THROUGH THE YEAR IN A GARDEN 223 



trees to see which trees have dead limbs that 

 need sawing off at this time. The stumps of 

 perennials should also be trimmed off and the 

 hardy borders protected by a mulch, for noth- 

 ing is more trying to plants than the thawing 

 and freezing and freezing and thawing again 

 to which they are subjected, without such pro- 

 tection, throughout the varying temperatures 

 of Winter's changeable weather. However, 

 perennials should not be covered with any 

 dressing as heavy as that of manureal mulches. 

 Vines, too, wiU need looking after. It is al- 

 most pitiful to see how these are often neg- 

 lected, being dragged to earth by ice and snow, 

 when a little care and forethought would have 

 made it possible to give them just the support 

 they needed in the way of tacked-up fasten- 

 ings of cloth and of leather strips, or a stake 

 support. If one is experimenting with plants 

 in coldframes, covering the frames at night 

 with straw mats and shutters is not to be for- 

 gotten. Even though the month appears to be 

 mild, neglect to do this will almost inevitably 

 lead the garden-maker to regret it ! One may, 

 perhaps, need to turn occasionally from the de- 

 fensive to the offensive and to sally forth. 



