THE MONTHLY CALENDARS OF 



GARDEN WORK THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. 

 JANUARY. 



Aspect and Character of 

 Month. 



January is the first month of our civil 

 year, the second of winter, and the third of 

 the gardener's year, which commences with 

 November. The average temperature is 

 39 during the day and 32 during the 

 night, and the mean temperature, during 

 an average of many years, does not fall 

 below the freezing-point ; severe frosts, and 

 frosts of long continuance, occurring in 

 January, are therefore exceptional occur- 

 rences in our climate. In the garden Janu- 

 ary is the last month of preparation for 

 spring and summer, for the processes of 

 vegetation will soon be in full progress. 



Work that must be done. The gardener's 

 attention must now be concentrated on the 

 future, rather than diverted by the past. 

 All arrears of labour due to the past year 

 must at once be discharged. Nothing tends 

 more to mar the success of gardening 

 operations than dragging through the 

 necessary work three weeks or a month 

 behind the time proper for its performance. 

 The peculiar fickleness of our climate 

 renders gardening precarious and difficult 

 enough with every advantage of judgment 

 and foresight It will be well, therefore, 

 to bear in mind that the work can only be 

 done "weather permitting." For instance, 

 it is impossible to dig, plant, or sow when 

 the frost has set its strong seal upon the 

 earth. It is bad practice to dig in snow, 

 and worse than useless to attempt anything 

 on the surface of the ground when an 

 excess of moisture has converted it into 



mud. It may thus occasionally happen 

 that a part or the whole of the work pre- 

 scribed for one month may have to be 

 deferred to another, and thus a double 

 portion fall upon one or any of the winter 

 or spring months. In such cases extra 

 labour must be employed, or diverted from 

 other departments, until the whole of the 

 work indicated is completed. 



January. Conservatory, Work 

 in. 



Condition of Plants. Everything here 

 should now look fresh and healthy. Acacias 

 should be advancing into bloom. Camellias 

 are either out or advancing rapidly into 

 bloom : to promote this, see that they do 

 not want for water. If there is a forcing 

 house in the establishment, orchids, hya- 

 cinths, arums, tulips, and other bulbs 

 transferred thither from it, with heaths and 

 epacrises from the greenhouse, will render 

 the conservatory both gay and fragrant ; 

 and if only a frame is available, cinerarias, 

 violets, and mignonette will afford a good 

 display. 



Management. To preserve flowers in 

 bloom in the conservatory for the longest 

 possible period is now the principle object 

 in view. To do this, keep the atmosphere 

 moist and genial, but not wet. Water the 

 plants regularly when necessary, especially 

 the bulbs, giving as much water, of the 

 same temperature as the house, as they can 

 assimilate. Keep the temperature about 

 40, rising a few degrees from sun heat 

 during the day, ventilating daily, if only 



