a.] 



ENCLOSING, LAYING OUT. 



29 



shoots coming from the same stem ; you strip these shoots off, 

 put them into the ground, to about the depth of two inches, or a 

 little more ; fasten them well there, first with the hand, and then 

 w'ith the foot ; clip them along at the top to within about two 

 inches of the ground, and you have a box edging at once. You 

 must, indeed, purchase the plants, if you have not taken care to 

 raise them before-hand ; and, as to thrift, strawberries, daisies, 

 or grass edgings, there are generally cart-loads of them to be 

 thrown away, or to be dug from a common. I should suppose, 

 however, that ten pounds' worth of box, bought at the nurseries, 

 would be sufficient for the whole garden ; and, then, with com- 

 mon care, you have neat and efficient edgings for a life-time. 



44. To plant the box some care must be taken. The edging 

 ought to be p-anted as soon as the gravel walks are formed. The 

 box ought to be planted perpendicularly, and in a very straight 

 line, close to the gravel ; and with no earth at all betw^een it and 

 the gravel. It ought to stand, when planted and cut off, about 

 four inches high ; and the earth in the borders or plats ought to 

 be pushed back a little, and kept back for the first year, to pre ^ 

 vent it from being washed back over the walks. Vv'hen the edging 

 arrive at its proper height, it will stand about seven inches high, 

 on the gravel side, and will be about three inches higher than the 

 earth in the border, and will act like a little wall to keep the 

 earth out of the walks ; which, to say nothing of the difference 

 in the look, it will do, as effectually as brick, or boards, or any 

 thing else, however solid. The edging ought to be clipped in 

 the winter, or very early in the spring, on both the sides and at 

 top ; a line ought to be used to regulate the movements of the 

 sheers ; it ought to be clipped again, in the same manner, just 

 about Midsummer ; and, if there be a more neat and beautiful 

 thing than this in the world, all that I can say is that I never saw 

 that thing. 



45. There is yet one thing to notice in this laying out of the 

 garden ; namely, that there must be a shed to seiTe as a place for 

 depositing tools, flower-pots, and the like ; and also, for the gar- 

 deners to retire to in case of rain, and to do work there when 

 they cannot do work out of doors. This is a very necessary part 

 of the garden premises, and ought to be sufficiently spacious not 

 only for the purposes just mentioned, but for the hanging up of 

 seeds to dry, and for various other purposes. This shed ought 



