JUNE 167 



some little time after require constant watching and 

 careful attention. Of course some failures will occur, 

 even under the most favourable circumstances. It is 

 well, therefore, to make provision by having a few plants 

 in reserve in the nursery. A garden of even very 

 moderate size should have a small piece set aside as a 

 nursery, to be kept stocked with a few fine plants, to 

 be always ready to fill up vacancies, wherever they may 

 occur. Trained plants, on walls and trellises, should be 

 gone over carefully, training and tying whenever neces- 

 sary. 



The early flowering bulbs will be very much in the 

 way, as we want to arrange and plant the garden finally 

 for the year, but we must on no account sacrifice the 

 roots by cutting off the leaves too soon of those which 

 tvould be injured by such precipitance. Many may, 

 however, be taken up carefully with large unbroken 

 masses of earth, and planted in any out-of-the-way 

 corner to die off at their leisure. Other roots which 

 have lost their beauty for the season, may many of 

 them be transplanted, with great care, in damp weather. 



In clearing off stocks of cuttings, seedlings, and 

 young plants of all kinds by planting out, it is a good 

 way to pot a few fine ones of each kind, and to range 

 them on beds of ashes (to keep off insects) in the 

 nursery, or any place where they will be ornamental 

 rather than the contrary. They will require little 

 attention beyond watering in dry weather, and they are 

 pretty sure to come in handy at a future time. If they 

 should happen not to be wanted for filling up vacancies 

 in the garden, the greenhouse, in boxes or vases, or 

 anywhere else where deaths or failures may make 

 vacancies, how very few people there are in flower- 

 loving England to whom a pretty flower in a pot is not 

 an acceptable present; and how many persons there are 

 owning small gardens to whom a nice plant is at any 

 time most welcome ! 



Where the present gaiety of the garden will admit of 

 losing some flowers, a great many plants may be en- 

 couraged to grow very fine by nipping off the flower 



