PRACTICAL GARDENING. 
OPERATIONS FOR JUNE'. 1 — THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
This month is one of the busiest in the year in 
a well-established flower-garden ; the business 
of taking up those which have gone past their 
prime, tying up those which are advancing, and 
planting out the various kinds which now re- 
quire it, comes pressing on all at once, and 
every attention is called for on the part of the 
florist. Before we proceed further in regard 
to directions, we ought to remind the amateur 
to read last month's operations very carefully, 
to do all that has not been done and can yet 
be done ; although we must of necessity repeat 
some of the directions here. All the tall- 
growing flowers that require support must be 
carefully tied to stakes ; subjects which have 
done blooming must be cut down, or taken up, 
or otherwise rendered sightly. The too vigor- 
ous branches of flowering shrubs must be 
shortened, grass must be kept mowed, verges 
must be cut smooth at the edges, weeding and 
clearing beds and borders, watering all the 
pots and plants that have been put out, and 
otherwise attending to the routine business of 
the garden, are matters of course. With re- 
gard to especial subjects we will commence 
with — 
Dahlias. — The planting out of those sub- 
jects goes on this month as much as last, and 
many delay their main collection for that 
pui'pose, limiting their May planting to a 
select collection for early flowering, and not 
trusting too much to one season. We have 
already directed the planting out, and the 
system that would do for last month will do 
for this. The plants that were put out last 
month, as well as those now planted, must be 
tied up to their stakes, which we directed to 
be stuck in the ground before the holes were 
made for the plants. As they advance, other 
stakes may be put in round the centre one, in 
the best places to keep out the plant ; or they 
may be formed into a straight row, on which 
the plant may be fanned out. In either case it 
will not alter the first step, which is to fasten 
them to the centre stake, and afterwards to ex- 
amine the ties, to see that no branch is pinched; 
for it frequently happens that the ties are not 
sufficiently loose to allow the stem to swell, 
and the tie makes a notch, which causes the 
whole plant to break down at the part, and 
thus the bloom is lost for the season, besides 
making a gap which is not easily filled up. 
The watering of the Dahlia should be effectual, 
and no oftener than is absolutely requisite ; it 
should be clone after the sun is down, and all 
over the foliage, as well as all over the piece 
of ground they occupy, soaking it as completely 
as if it were a heavy rain, and not repeating 
it afterwards for days. The plan of watering 
at the root of the plant, and nowhere else, 
and of repeating this frequently, is altogether 
bad; it leads to sudden alternations of wet and 
dry, causes insects to be more abundant, and in 
a very dry season gives a check which the 
plant feels the whole season, or at least till the 
longer and more dewy nights of autumn come 
to their aid. Let the numerous plans for 
destroying thrip and earwigs be put into 
requisition ; put small pots on thin stakes ; 
put reeds, bean stalks, and other tubular con- 
trivances, all about the plant while it is small ; 
have these blown into salt and water daily 
twice or three times, and the pots examined, 
that these pests may be got rid of while the 
plants are young. It is of the most vital im- 
portance that they be got rid of before the 
flowers come to harbour and feed them, for 
they will completely destroy every one for 
exhibition. 
Pinks are rapidly rising for bloom ; remove 
every stem from the plant but the one that is 
required, and leave only two, or at most three, 
buds on each stem to choose your flowering 
one from. Some Pinks are such vigorous 
growers, such large flowers, and they so 
double, that four or five blooms might be 
allowed to come forward; but, in a general way, 
one or two, and they the best, are all that 
should be left. The stems, as they advance, 
should be tied loosely to small sticks, and as 
they are beginning to open they should be 
shaded from the violent heat of the sun. As 
they begin to swell, tie a piece of worsted or 
bast matting neatly round the middle of the 
bud, and tear down the calyx at each division to 
the tie ; place a bit of card with a hole in the 
centre round the bud, so that it shall form a 
sort of resting-place for the back petals, which 
as they are pushed out should be brought 
carefully down to the card. The five or six 
or more large guard petals should be placed 
to form a circular dish, as it were, for all the 
others to lay on ; the next large petals should 
be brought down, one over each place where 
the under ones meet and fold over each other, 
and so the second row hides the joins of the 
first or large row ; the third row should be 
served in like manner, and hide the joins of 
the second; and the rest should form a crown, 
as it were, to the whole. A full Pink will 
sometimes form half a globe, and make a very 
pretty object. Those flowers which are so 
managed while they are growing, require 
very little trouble w T hen they are cut for show, 
for the petals keep naturally in their places. 
It will be seen that the object of tying the buds 
u 
