444 



SATURDAY IN MY GARDEN 



that the roots are tightly matted together. This is a sign that 

 repotting is necessary. 



The plant is, perhaps, an old one, and in that case division 

 is advisable. If the roots be cut through from top to bottom 

 with a sharp knife three or four new sections can be obtained 

 and these should be inserted in smaller pots. The best soil for 

 the purpose is a mixture of equal parts of loam, leaf mould, peat 

 and sand. Fairly firm potting is 



necessary, especially in the lower 

 part of the pots. The inexperi- 

 enced amateur sometimes goes to 

 the other extreme. He leaves the 

 soil loose beneath, and presses it 

 down too firmly on the surface. 

 After potting, the ferns should 

 be watered in with a fine -rose 

 watering-can. 



FUCHSIA. The fuchsia is one 

 of the most accommodating and 

 easily cultivated plants. Its value 

 as a decorative subject is un- 

 rivalled, whether it be grown in 

 the open or confined in a glass 

 structure. And it possesses the 

 additional advantage that even 

 old age does not cripple its energies 

 nor hamper its efflorescence. It 

 may be grown in a great variety 

 of shapes, either as a standard, in bush or pyramid form, or as a 

 climber, and in all, if it receive proper attention, it will flourish 

 abundantly. 



The fuchsia, which came originally to this country from South 

 America little more than a hundred years ago, is not quite hardy, 

 and, save in the extreme south and south-west of England, it 

 needs to be protected from severe frost. Therefore, as soon as 

 the flowering season is over, and the foliage begins to fall in a 



Diagram 85. 



Fuchsia cuttings inserted round the 

 edge of a five-inch pot. 



