120 THE FLORIST AND 



APRIL — MAY. 



House Garden. — The turning out of plants into the beds and borders is 

 the thing now to be attended to. Plants should not be taken out at once, 

 from the shade and moisture of their winter to the sudden extremes of the 

 open air ; it is better to place them for a few weeks in a frame where they 

 may be protected if neccessary for a few days, or placed somewhere out of 

 doors in a sheltered spot; the hardiest kind will of course set out first, the 

 tenderest following. In planting for masses, the plants should be set in 

 thickly. All annuals not yet sown should be done at once — the second week 

 in May will be time enough for for such tender annuals as Thuribergia, Cy- 

 press Vine, and amaranthus— the seeds of the white cypress vine should be 

 sown with the crimson for effect — some very pretty effects are often obtained 

 from this plant trained on fancy trellises — annuals or other seeds that have 

 been forwarded in a slight hotbed or under protection, should be set out 

 whenever a shower affords an opportunity. Where it is desirable to have a 

 mass of flowers in some shady places, the Hydrangea or Hortensia answers 

 admirally, continuing in beauty the whole season. I have seen a bed of the 

 English Ivy in such deep shade with a singularly pleasing effect — there are 

 not many plants that will thrive in such situations, and what will should be 

 prized — as a vine for shady spots there is nothing superior to the Bignonia 

 capreolata or Golden Trumpet vine — clothed with brilliant flowers in summer, 

 and maintaining its verdure the year round — Gladioluses are deservedly in- 

 creasing in favour. A number of new varieties have been lately added to 

 collections; they like a rich loam, rather moist, where Hyacinths or Tulips 

 were planted in beds in the flower garden in the fall, and are now coming 

 into bloom — they may be planted with a dibble or trowel in the spaces 

 between them, so that in a few weeks after the former have done blooming, the 

 latter will come in, maintaining the interest through the whole season. The 

 Tuberose and Tigridia or tiger flower may be done the same way — Moles 

 and ground Mice make sad havoc amongst these roots — a lump of tow dipped 

 in gas tar and sunk a few inches in the soil in the neighborhood of the roots, 

 will make the marauders shy of coming about. Whenever the ground 

 " cakes," after a rain, the ground should be lightened with a hoe and rake, 

 it mixes the air with the surface soil, and as that is a non-conductor, it 

 prevents the soil from losing so much moisture by evaporation, or of be- 

 coming so hot and hard as it otherwise would. 



The lawns should be mown as soon as ever it is long enough to bear the 

 scythe, if a continuous " green carpet" be desired; when suffered to grow 

 long before the first cutting, a face of brown stumps are left which shows 

 at every successive mowing. 



