AUGUST 153 



ordinary garden book. But a few general remarks 

 about bud-retaining may not be amiss. 



During the month of August the gardener will 

 see buds forming at the point of each shoot, and in 

 the case of crown buds all the surrounding shoots 

 must be got rid of if good blossoms are ex- 

 pected. But this rubbing away of superfluous 

 growth must be done with care ; to attempt it 

 directly the bud appears would be a process which 

 would weaken the growth of the flowers ; so both 

 bud and surrounding growth are allowed to make 

 a certain amount of progress until the former seems 

 to have a separate existence, when the unnecessary 

 shoots are gradually removed one to-day, one to- 

 morrow, and so on, thus avoiding a check to the 

 flower bud. We generally grow three stems to 

 a plant, and three shoots to each stem ; each shoot 

 develops a flower, and thus we get about nine 

 blossoms to a plant. Even with cuttings struck 

 in March these come a very respectable size, quite 

 large enough, at any rate, to satisfy the amateur 

 who is not intent on showing, for we can depend on 

 their measuring from five to nine inches in diameter, 

 which is as large as is required for cutting. 



The sweet peas must not be allowed to pod, or 

 the bloom will come to a sudden stop presently ; 

 every withered flower is picked off before it can set 

 seeds, and thus blossoming is continued over a long 

 season. Lilium candidum may be transplanted if 

 it needs a change, for this is the best month to do 

 the work ; lilies hate root disturbance when once 

 they have thrown up their foliage in autumn. 



Some gardeners are very successful with hardy 



