212 



GARDENING FOR BEGINNERS 



growing shrubs and trees, of which the following serve as 

 examples : Laurels, Roses, Willows, Tamarisk, Privet, Phila- 

 delphuses, Flowering Currants, and Cornus. The cuttings may 

 vary in length from 10 inches to 18 inches according to the 

 vigour of individual kinds. They should be planted in rows 

 a foot or so apart, allowing two or more inches between each 

 cutting in the rows. The bed or border should be carefully 

 prepared, the cuttings planted in a perpendicular (not slanting) 

 fashion and trodden quite firmly at the bottom. During dry 

 weather occasional waterings will assist new growth. Keep 

 the beds free from weeds and the surface soil loose. 



Budding and Grafting are subjects that hardly come within 

 the scope of a beginner's book, and many flowering trees and 



FIG. 17. How to layer a Tree or Shrub. Dotted lines = Soil. 



shrubs are propagated in this way when there is no occasion 

 to do so. Whenever possible trees and shrubs should be in- 

 creased by seeds, cuttings, or layers, a very good method, 

 performed in a similar way to layering, advised for the 

 Carnation and explained by the accompanying diagram. 



SELECTION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE BEST 

 TREES AND SHRUBS 



Abelias, There are really only two Abelias sufficiently hardy for 

 the London district; in fact,\k. chinensis, better known perhaps as A. 

 rupestris, is the only one, because A. floribunda suffers unless some pro- 



