Jifjie.] 



THE ILOWER GARDEN. 



909 



ALPINE PLANTS IN POTS. 



Alpine plants in pots will require to be plentifully supplied 

 with water mornings and evenings, before the sun shines upon 

 them and after it has set ; not that they require such abundant 

 supplies of that necessary element, but the intention of re- 

 peated waterings is to cool the atmosphere around them, which 

 at this season is too warm for many of them, particularly such 

 as are natives of northern latitudes. They will also require 

 to be often gone over, and all weeds picked out of the pots as 

 they appear, and a watchful eye kept that they be not de- 

 stroyed by slugs or worms. Those which are annuals should 

 be attended to, when their seeds ripen, and immediately sown, 

 as many of the more rare species are apt to go off after flow- 

 ering; and it is therefore necessary that they be propagated 

 either by saving their seeds, or by cuttings, or dividing at the 

 roots. 



Alpine plants planted upon rocks will require occasional 

 watering, as their roots do not strike deep into the soil in 

 which they grow ; and being generally elevated above the 

 general surface, are therefore more liable to be injured by 

 droughts of long continuance. 



SUPPORTING AND TRAINING PLANTS. 



Support and train all plants that require it, which will give 

 a degree of regularity, order, and neatness to the flower garden. 

 Prune all those which require it of straggling shoots, or such 

 as may have been injured, and thin those which are too thick 

 of branches. Cut down all dead or decaying shoots of such 

 plants as may be past flowering ; and if the borders appear 

 too thin in any part, let plants be brought from the reserve 

 garden to make up the deficiency, in which there should always 

 be a stock of plants and shrubs of great variety in pots, tubs, 

 or boxes, ready upon all occasions to make up deficiencies, or 

 indeed, occasionally, to give quite a new feature to the flower 

 garden. This mode has been too little attended to in this 

 country, but with the Chinese it is carried to a great degree of 

 perfection; indeed, the wliole contents of a Chinese flower 



