IN MY LADY'S GARDEN 



and, after having been thoroughly painted, can be arranged 

 to suit the position, taking care to ensure thorough 

 drainage by burning a few holes at the sides and at the 

 bottom of the tubs and boxes with a red-hot poker. 

 Wooden laths should be placed below each, to raise it 

 slightly from the ground (also for purposes of good drain- 

 age), and the position chosen should be fairly sheltered 

 from strong winds, with a south-east exposure, if possible, 

 as this is less trying to plants in a raised place than that 

 which obtains the full sunshine of the afternoon. The 

 boxes and tubs can then be drained with broken brick, 

 glass, earthenware, &c., covered with a layer of ashes, and 

 filled with a mixture of good loam with a little leaf 

 mould, well-decayed manure, and soot in small quantities ; 

 or jadoo may be used, needing no additions. 



Lattice-work or wire netting may be added on the 

 walls or at the sides for the sake of privacy, with long 

 boxes in front of them to contain climbers, such as Cobcea 

 scandens> Maurandya Barclayana, sweet peas, Tropasolum 

 canariense, T. lobbianum, and nasturtiums, which climb 

 quickly, and may be relied upon to cover vacant spaces. 

 Tubs full of water can now be planted with water-lilies, in 

 crimson, pink, white, yellow, &c. ; other tubs should be 

 arranged for bog plants, in which Japanese irises (Kcempferi), 

 spiraeas in pink and white, golden calthas (marsh marigolds), 

 water forget-me-nots, and many other aquatic plants will 

 flourish, these water gardens being quite free from the 

 attention of cats, moreover a great advantage in hanging 

 gardens. Water in abundance is necessary for everything 

 growing in such a place, and a strong garden syringe should 

 be constantly used to keep the foliage of the plants free 

 from dust and soot, besides giving them ample supplies 

 of water at the root every morning, and, in hot, dry 

 weather, again in the evening, for the rapid evaporation 

 which takes place when plants are surrounded by heated air 

 has to be reckoned with. 



A few good shrubs in tubs will be useful as background 

 plants ; these may be aucubas (of both sexes, so as to obtain 



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