118 THE FLORIST AND 



has been our aim rather to encourage them to think of what should be done 

 in the future, than to point out at the moment the precise operations to be 

 performed. Those therefore, who have all along followed us will be prepared 

 now to act. This month and next is essentially the month for action with the 

 florist, so that it will be to the advantage of both writer and reader, that what 

 has to be said, should be said in the fewest words. 



We are often asked whether plants and flowers should be pruned and 

 watered when transplanted at this season. In some cases these are beneficial,, 

 in others injurious. If a tree or shrub have good roots, and the weather is 

 not very hot, it is injurious either to water or prune, but if it have few roots 

 in proportion to its size, then we may both prune and water. Pruning and 

 watering, are like medicines to a man ; necessities it were well to avoid, but 

 when used, used with caution. The best conditions for a transplanted tree 

 or shrub, is when the ground is moist and warm, — moist, to supply the 

 evaporation of the shoots and leaves — warm, to encourage a speedy forma- 

 tion of roots. But watering cools the soil, and by its gravity presess out 

 the air from the soil, making it liable to become more easily dry again than 

 if it had not been watered — keeping the moisture in the soil by shading or 

 mulching while it is moist, is therefore preferable to watering in all cases ; 

 the object being to prevent the escape of moisture, rather than to supply it 

 after it is once gone. The only time to prune, then, is when the proportion 

 of roots to branches is so small, that no amount of moisture would be suffi- 

 cient to keep the wood from shrivelling, and the only time to water is when 

 with good roots, the tree or shrub seems likely to wither away. This may 

 be kept in view while planting out flowers- — not to plant them too thick with 

 the view of shading the gronnd, for the greater number of roots in the same 

 space to seek for moisture will defeat the object, but rather to intermix trai- 

 lers with erect growing kinds ; and where masses of one kind are planted, 

 peg the shoots over the beds till the whole ground is covered. In sowing 

 annuals also, beware of putting too much seed in one spot; and after they 

 come up, five or six plants are enough to leave to grow ; two or three to tie 

 up neatly to neat stakes, the rest to peg on the ground around the others — 

 not only does this prove of advantage to the plants, but the conical appear- 

 ance given when in flower is pretty. We have seen Dahlias grown in very 

 dry soil in this way, they would do at all in no other. There are few things 

 so pretty as pyramidal forms in gardens, and the pyramidal asters so popu- 

 lar just now in France and England, will no doubt be much sought after this 

 season. In our own grounds last season they were the most beautiful ob- 

 jects we possessed, and we are convinced that few gardens, except the wet- 

 test or very driest, will bear to be in competition with its neighbour, adorned 

 with a few of these new " Queen Margarets." 



