ON PREPARING BORDERS. 177 



used, to prevent the winds from loosening them in their situations. 

 After which, let them he thoroughly watered with a moderately 

 coarse rosed water-pot, to settle and hind the earth to their respective 

 roots. 



If this work is clone at the proper season, they will make consider- 

 ahle progress hefore the cold of winter puts a stop to vegetation ; 

 whereas if deferred until late in the year, they for the most part re- 

 main dormant three or four months : yet they will even then, (pro- 

 vided they have not been injured by too much wet or otherwise,) 

 begin to shoot out vigorously, and soon form the most beautiful heads, 

 and produce their flowers in luxuriance. 



The pit and trellis work being completely furnished, and time al- 

 lowed for the water to soak through the roots, and mould to settle, 

 the surface thereof should be carefully smoothed over with a fine 

 toothed rake, or the hand, and rubbish of every kind cleared neatly 

 away. Then let the other parts of the house be decorated in the 

 best manner, with whatever plants may be remaining; I mean anv 

 shelves or benches that may be over the flues, or in any other part of 

 the house ; also the window stools, if there is room sufficient to set 

 pots thereon : these if judiciously filled, with handsome growing and 

 flowering plants, will add very materially in elegance to the contour 

 of the whole group ; besides, by this management, the house may be 

 made to answer the two-fold purpose of a greenhouse and conservatory, 

 as those plants which circumstances may render desirable to be kept 

 in pots, can be placed to so much advantage on the benches of this 

 department ; as also in the Spring, any pots of forced flowers, such as 

 roses, mignionette, lilac, &c, &c, when fit to remove from the forcing 

 house ; and if a few pots of china rose, or any others of a similar na- 

 ture in flower, were set occasionally on the surface, or plunged in the 

 pit in the most vacant places among the other plants, they would 

 considerably improve their appearance; and being in pots so con- 

 venient to be plunged, or removed at pleasure, there is no danger of 

 their injuring either the roots or heads of the standard plants, 

 when regularly attended to, and care taken in plunging them not to 

 raise the mould taken out of the holes, too high for the steins of the 

 adjoining plants. 



