THE FLOEAL WORLD AND GAEDEN GUIDE. 



359 



edge ; then a given breadth of cocoa-nut fibre refuse for plunging ; 

 next a plauk on edge as before ; and then, beyond that, the undis- 

 turbed soil of the garden, with a background of evergreens, etc., 

 etc. 



"When all this is done, there must be established a regular 

 system of cultivation to keep the beds supplied. If this cannot be 

 accomplished, better no plunging at all. However, one or two 

 borders may be tried at first, and the system of growing will be 

 found to be more simple than appears ; and, in fact, its chief charac- 



teristic is that it is a system ; every separate batch of plants mual De 

 prepared to come on in its proper time, with no excessive glut to 

 bewilder the cultivator, and never a deficiency of good things to 

 make a cheerful display on any day in the whole round of the 

 year. 



The principal subjects for plunging are, for early spring, 

 aconites, snowdrops, crocuses, hyacinths, and tulips ; for late spring, 

 wallflowers, yellow alyssum, white iberis, rosy aubrietia, sparkling 

 dielytra, bold and handsome crown imperials. For early summer, 

 stocks, roses (brought on in pits or by slow forcing), yellow cytisus, 

 deutzias flowered in cold pits, rhododendrons, and a few of the more 

 showy annuals grown in frames. For succession, geraniums, cal- 

 ceolarias, and all the rest of the summer flowers. For September, 

 Sedura fabarium ; for October, British ferns, then all fresh and 

 bright, with any odds and ends of colour to light them up. For 

 November, pyramid and bush chrysanthemums ; for December, 

 ivies, conifers, and berry-bearing shrubs, and so on to the spring 

 bulbs again. In selecting subjects, and in the cultivation of the 

 plants, it must be always remembered that spreading concave-headed 

 plants are of less value than comparatively narrow, and in the case 

 of zonal geraniums, " long-legged " plants, because of the rather 

 close packing required to produce a rich effect. Thus, the pyramid 

 chrysanthemum is far to be preferred to the dwarf, close-trained, 

 convex plant that would suit the parlour window. The tall, spare 

 habit and fresh appearance of well-grown seedling geraniums render 

 them invaluable for plunging. 



December. 



