146 PRACTICAL GARDENING. 



things), and never to grow them in a conspicuous place like 

 the front of a house. It is generally too much of a job to 

 remove it often, and the consequence is that the poor plant is 

 smothered ; for the putting up is generally managed early, 

 and the taking down late, and the plant has then to bear the 

 vicissitudes of the spring, which are often more trying than 

 the whole winter season. 



PEOTECXmG POTTED PLAIS^TS. 



We are not under this head going to treat of those tender 

 plants wliich belong to the greenhouse or stove, but simply 

 those which may be called half-hardy, — that require some pro- 

 tection in very severe weather, but not much. But many 

 hardy plants in the ordinary ground would be but half-hardy 

 in pots, unless some means were taken to protect the roots. 

 The reason may be made obvious by a little explanation : — 

 frost which would not penetrate one inch into the earth will 

 go through the side of a pot ; consequently the roots of a 

 plant would be frozen, and the most tender parts of a root 

 are the points next the side of the pot. It is therefore a 

 common practice to plunge them in the ground, or in some 

 other medium that shall preserve the sides from the frost. 

 Thus we see in nurseries thousands of plants plunged in their 

 pots and merely protected by a temporary roofing, which 

 plants would ineAdtably perish if the pots were exposed to 

 the weather, for the temporary covering is of httle avail to 

 change the cold of the atmosphere, but it keej^s off the wind, 

 and so far saves the foKage, although the frost would assuredly 

 penetrate the sides of the pot, and damage if not kill the 

 plants i| they were not plunged in something to their rims, 

 ^lany plants are only tender while young, and become very 

 hardy when once established in the ground. The magnoHas, 

 for instance, may be seen flourishing as standard trees, and of • 

 a large size, which are nevertheless kept in pots for stock, 

 and are carefully plunged and covered up while young. Some 

 of our hardiest trees, which stand any degree of frost so far 

 as li"vang and growing well goes, if the spring happens to be 

 forward, and the young growth excited early, are cut off, and 

 the tree has to break forth again with a new set of buds. TVe 

 frequently see the walnut pushing forth its young branches 

 and its fruit in the spring of the year, and the whole of the 



