18 
A STROLL THROUGH TnE GARDEN. 
plant9 are generally bought in pairs and 
bloomed in pairs, the balls of earth being 
usually turned out of these into large pots at 
the proper season. Observe the earth in all 
potted plants in frames ; it is nearly dry; the 
plants are for the most part comparatively at 
rest; all the gardener cares for is to keep them 
alive, he wants no winter growth. I do not 
see any one at work in the open ground ; in 
fact, there is nothing to do. The beds covered 
with litter must not be uncovered, but remain 
as they are during the continuance of this 
frost. Here are two beds arched over with 
hoops and matted close, these are the best 
beds of tulips and hyacinths ; the careful 
grower of these flowers will not allow the 
surface of the soil to be frosted even before 
the bulbs have shot through it. The ground 
is not so hard but that digging might be done; 
the spade would easily break through the 
crust of frozen surface, but the flower garden 
is not like the kitchen garden ; the planting 
of hardy things is pretty well all done in 
autumn, and there is very little to do until 
the bedding-out time, and the dressing of the 
borders and shrubbery clumps, in spring. The 
winter business is chiefly confined to the pro- 
tection of the young plants and cuttings for 
this spring dressing ; the collecting of dif- 
ferent soils and manures, and jobs under cover, 
such as breaking up potsherds, or as they are 
called by gardeners, crocks, to use for placing 
at the bottom of pots before we put in the soil, 
to make a loose bottom for water to go through, 
and to prevent the soil from filling up the 
drainage holes. I see, here is the gardener in 
his working shed ; he is examining the dahlia 
tubers, anemones, ranunculuses, and various 
seeds. If he finds any of the choice dahlia 
tubers rotting, or shrivelling up much, he will 
put them in pots directly and set them grow- 
ing, for even a rotting tuber will frequently 
send forth a shoot or two, which may be taken 
off and struck before the decay destroys the 
tuber altogether. Although we do not see 
any of the men about, they are doing some- 
thing, you may be sure ; perhaps pruning in 
the orchard or the shrubbery. Since we left 
the other side of the garden two men have 
begun digging, and throwing out the soil on 
each side the beds they are at work upon ; 
they will merely throw out the soil a foot in 
depth, remove half of it altogether, to replace 
with fresh loam and leaf mould ; these beds 
are for the best ranunculuses, which are not 
planted till February, and bloom in June. 
They are considered too delicate to risk the 
severity of the winter, and besides, they are 
generally valuable. The autumn planted beds 
are generally confined to the sorts which 
stand the winter well, and a few of those which 
are so plentiful as to be of no consequence if 
lost ; the best and most scarce nre saved till 
spring. The same may be observed with 
regard to anemones ; the single and common 
sort are not oidy more plentiful but they are 
more hardy ; they are planted in the autumn, 
and sometimes left in the ground undisturbed 
for two or three seasons, and some of them 
are generally above, ground, for the young 
offsets do not die down like the old ones, or at 
least do not die down at the same time, and 
there is nearly always some in bloom. Those 
beds covered with the white frost are single 
anemones. Every here and there you actu- 
ally find a flower, although they are pretty 
nearly as white as the leaves. The double 
sort, however, are more tender, more suscep- 
tible of damage from wet, and therefore often 
suffer if planted in autumn, when succeeded 
by a wet winter. 
THE GREENHOUSE. 
The greenhouse, you see, has mats hung 
along the front. It is a great protection for 
the plants in the coolest part of the house; and, 
unless the heat is applied directly next the 
front wall, this will always be at the lower 
front shelves ; even then it is the first place 
that cools after heating, for heat always 
ascends. It is hardly right to open the doors, 
so we will go on this time, and choose a day 
for that when the mats are off. The prin- 
cipal point in the management of the green- 
house is to give all the air you can ; never to 
light a fire if you can keep out the frost with- 
out it, unless it is to dry the house, when you 
open some of the windows to let out the damp. 
You see pretty nearly half these flower beds 
all over the place are filled with something. 
Here are wallflowers, double and single ; 
Brompton, Queen's and other biennial stocks; 
rockets, Canterbury bells, sweetwilliams, poly- 
anthuses, primroses, holyhocks, various kinds 
of lupins, and such like. These beds which 
are so crowded are the differenflvarieties 
of violets ; now observe while I remove this 
litter, here are beds of the same sorts quite in 
a growing state and actually some of them 
blooming; now this slight covering will make a 
complete double season; they will yield flowers 
and be pretty nearly done blooming before the 
others that are unprotected, begin. However, 
there are some violets in yonder frames, which 
I forgot to show. It is from them that the 
gardener brings in the violets for the drawing 
room every morning. 
THE SHRUBBERY AND CONSERVATORY. 
This gate is the only way to approach from 
the flower garden. Here every thing looks 
as white as things are elsewhere, even the 
larger shrubs are covered. Here you find the 
men working. It is too late to choose for 
