PROTECTING. 



the potsherds, from which it is very 

 difficult to disengage them, and for 

 this reason the drainage should not 

 be disturbed, but transferred entire 

 with the ball of earth to the new 

 pot. These plants are propagated 

 by cuttings taken off at a joint, and 

 plant-ed in separate pots in sand, 

 tinder a glass, but not plunged in a 

 hotbed ; and the glass should be 

 frequently taken off and wiped, as 

 the cuttings are very apt to damp 

 off. 



Protecting Trellises. — In 

 some cases where half-hardy plants 

 are grown in the open garden they 

 are trained on trellis-work, with 

 a framework of coarse wood fixed 

 at the base of the trellis, so as to 

 form a kind of moveable pit over 

 it. In this frame sashes are placed 

 to shield the plants during cold 

 weather, and the whole apparatus, 

 except the trellis, is removed in 

 May or June, when the flower- buds 

 have formed. In this way some of 

 the finer kinds of Passion-flower, 

 the Allamandas, and other tender 

 climbing plants may be grown, ap- 

 parently in the open air. 



Protecting. — As half-hardy 

 plants, trained against a wall, are 

 frequently much injured by what 

 are called perpendicular frosts, a 

 thatched or wooden coping, project- 

 ing about two feet from the wall, 

 will be found of the most essential 

 service in protecting them. Such a 

 coping, with a sprinkling of straw 

 or dead leaves over the roots, and 

 a hay-band twisted round the trunk 

 of the tree, about a foot from the 

 ground, will be suflicient to protect 

 even tender plants from all ordinary 

 frosts. Standard plants may have 

 straw or dead leaves laid over the 

 roots, or they may have a thatching 

 of straw attached to the trunk of 

 the tree, and sloping off widely at 

 the base. (See Thatching.) Other 



coverings made of straw or rushes 

 plaited or sewed together, or of 

 osiers twisted like basket-work, 



FIG. 43. — WIRE FRAME. 



may be used for smaller plants. 

 One of these may be a kind of 

 hurdle to protect plants against a 

 M^all, others may be used to put 

 round the stems of young trees, and 

 to cover Tree Psonies and other taU 

 shrubs, with an opening on the side 

 next the sun, to admit the air and 

 prevent damp ; and others are small 

 beehive-like covers for protecting 

 Geraniums or other greenhouse 

 plants in the borders. Sometimes 

 a slight wire frame is used, like 

 that shown in fig, 4-3, which may 

 be covered with a mat, A frame 

 of this kind is particularly useful 

 for the Tree Pasony, For the modes 

 of protecting trees from the attacks 

 of cattle, see Single Trees. 



Pruning ornamental trees and 

 shrubs is seldom practised to much 

 extent ; as aU that is required is to 

 cut out the dead wood and to pre- 

 vent the shoots from growing out 

 of shape. To do this effectually, 

 every lady ought to be provided 

 with a pair of pruning-shears, (see 

 fig. 44) so contrived as to make 

 what is called a draw-cut, and thus 

 not to bruise the wood or the bark 

 so as to prevent its uniting again 

 smoothly. The cut should also be 

 made slanting to a bud, so as not 

 to leave a piece of dead wood pro- 

 jecting beyond the young shoot, 



