102 
A STROLL THROUGH THE GARDEN MARCH. 
buds, and primroses and polyanthuses are 
partially showing their gay trusses ; and alto- 
gether the garden looks more interesting, 
thouijh not more gorgeous, than at any other 
period of the year. The gardener at the un- 
protected tulip beds is stirring the earth be- 
tween all the spikes of green, which are apt, as 
they come up, to push the earth up and leave 
it hollow and in cracks. By stirring and 
bruising the lumps, the air is let into the soil, 
and actual exposure of the bulb is avoided. 
There is nothing more essential to the health 
and vigour of tulips than laying the soil lightly, 
but nevertheless closely, about their bulbs, as 
soon as the green spike is fairly through the 
ground, and before they open to develope their 
leaves. The best bed, which has been under 
cover all the cold nights and frosty days, was 
ready some time ago, but the beds that have 
been fully exposed to the weather, are only 
just ready for the operation. Many of the 
auriculas are showing their bloom pips in the 
heart of the plants, and some are actually 
rising. Observe how carefully the man waters 
them, without letting any wet get to the 
heart or hollow, for it would lie there, and 
perhaps freeze ; in either case damaging the 
pips, which are of the most delicate nature, 
for the entire beauty of the flower depends on 
a surface powder as fine as the down on a 
butterfly's wing, and as easily displaced. No- 
thing can injure it more than washing it vio- 
lently, or allowing it to soak in water ; that is 
the reason the man waters all round the plant 
without touching it. See how dry the car- 
nations and picotees look ; they have had no 
water for a fortnight, and perhaps may not 
have any for a week more. Nothing conduces 
more to health and free growth than keeping 
them as dry as they can be, so that they be 
not distressed ; and as there is very little 
growth during the winter, it is but seldom they 
require watering. Here are stocks and mig- 
nonette fast showing for bloom. These have 
been sown in the autumn. The next box con- 
tains pinks and pansies. These are called store 
pots, and by some, thumb pots ; the object of 
potting things in small pots is the convenience 
they afford for stowing away, and packing to send 
away. These stored plants will do for planting 
out in beds, as soon as the weather breaks a little. 
All these laz'ger plants under glass are called 
half-hardy; azaleas, camellias, correas, acacias, 
hoveas, grevilleas, and such like ; they only 
require protection against severe frost. Ob- 
serve that all these frames are totally unco- 
vered, because the weather is mild and open ; 
had it been cold and cheerless, *they would 
have been entirely closed, or only tilted a little. 
Now let us take a turn towards the green- 
house. All the top lights are let down, for 
the sake of giving air this delighfal day. Here 
we have camellias in full flower, aiid the earth 
is quite damp that they are growing in. This 
is on account of the greater quantity of nutri- 
ment required while tliey perfect their flowers; 
but even watering may be too bountifuL If 
they were continued as wet as this, they would 
drop their blooms ; but the fact is, they have 
only just been watered. Here are many 
heaths ; and if you notice the soil in their pots, 
it is very nearly dry; they are nevertheless a 
little moist. They are not watered more than 
once in three or four days or a week; but 
they must not be allowed to flag or droop, 
because a few hours thus would kill them. The 
Indian azaleas are wet like the camellias,because 
they are swelling their buds, and want a good 
deal of nourishment until after they have 
bloomed and completed their growth. All 
these Botany Bay plants are very much like 
heaths in their habits ; they grow in light, 
spongy peat earth, through which the water 
runs very freely, and into which the fibres 
grow without difficulty, although they are 
finer than the smallest hair. It is always 
desirable to keep together the plants that 
require similar treatment, because the neces- 
sary attention is given so much better than 
when they are mixed ; and if you are obliged 
to have several distinct classes of plants in the 
same house, you save a good deal of time and 
trouble by keeping them each together — the 
heaths in one place, camellias in another, in- 
stead of attempting to set the house off by 
mixing them judiciously. Oeraniums want a 
house to themselves to be grown really well ; 
for, as you observe in this little house, all the 
plants are near the glass ; in fact, they cannot 
be too near, if there is but room for them to 
grow without touching it. They want all the 
light they can have; and being very succulent, 
they bear no frost. They can only have air 
when the weather is very mild, and there are 
no drjang winds ; they also require plenty of 
room : there ought to be three or four inches 
of room all round each plant, otherwise there 
is no free circulation of air, nor is there suf- 
ficient light. The hot-house looks well, and 
feels comfortable ; but if we remain long here 
we shall feel the disadvantage of leaving it 
almost in a state of perspiration, and encoun- 
tering a change of 20 degrees. Observe, the 
glass out of doors stands at 45 degrees, and 
that in the hot-house is 65 degrees. The air 
in the latter is kept moist, otherwise the plants 
would be dried up. The conservatory looks 
well : the rhododendrons, roses, azaleas, Per- 
sian lilacs, and that beautiful white-flowering 
shrub, Deutzia scabra, have been forced, and all 
those bulbs have been forced also. 
We will just look to the forcing-house be- 
fore we go in, but you see nothing but the 
camellias are in bloom naturally. The other 
