MAY. 



635 



MAY. 



soil is getting dry. Those that require 

 it should now be transferred to larger 

 pots. All of them, whether shifted or 

 not, should be placed in a cool and shady 

 part of the house till their growth is 

 finished, and the buds for next year's 

 blooms formed on the ends of the shoots. 

 To complete their growth, camellias may 

 be taken from the conservatory into a cool 

 house or even into the open air. 



Climbing Plants. Climbers must now 

 be attended to, kept from confusion and 

 from intermingling with each other, and 

 neatly trained. 



Insects. A watchful eye must now be 

 kept on all house plants for insects, or the 

 labours of months, perhaps even years, 

 will be lost. Ply the syringe diligently 

 upon all plants not in actual bloom, to 

 keep away the red spider ; wash off the 

 scale with soft soap, and fumigate for 

 aphis and thrips. Where fumigation is 

 necessary for a few plants only, perhaps 

 they can be removed to a close room and 

 subjected to that process. The house must 

 be kept thoroughly ventilated and moist. 



Lily of the Valley. By a little manage- 

 ment now, that universal favourite, the 

 Lily of the Valley, may be retarded in its 

 bloom till June. Keep the pots perfectly 

 dry and in a cool, shady place until their 

 natural season is past ; by watering they 

 soon come into foliage and flower, their 

 white bells being especially welcome 

 among the dazzling and gay-coloured 

 flowers of June. 



Roses, &c. The occupants of the green- 

 house are now being transferred to the 

 conservatory, rendering its appearance gay 

 and lively. Roses especially will be coming 

 forward from the forcing houses, adding, 

 by the fragrance exhaled from their bloom, 

 to the attractions to be found here. 



May. Flower Garden, Work in. 



Annuals , Hardy, Treatment of. Con- 



tinue to prick off annuals raised in frames 

 into small pots, and harden such as are 

 established preparatory to their turning out 

 into the open ground. Those which have 

 been potted some time should have another 

 shift, rather than allow them to become 

 stunted in their pots. Another sowing of 

 annuals may now be made either in an open 

 border for transplanting, or on small squares 

 of turf, grassy side downwards. When the 

 plants are up, the pieces of turf with the 

 plants may be removed to their final 

 quarters. As the planting season ap- 

 proaches, have everything ready by har- 

 dening the plants, that they may experience 

 no check by removal, and turning over and 

 well working the soil to get it into a proper 

 state for planting. Lupines, Flos Adonis, 

 lychnis, mignonette, and many others, may 

 still be sown in beds or patches where they 

 are to flower, watering them after sowing 

 and in dry weather. 



Annuals ', <5rV., for Succession. Plant 

 out in rich soil a good supply of stocks 

 and asters for the autumn ; and sow a suc- 

 cession of annuals for making up any 

 vacancies which may occur, and likewise 

 another sowing of mignonette in pots for 

 rooms or for filling window boxes. 



Asters, &c. t Thinning out for Bloom. 

 Large plants of some genera, as phloxes, 

 asters, &c., generally throw up too many 

 flowering shoots : where such is the case, 

 thin them out at once, so as to obtain not 

 only fine heads of bloom but increased 

 strength to the remaining shoots, to enable 

 them to need less assistance from stakes. 



Auriculas. Auriculas going out of bloom 

 should be placed in a shady place, if in 

 pots, and receive shade from the sun, if in 

 beds. 



Bedding out. As the soil and weather 

 will now be in a fit state to commence 

 bedding out, a start should be made 

 with the half-hardy plants first; as antir- 

 rhinums, pentstemons, &c., which may be 



