312 
THE FLORIST. 
HINTS TO LADY AMATEURS. 
Greenhouse plants should now be housed for the winter; as, however, 
it may be desirable to keep up a show of bloom a little while longer, 
some things may remain out for a time, provided they can be pro¬ 
tected from heavy rains and frost; others may be placed in windows, 
&c., for a time till room can be afforded. Pelargoniums, common and 
fancy, should have the best and lightest part of the house. Calceolarias 
and Cinerarias may yet remain in a frame, but take care of damp. 
Fuchsias, if done blooming, may be set out of doors, under a wall, for a 
momth, to ripen their wood ; keep them rather dry. Balsams and 
other annuals will be cleared away, and Japan Lilies and Gladiolus out 
of flower should be taken from the house, and laid on one side with the 
tops of the plants facing the south, to ripen, as recommended for 
Achimenes ; these latter, when the tops have decayed, may be kept in 
any dry place, secure from frost, till wanted for repotting, next March. 
Before arranging the greenhouse plants for the winter, give the whole 
interior a good cleaning and washing—walls, stage, and glass. Allow 
as much air as you can give in fine weather, when the plants are 
housed, and some also each night, when mild. The object is to keep 
the house cool and airy, that the inmates may not grow, but keep short 
jointed, and hardy for the winter. Let me recommend to the notice of 
ladies, a charming plant for this season—Vallota purpurea. They 
should also possess the Guernsey and Belladonna Lilies, which are 
blooming now. 
Flower Garden .—The end of October is perhaps the best month to 
re-arrange herbaceous beds, as all, with the exception of a few Phloxes 
and Asters, will be out of bloom ; these mostly require a good rich 
soil, and require dividing every three years, to prevent them spreading 
too much ; besides, they exhaust the soil around them in that time;—■ 
remove a good part of the worn-out soil, and replace with any rich 
compost, carefully dividing and planting them again, with regard to their 
height and time of blooming. Cuttings of Verbenas and other bedding 
plants which have been struck in frames should be fully exposed, to get 
hardy, and everything struck in the open border must be potted at 
once, to get established before winter. We advise rough shallow boxes, 
three or four inches deep, for Geraniums ; and the plants may be placed 
moderately thick together, and a large number may be stowed away in 
a small space. Verbenas may be put five or six in every 5-inch pot; 
as a few of each will furnish sufficient cuttings in the spring. 
Calceolarias of all kinds may now be propagated ; make the young wood 
into cuttings, and place them in shallow pans, in sandy soil; a cool frame 
or under a handglass is the best place for them to strike root in. As 
the flower garden plants are cleared away dig up the ground, and plant 
Anemones, Pansies, Hyacinths, Crocuses, Tulips, Jonquils, Wallflowers, 
and such herbaceous plants as the Arabis, Pulmonaria, Phlox pro- 
cumbens, double Primroses, and Polyanthus, to give you a supply of 
flowers in March and April. 
