Gardening for Amateurs 



893 



Round the Year in the Garden; What to do 

 early in December 



AMONG THE FLOWERS 



CLEMATIS should not be planted 

 in a careless manner or the results 

 will probably be anything but satis- 

 factory. When the sites have been selected, 

 dig deep and wide holes, and in filling in 

 use plenty of rotted manure. If the soil 

 is poor it will be best to discard it and 

 obtain good, loam in its stead. As the 

 plants are sent in pots it is always 

 possible to await the arrival of suitable 

 weather before proceeding to plant them. 



Planting. The work of planting her- 

 baceous perennials and deciduous shrubs is 

 usually continued throughout the winter, 

 when the weather is mild and the soil work- 

 able. Do not transplant evergreens now, 

 however, but leave them until April. In 

 planting from pots always loosen the outside 

 roots. 



Shrubberies. These are too often ne- 

 glected in small gardens, but they need over- 

 looking at least once a year. First remove 

 all dead and dying branches, and thin out 

 those remaining as may be necessary. This 

 is not to be confused with pruning, which 

 must be performed at different times accord- 

 ing to the species and varieties, especially as 

 regards flowering shrubs. 



Herbaceous Border Plans. It is often 

 very difficult to discover the exact where- 

 abouts of many plants of the herbaceous 

 borders during the winter months, and as 

 this is the time when digging and planting 

 goes on damage may easily be done. Many 

 people object to the appearance of dozens 

 of labels or sticks in the borders, and such 

 are advised to draw up plans of the borders, 

 indicating the exact positions of all the 

 plants. 



Protecting Roses. In most gardens 

 Tea and China Roses need protection, and 

 in some districts other kinds as well. The 

 method usually adopted in the case of bush 

 Roses is to heap up soil or ashes around the 

 stems of the plants. Thus, even if all top 

 growth is killed by severe weather, 6 inches 



or so at the base is saved, and the buds from 

 this part burst readily in spring. Standards 

 are best protected by placing bracken or 

 straw among the branches on the approach 

 of frost. 



Stakes. The stakes used for supporting 

 Roses, shrubs, young trees, etc., should be 

 examined now, and those that are obviously 

 too weak to last another season must be 

 replaced by new ones. 



IN THE GREENHOUSE 



Ferns. Maidenhair Ferns are often cut 

 down at this season and given less water 

 for a couple of months from now. This 

 gives them a rest, after which they grow 

 strongly. Beware, however, of letting the 

 soil become dust-dry. 



Bedding Geraniums. These need com- 

 paratively little water at this period ; if 

 moistened frequently they will decay whole- 

 sale. A high shelf is a good position for 

 wintering them. Any cuttings that have 

 decayed and all yellow leaves should be 

 removed. 



Temperature. During the winter the 

 temperature of all glasshouses ought to be 

 lower than at any time throughout the year. 

 Amateurs are often inclined to disregard this, 

 and try to maintain an almost impossible 

 temperature by hard stoking, but such a 

 practice is highly detrimental. In the 

 ordinary greenhouse no harm results if the 

 thermometer falls to 40 degrees in frosty 

 weather. 



Frozen Plants. While frost prevails 

 pot plants should be kept rather dry at the 

 roots ; sheets of newspaper spread over the 

 plants near the glass will provide considerable 

 protection. Should a plant get caught, 

 however, it can generally be thawed success- 

 fully by syringing it with cold water, and 

 keeping it shaded in a cool position. When 

 frozen plants are placed against the hot- 

 water pipes they are quickly ruined. 

 . Washing Glass. It is important to allow 

 all the light possible to reach the plants at 



