288 



SHRUBBERIES AND FLOWER-GARDENS. 



[CHAF. 



another as the last are ; then plant a bulb at every place where 

 the Imes intersect each other, taking especial care to let the top 

 of the bulb be even with the earth, and order them so as to have 

 no two of the same colour coming next one another. Then bring 

 more compost, and fill up the two inches that you have yet to 

 make good to bring the bed up to be even with the rest of the 

 ground ; and go on filling till you have brought it to be two 

 inches ahove the rest of the ground. But, I should here observe 

 that, as this ground Avill settle down, and perhaps bury the bulbs 

 too deep, it is proper to dig out the bed and put in the mould 

 in which the bulbs are set, a week or ten days previous to set- 

 ting them ; and this gives time for that settling which always 

 takes place. Do nothing after you have planted (except rake a 

 little now-and-then) till winter, and then, when you expect frosts 

 such as would penetrate two or three inches, or so, bring forth 

 your straw, or whatever else you have, and cover over the whole 

 bed effectually, excepting at times when you are pretty certain of 

 no frost. When the season for frosts is over, of course you 

 remove all paraphernalia for guarding against that element ; but 

 you then have others : cold winds, snows, and even, quickly after 

 these, the sun itself. Therefore, as soon as you have removed 

 the straw, place hoops across the bed, or a frame of wood con- 

 sisting of upright stakes driven into the ground, with bending 

 cross-pieces going over from one to the other, in the fashion of a 

 bedstead ; and on these throw^ canvass, or other light stuff, when 

 either cold winds or snows prevail, or (when the plants are in blos- 

 som) when the sun shines out too much on them. The flowers 

 will appear in March and April, and, though the plant is hardy, 

 and even its flowers care not for snow or frost, yet, if you permit 

 the sun to come and thaw this on them, they will not last half 

 the time that they would otherwise do. When the plants are in 

 blossom, such as have not strong stalks should have small sticks 

 put in on the side of ihem, to which these stalks should be tied. 

 Such plants as are destined to bear seed, should be left to have the 

 full influence of the sun, and should remain in the bed till the 

 seed-pod turns quite yellow, and begins to split ; but those that 

 are not to bear seed should be taken up as soon as their leaves 

 turn }ellow. Choose a dry day, and take them up cautiously, so 

 as not to damage their offsets ; then lay them pretty close to one 

 another, on the bed, and cover them over with earth to an inch 



