April 15. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
33 
time, tho snow-drop is white; the crocus white, blue, 
and yellow; tho dog’s-tooth violet purple and white; 
and the little Ajax yellow, with a flower larger than any 
of the rest, hut not an inch farther from the ground. 
These colours may be arranged just as any one pleases, 
and being from what we may call bulbs, they can be 
changed every year if one chooses to go to the trouble of 
getting up the roots; at any rate, let us have a begin¬ 
ning at getting in these, and all our border mixtures, 
according to their heights, wherever such is needed. I 
would on no account disturb the plants just now, but 
let us have a lot of tallies, or number sticks, and go to 
one end of the border the first fine day, and put a name 
to every plant all the way through, and those we cannot 
make out the names of we must number, beginning with 
1, 2, 3, 4, and so on; then, as the plants are being 
named or numbered, the names or numbers ought to 
be written on a slip of paper, and at night take The 
Cottage Gardener's Dictionary to find out the height of 
every plant on the list; the colour might be marked, and 
also the timo of flowering; then, when the whole are 
checked, or proved, make a list of them in the garden- 
book, alphabetically. Any time through the summer, or 
in the autumn, when a plant appears to be ripe, or at 
rest, if it is not in its proper place, according to the 
height of it, lot it bo removed with a ball of earth, 
planted and watered, and watered again and again, if it 
seems to require it, before it takes to the new place. 
Now, I know a lady who is very fond of her flower- 
borders, and equally fond of talkiug about them with 
old gardeners like me, when they call; and I know, also, 
the first thing I shall hear when I call again will be, 
that “ It is all very well for you gardeners to point out 
the way how to put the borders into such and such 
arrangement; but what is one to do who does not know 
the names of one-tenth of her plants. We began the 
other day with the tallies, as you said in The Cottage 
Gardener, but I am almost ashamed to tell you, that 
three-parts out of four of them have only the numbers, 
because we did not know the names; but I think we 
have improved on your plan, if I understand it right; 
the first one we did not know we marked 1, as you 
said, and less than two yards off we met with the same 
plant again, and there are six more of them in different 
places along the border. You did not say how all these 
should be numbered, but I ordered number 1 to be put 
to the whole of them.” “ Quite right, madam ; quite 
right, and if you are not too much engaged, I have got a 
couple of hours to spare to-day. The weather is fine, 
and, if you please, let us go out to the garden, and 
perhaps I can name some of the plants for you.” Any 
other chance visitor might do the same, and in a few 
months, it is surprising how many names one might 
pick up. Every new name ought to be written on the 
tally and in the garden book ; as a last resource, let a 
sprig of this, that, and the other, be sent in bloom to the 
office of The Cottage Gardener, and the name is sure 
to come out; but never adopt this plan until you are 
satisfied that no gardener or friend within your call 
knows the name, because we have such a wonderful deal 
to attend to besides, as they say in Suffolk. By the by, 
there is a bunch of flowers of the “ Kilkenny Anemone ” 
on my table from a kind lady, S. S. They prove to be tho 
common border Anemone, but we appreciate her attention 
just as much as if they were quite new to us, and iu re¬ 
turn, if S. S. will mark her flower-beds on the plan as was 
directed last week, we shall do as much for her as we 
possibly can (see “Answers to Correspondents” to-day); 
indeed, all of us are very sorry when we cannot answer 
such and such things as are sometimes asked of us, for 
we know full well that paying strict attention to every 
communication is the surest way of keeping up our 
useful craft iu the wind’s eye; as for the trade winds, 
they are all iu our favour,—our sails are full of them, 
and from the right point; but I have been sailing to-day 
in a circlo, and brought my letter to the point I first 
started from, but, I hope, without a broach of “ the cus- 
tomarv command of our captain” to “keep her up. 
D. Beaton. 
CATE HEATHS. 
(Continued from page 7.) 
Pruning .—The time of pruning, as has been already 
stated, must be regidated by the period oi blooming. In 
all kinds that flower in winter, spring, and summer, the 
pruning should be given when the flowers lade, lliose 
that bloom in late autumn and early winter may be 
shortened, but not finally cut in until spring. When the 
heaths are kept in a growing temperature during 
winter, ranging from 43° to 50'*’, pruning may be re¬ 
sorted to at any time, but those cut late in autumn and 
winter, as soon as they break afresh must be kept in the 
best position for light and air, otherwise the young 
growth will be spindly. The mode of pruning must de¬ 
pend upon the habit of the plant as respects quick or 
slow, compact or rampant, growth. Many kinds that 
grow slowly and compactly, require nothing more than 
nipping out the point of those shoots that come stronger 
than the generality. Something like consternation was 
excited some time ago, by the statement that a first-rate 
cultivator pruned his heaths with a pair of large scissors, 
using as little ceremony with them as if they had been 
thorn or yew hedges. No grower would think ot using 
thus such kinds as Tricolor, or Hartnclli; but such 
rough usage might safely be indulged with such stiong- 
growing kinds as Wilmoriana and Hyemalis, and even 
some of the stronger varieties of Ventricosa. We, how¬ 
ever, have no wish to recommend such uncouth instru¬ 
ments for such a purpose, but would prefer a clean 
sharp knife, or a pair of those beautiful pruning scis¬ 
sors made by Mr. Turner, of Sheffield, which cut 
almost as clean as the sharpest knife, and leave 
not a semblance of a bruise behind, while the cut is 
always clean across, and not in a slanting diiection, 
as generally left by a knife; for many purposes these 
primers are a useful appendage lor the waistcoat pocket 
of the amateur. I dislike common shears for this oi 
any purpose where plants are grown for ornament, as 
there is thus produced a tendency to the formal; not 
but strong-growing kinds would flourish as well by 
being clipped all round into any shape that suited the 
proprietor’s fancy, presenting as close an outline as a 
newly cut hedge, but then, until the new growth broke 
in upon that outline, there would bo too much ot the 
artistic apparent to be pleasant to tho generality ol the 
lovers of plants. 
In saying this I by no means hold with those re¬ 
formers in the style of gardening, who are ever speaking 
of taking nature as our sole guide. I contend, on 
the contrary, that in everything about a garden the 
art of the gardener should be seen, and clearly seen, 
without the trouble of looking for it. _ “ Imitate 
objects and scenes as you observe them in natuie, 
in the world around you, and then you will be on 
the high road to perfection.” I fear we should be 
getting into a devious bye-path. For instance, do your 
very best to cultivate a plant, or form scenery, in lmita- j 
tion of what nature does, and ten to one but tho keen j 
lover of the picturesque would pass unheeded your 
greatest efforts, to gaze with rapture on the upland tell, , 
the ferny brake, the mountain gorge, or the silvery lake. 
Succeed to such an extent that even he would bo 
deceived, and what reward have you for your labour . 
What good in forming a scene similar to that which , 
already exists, and the forming of which cost no man a . 
thought or a shilling? The path of honour and.pro¬ 
priety is the middle course—neither tho purely artistic, 
