SOME GENERAL GARDEN TALK 



rest, so that it will be in the state known to experts as 

 ''hung" — which is fatal to its ever being any sort of 

 plant again, if it does not kill it altogether. Some 

 things send out more roots laterally than they do straight 

 down: these require a little mound of earth directly 

 under their centers, over which they should be placed 

 and over which all the roots and rootlets should be 

 adjusted. Then the earth, broken until it is fine and 

 smooth, must be sifted in and around and against every 

 little root fiber, packed firmly, watered in — after 

 enough of it is on so that water will not drive against 

 the roots and cake mud around them — and so finally 

 filled up to the top of the hole. 



The operation is all perfectly simple, and just a 

 matter of common sense and patience. Do not start 

 such work when there is any chance of not being able 

 to go right through with it to its completion: and never 

 undertake it when the ground is wet enough to be soggy, 

 for then it will not pack thoroughly up against the 

 small rootlets, but will cake and make pockets around 

 them — and will bruise and tear them too. 



Herbaceous plants may usually be moved at any 

 time during the summer, but it is better to wait until 

 after they have finished blossoming, ordinarily. If the 

 work is as well done as it perfectly well may be how- 

 ever, they need never know that they have been 

 molested; in which case they will go right ahead and 

 blossom as if nothing had happened. But with very 

 large specimens this is hardly likely to be the case, even 

 though as much earth as possible is taken up with 



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