120 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



The choice of a situation is the first and great consideration, and 

 that the neridian sun should be prevented from exercising a direct 

 influence, is indispensable. The plants should enjoy the full sun 

 from rising till 10 a.m., and from 3 p.m. till setting. If no natural 

 screen from trees can be made available to intercept the solar rays 

 during the hottest part of the day, artificial appliances must be resorted 

 to ; but the former is preferable both as to economy in time and the 

 natural intervention being more congenial than an artificial one. 

 The season for removing the plants from the house must be entirely 

 regulated by existing circumstances. Seasonal influences, and a 

 thousand local considerations, must determine the minutiaa of the 

 matter. But it will be borne in mind that the whole of the stock 

 will not require removing en masse. A plant in full bloom, or one 

 barely established after repotting, will of course form exceptions. 

 Progressive operation is the gardener's watchword, and in the 

 subject under consideration superlatively so. Tou cannot take 

 Nature by storm. 



Gardening in all its branches is an attempt to imitate natural 

 phenomena by artificial means. Losing sight of this fundamental 

 principle often leads to disastrous consequences. 



It has ever been a favourite operation with gardeners, where it 

 is practicable, to plunge in some porous material all plants removed 

 to the open air in the summer months ; or perhaps I ought to write 

 all delicate hair-rooted and hard-wooded plants similar to the genus 

 under discussion. The practice undoubtedly in many cases is the 

 best that could be adopted. 



A plant with a pot well filled with roots, which from its size or 

 other circumstances it is not deemed advisable to repot, will of 

 course be much less liable to suS'er from drought, or from the in- 

 fluence of the heated pot on the delicate hair-like fibres plunged, 

 than one wholly exposed. In this case, and similar ones, plunging 

 is advisable, but in others plunging is not only not beneficial, but 

 absolutely injurious, at least in my opinion. 



Scantily rooting plants, or specimens in delicate health, should 

 not be plunged at all. It impedes the free passage of moisture 

 from the roots, and induces saturation — two important subjects to 

 be considered. If it is thought advisable to protect such roots in 

 any way, the best mode is to place the pot inside another pot, with 

 a stratum of moss between, taking care that the drainage is not 

 impeded. In placing the stock of plants in their summer quarters, 

 the quick growing and robust specimens should be separated from 

 those of weaker growth or delicate health ; and some provision 

 should be made for protecting the latter from heavy rains. Violent 

 thunder-storms arise very often during the night, when no one is 

 at hand to protect; and as much damage may ensue to the weak 

 and delicate specimens from the violent rain generally accom- 

 panying such storms, it is far the better and safer plan to secure an 

 awning of sufficient strength to break the violence of the rain. 



This can be placed the last thing at night over the weak or 

 invalid portion, which, as it is hoped, will form but a small portion 



