202 The Flower Garden 



protection in the winter. In the spring cut away the 

 sod from around it the width of the spade, making 

 the soil fine and mellow, and working in some old 

 manure. This annual enlarging of its boundaries is 

 all the care it needs to make it grow larger and finer, 

 year by year, and bloom profusely. 



The French Lilacs are to be recommended for lib- 

 eral planting, as they are free from the vice of suck- 

 ering which makes the old-fashioned sort so trouble- 

 some. They should be planted wherever they will be 

 useful as backgrounds for lower shrubs, or perennials, 

 or in a row along a lane or fence. As the blooming 

 season of the different varieties varies, by judicious 

 selection they may be had in bloom for several weeks. 



Althaeas (Rose of Sharon) have the happy notion 

 of blooming when other plants do not, so they are 

 doubly welcome. As they bloom from the bottom 

 up they should have a place by themselves on the 

 grounds, where they will make quite tall trees in a 

 few years. The white and light-coloured ones are 

 the most attractive. Young trees should be wrapped 

 in straw during winter, and old ones well mulched 

 with rough litter. 



