THE FLORISTS' FLOWER GARDEN. 



805 



tertained by many, that they should be culti- 

 vated in a place by themselves, and grown for 

 the purpose of being cut and used in that state 

 for the decoration of the rooms in the mansion. 

 Under these conditions they could be protected 

 by awnings, and kept in bloom to a much later 

 period of the season. The dahlia has never yet 

 had a fair chance under glass ; if it had, it might 

 be continued in bloom a great portion of the year. 



Summer culture. — The plants are prepared by 

 being forwarded in heat early in the spring, 

 strengthened in constitution by being kept 

 afterwards in well-aired pits or frames, and 

 when of a good size they are fit for being finally 

 planted out To state a day or a week when 

 this should take place is impossible, for in some 

 places they may be planted out with safety by 

 the end of April, while in others the middle of 

 June is nearer the mark. That being the case, 

 this matter must be left to the discretion of the 

 cultivator. " The season of planting," says a 

 sagacious writer on gardens, " is as soon as there 

 is no fear of any more frost." Those who grow 

 them to the highest state of perfection, allow 

 them plenty of room ; " 5 feet apart every way 

 for the dwarf-growing kinds, and 6 feet for the 

 taller ones, will not be too much." And no 

 doubt all that space is required to admit light 

 and air to all parts of the plants. Regarding 

 staking, it is well to drive in what stakes are 

 required previous to planting, that the roots 

 may sustain no injury by doing so afterwards. 

 As the plants extend in size, the main shoot 

 should be tied to the stakes by soft matting, and 

 the side branches as they extend, but not drawn 

 too close together. The best supports are either 

 iron rods or young larch poles, from 5 to 6 

 feet in height, according to the size of the vari- 

 ety. Some grow them as an espalier, and we 

 have seen them trained with pretty good effect 

 against a stone wall. Flowers intended for ex- 

 hibition must be protected from strong sun, rain, 

 and often so shaded as to retard their perfect 

 formation for several days. The shades in or- 

 dinary use are oiled canvass caps, tin sconces, 

 wooden boxes, and often inverted flower-pots, 

 &c. Flowers intended for exhibition should be 

 cut the night before, and placed in a dark cool 

 apartment. Some will keep their flowers in this 

 way for several days, awaiting the day of trial. 

 The dahlia is capable of being transported with 

 safety, if properly packed. The method in com- 

 mon use is thus described in the " Cottage Gar- 

 deners' Dictionary :" " Have a box or boxes made 

 with water-tight tin tubes, securely fixed in the 

 bottom, to hold water ; pass the stem of each 

 flower through a plug of wood, with a hole in 

 the centre just wide enough to allow the stem to 

 pass through it, and just thick enough to fit 

 like a cork into the tube. Make the flower quite 

 firm in the wooden plug, and let the lid of the 

 box be so elevated as not to touch the flower." 



Autumn and winter culture. — When the frost 

 has slightly blackened the foliage of the plants, 

 their season may be considered finished : the 

 stems should then be cut over to within a foot or 

 so of the ground, and the roots either immedi- 

 ately taken up, or allowed to remain a week or 

 two longer, laying a few inches of soil over them 

 VOL. II. 



for the exclusion of frost. The labels by which 

 they have been marked should be firmly tied to 

 the remaining portion of the stem ; and if secured 

 with a piece of brass or copper wire, there will 

 be less danger of their being displaced than if 

 they were merely tied with a piece of string. 

 On taking up, the roots should be well dried 

 and divested of soil, a dry day being chosen for 

 the operation. The place where we keep our 

 roots during winter is a dry cellar, perfectly ex- 

 cluded from frost ; and they are covered with a 

 little soft hay, to prevent the air drying them 

 up too much. Next to a dry cellar, we would 

 prefer a garret or loft from which frost could be 

 excluded; and those who cannot command better 

 accommodation, may stack them in dry soil, like 

 potatoes. Attempts have long been made to 

 dwarf the dahlia, to fit it for flower borders 

 where tall plants cannot be admitted, by pegging 

 down the branches : no very good effect is pro- 

 duced, and the plants suffer sooner from early 

 frosts. If attempted, the process should be early 

 commenced, on account of the inflexibility of the 

 stem. The flowering season, when they are thus 

 treated, may be more readily prolonged than 

 that of such as are grown to their natural height. 

 The best method would be, upon the appearance 

 of frost, to hoop the beds over with hoops of 

 half-inch iron rods, and to cover them in the 

 evening with canvass, to be removed again in the 

 morning. There is no doubt that much of the 

 beauty of our flower-gardens would be prolonged 

 by hoops adapted to the size and form of our 

 parterres being placed over them in autumn, for 

 the support of canvass coverings, made also to fit 

 the beds. Supposing these hoops painted green 

 and neatly arranged, their effect would be by 

 no means objectionable. The coverings should, 

 however, be cleared away as early every morning 

 as could be safely done for the security of the 

 plants. 



Dahlia roots, in dry warm soils, may be left in 

 the ground all winter with perfect safety, parti- 

 cularly if covered with rotten tan, leaf -mould, or, 

 still better, sifted coal-ashes. Care, however, 

 must be taken in spring, when they begin to 

 grow, that all shoots, except one, and that the 

 strongest, should be removed. This may be a 

 suitable practice for cottagers, but to grow this 

 flower in perfection the plants should be annu- 

 ally propagated by cuttings. Liquid manure is 

 of vast importance to this plant, if applied just 

 as the flower begins to form; and the most con- 

 venient is guano dissolved in water, pigeon's dung, 

 where it can be got, used in the same way; and 

 half an ounce of sulphate of ammonia to a gallon 

 of water will also prove beneficial, if applied 

 every ten days. 



Staking, pruning, and training is of great im- 

 portance to this flower. Should any of the side 

 shoots grow very strong, and there is danger of 

 their breaking off, either tie them in to the 

 stem or stake, or in many cases it will be 

 better to drive in additional stakes, but 

 these should be so placed that they may be 

 covered by the branches and foliage. Where 

 fine bloom is required, only one flower should 

 be allowed to remain on each shoot. Where, 

 however, a great display is required in the flower- 



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