporation is prevented, and the plants success- 

 fully protected. 



Hyacinths and Tulips may be set out in the beds 

 devoted to summer-flowering bedding-plants, as 

 they will, in a great measure, be out of flower be- 

 fore the bedding-time comes around, when they 

 can be either taken up and transplanted to an out- 

 of-the-way-place to ripen, or the bedding-plants 

 can be set in between where the bulbs grow, with- 

 out either much interfering with the success of the 

 other. As a manure for these bulbs, nothing has 

 yet been found superior to well-decayed, sandy 

 cow-manure ; but where this is not conveniently 

 at hand, well decomposed surface-soil from a wood 

 will do as well. 



Herbaceous hardy border flowers are often pro- 

 pagated in the fall by dividing the roots ; but, 

 unless it is convenient to protect the newly-made 

 plants through the winter, it is better to defer this 

 till spring, as the frost draws out of the ground 

 and destroys many. Where it is now resorted to, 

 a thick mulching of leaves or litter should be 

 placed over the young stock when transplanted. 



Few things are more valued in winter than a 



bunch of Sweet Violets. A lew may now be 



potted, and they will flower in the window towards 

 spring; or a small bed of them may be in a frame, 

 which should be protected by a mat from severe 

 frost. To have Pansies flower early and profusely 

 in spring, they may be planted out in a frame as 

 recommended for the Violet. 



Many kinds of hardy annuals flower much 

 better next spring, when sown at this season of 

 the year. A warm, rich border should be chosen, 

 and the seed put in at once. Early in spring they 

 must be transplanted to the desired position in the 

 flower border. 



Dahlias, Gladiolus, Tuberoses and other plants 

 that require winter protection for their roots in 

 cellars, should be taken up at once on their leaves 

 getting injured by the first white frosts. The two 

 latter should be pretty well dried before storing 

 away, or they may rot. Dahlias may be put away 

 at once. 



Trees may be set within lo or 20 feet of each 

 other in planting a place, for immediate effect — 

 but people are sorry to cut away rare trees, and 

 often leave them to injure each other. Only cheap 

 trees should be set out to thicken for immediate 

 effect. 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



MANETTIA CORDIFOLIA. 

 BY D. F. W. 



" Manettia cordifolia," by Charles E. Parnell. 

 August number Gardeners' Monthly, page 232. 



I am inclined to think that Mr. Parnell has ac- 

 cepted the ipse-dixit of some author as to the 

 hardiness of this beautiful plant, without a trial 

 personally. 



Paxton says that cordifolia is the synonym of 

 glabra, and that the plant is a stove evergreen 

 twiner, &c. My experience is the reverse of this, 

 as to its hardiness. In 1857 I purchased two 

 plants of Manettia cordifolia, of William Heaver, 

 then florist at Cincinnati, Ohio. He described and 

 recommended it as Mr. Parnell does, as "half- 

 hardy summer-flowering, twining vine." I planted 

 them accordingly in the open border with the ex- 

 pectation of taking them up as soon as frost 

 should come. They grew luxuriantly and gave 

 an abundance of flowers until killed by frost. 

 Then cut the vines off within a few inches of the 

 ground. On taking up the first plant I found the 

 knotty corded roots had gone down fully eighteen 

 inches into the soil. The border had been 



