202 MAKING OF A FLOWER GARDEN 



needed, and be sure and leave sufficient room at the 

 top — ^at least an inch — ^for watering. 



And right here is where the average amateur falls 

 down — ^in watering her plants. Of course there are 

 people who care enough to grow plants who some- 

 times forget to water them at all, but the opposite 

 course is more universal and plants are deluged with 

 water day after day whether they need it or not. 

 With facilities for spraying it will not be necessary 

 to water the earth in the pots of any but the most 

 moisture-loving plants, until they are quite dry ; then 

 sufficient water should be given to soak thoroughly the 

 ball of earth, so that it runs through into the saucer 

 — ^which should always be emptied as soon as the 

 drainage has ceased. Sometimes it will be noticed 

 that water runs through at once; this indicates one 

 of two things — either the earth is so filled with fibrous 

 roots that the water cannot penetrate and runs off 

 between the earth and the sides of the pot, or the 

 earth is too hard for it to pass through. In the first 

 place the plants should be repotted or, if this is not 

 practicable, a sharp stick should be run down through 

 the ball, opening up numerous channels for the water, 

 and the surface soil thoroughly stirred. Plants in 

 this condition are much benefited by standing in a 

 basin of water until the earth is thoroughly soaked. 



Where it happens that the earth in the pot is hard 

 it should be stirred up from the surface as much as 



