78 THE PLEASURE, OR [Jan, 
their own natural growth, and branch out into full heads, only just 
giving a little occasional trimming to any very irregular growths, 
such as retrenching or reducing any very luxuriant rude shoots, 
or considerable ramblers running wildly from all the other branches. 
Cut out all dead wood and keep all tiie shrubs from entangling 
with one another, so as the head of each shrub may appear distinct, 
and show itself to proper advantage. 
The ground of the principal shrubbery plantations, in which the 
shrubs stand distant, not covering the surface, should be digged 
every year, late in autumn, or in spring, previously giving the 
shrubs any necessary pruning as above observed; this operation 
gives health and vigour to the plants, kills weeds, and gives the 
place an air of culture, and a lively neat appearance. 
After this general digging, the ground must be kept clean from 
weeds all summer, by occasional hoeing in dry weather, which with 
a scuffling- hoe may be expeditiously performed. 
Particular care must be taken of the flower borders, &c.; they 
must be neatly and carefully dug in autumn, and pointed and 
dressed afresh in spring, and according as the various plants grow 
up, let such as need support have sticks placed to preserve them 
upright: and as the herbaceous perennials and annuals have done 
flowering and their stalks decay, cut them down close, clearing oiF 
all decayed leaves and other rubbish. 
All kinds of hedge-work and detached trained figures of ever- 
greens should be clipped twice a year — that is to say, in June and 
in September, for without this, they will not have that neat, hand- 
some appearance that inspires admiration and does credit to the 
person under whose care they are. 
For further particulars, see the work under this head in the difter- 
ent months. 
The Flower Garden. 
A "commodious piece of good ground for a flower garden, situated 
in a convenient and v/ell-sheltered place, and well exposed to the 
sun and air, ought to be allotted for the culture of the more curious 
and valuable flowers. 
The form of this ground may be either square, oblong, or some- 
what circular, having the boundary embellished with a collection 
of the most curious flowering shrubs; the interior part should be 
divided into many narrow beds, either oblong, or in the manner of 
a parterre; but plain four feet wide beds arranged parallel, having 
two feet wide alleys between bed and bed will be found most con- 
venient, yet to some not the most fanciful. 
In either method a walk should be carried round the outward 
boundary, leaving a border to surround the whole ground, and with- 
in this, to have the various divisions or beds raising them generally 
in a gently rounding manner, edging such as you like with dwarf- 
box, some with trift, pinks, sisyrinchium, &c. by way of variety, 
laying the walks and alleys with the finest gravel. Some beds may 
be neatly edged with boards, especially such as are intended for 
the finer sort of bulbs, &c. 
