JAN.] FLOWER-GARDEN. 71 



any necessary pruning as above observed; this operation gives 

 health and vigour to the plants, kills weeds, and gives the place an 

 air of culture, and a lively neat appearance. 



After this general digging, the ground must be kept clean from 

 weeds all summer, by occasional hoeing in dry iveather, which with 

 a scuffling-hoe may be expeditiously performed. 



Particular care must be taken of the flower borders, &c. ; they 

 must be neatly and carefully dug in autumn, and pointed and dress- 

 ed afresh in spring ; and according as the various plants grow up, 

 let such as need support have sticks placed to preserve them up- 

 right ; and as the herbaceous perennials and annuals have clone 

 flowering and their stalks decay, cut them down close, clearing off 

 all decayed leaves and other rubbish. 



All kinds of hedge-work and detached trained figures of ever- 

 greens should be clipped twice a year. ...that is to say, in June and 

 in September ; for without this, they will not have that neat hand- 

 some appearance, that inspires admiration and does credit to the 

 person under whose care they are. 



For further particulars see the work under this head in the dif- 

 ferent months, 



The JPloiver-Garden. 



A commodious piece of good ground, for a flower-garden, situated 

 in a convenient and well sheltered place, and well exposed to the 

 sun and air, ought to be allotted for the culture of the more curious 

 and valuable flowers. 



The form of this ground may be either square, oblong, or some- 

 what circular ; having the boundary embellished with a collection 

 of the most curious flowering-shrubs ; the interior part should be 

 divided into many narrow beds, either oblong, or in the manner of 

 a parterre ; but plain four feet wide beds arranged parallel, having 

 two feet wide alleys between bed and bed, will be found most con- 

 venient, yet to some not the most fanciful. 



In either method, a walk should be carried round the outward 

 boundary, leaving a border to surround the whole ground, and with- 

 in this, to have the various divisions or beds, raising them generally 

 in a gently rounding manner, edging such as you like with dwarf- 

 box, some with trift, pinks, sisyrinchium, &c. by way of variety, 

 laying the walks and alleys with the finest gravel. Some beds may 

 be neatly edged with boards, especially such as are intended for the 

 finer sorts of bulbs, Sec. 



In this division you may plant the finest hyacinths, tulips, poly- 

 anthus-narcissus, double jonquils, anemones, ranunculus's, bul- 

 bous-iris's, tuberoses, scarlet and yellow amaryllis's, colchicums, 

 fritillaries, crown-imperials, snowdrops, crocus's, lilies of various 

 sorts, and all the different kinds of bulbous, and tuberous-rooted 

 flowers, which succeed in the open ground ; each sort principally 

 in separate beds, especially the more choice kinds, being necessary 

 both for distinction sake and for the convenience of giving, such as 

 need it, protection from inclement weather ; but for particulars of 

 their culture, see the respective articles in the various months. 



