Aran, 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER, 
15 
a fine harbour for small birds. Now the way in 
which we remedied this, was to prune away all the 
shoots entirely close to the wall, and. if any were loose, 
to fasten them to it with nails and strong leather 
shreds. When this was done, the ivy looked desolate 
and naked enough, as there was not a leaf on it; but 
what was the consequence ? In three months the 
wall was covered completely with new bright foliage 
close at home, forming a beautiful coat of bright 
shining leaves. Now is the very best time to renovate, 
if we may be allowed the term, our old friend the ivy, 
and cause him to put on a new coat of handsome 
“ Lincoln green.” 
Pyracantha, or Evergreen Thorn, is a desirable 
wall creeper. To prune it, little more is required 
than to shorten in the last year’s shoots, and lay in, 
whenever you can, young strong shoots, as from the 
side branches of such the flowers are produced. These 
are white, and not very showy, but are, as is well 
known, followed by bunches of bright scarlet berries. 
It is a very desirable coverer of dead unsightly walls. 
FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
Auricula and Polyanthus. —The nearer we come 
to the fulfilment of our long-looked-for enjoyment, 
the more anxiety we feel for fear of being disappointed. 
Now, to the real lover of flowers, especially of this 
class, no trouble or care is thought too much to bring 
his cherished pets to perfection. The cares necessary 
to these flowers, are to water carefully, and cover up 
securely. Some of the auriculas have then- leaves 
and flower-stems covered with a delicate white powder. 
This adds greatly to their beauty. If water is ap¬ 
plied with a heavy hand, this ornament is considerably 
injured. Mind this point, ye tyro’s in auricula grow¬ 
ing ! water the earth only , and with a small-spouted 
garden-pot. Watch for insects, and wage an ex¬ 
terminating war against them. Now is the time to 
shade your opening flowers from the rays of the sun. 
Change the aspect of your frames from the south to 
the east. This will give your plants a long rest from 
the powerful effects of an April sun. Polyanthuses 
will bear their leaves wetting freely and frequently, 
to keep them healthy and free from red spider—the 
great enemy to this plant. We must give a more 
full essay on these, our great favourites, next week. 
T. Appleby. 
GREENHOUSE AND WINDOW 
GARDENING. 
Greenhouse Climbers. —The great secret of grow¬ 
ing any climbers, whether hardy or otherwise, is to 
have good borders made for them in the first in¬ 
stance ; those for greenhouse climbers being made not 
deeper than 20 inches, nor much wider than a yard. 
The most manageable climbers I ever saw were in a 
border which extended all round a span-roofed 
greenhouse, and was only nine inches wide, that 
being the distance between the walls and the path. 
That border was two feet deep, but about six inches 
of that depth was taken up by a drain, and a quan¬ 
tity of small pebbles laid over it; then there was a 
sod of turf, about two inches thick, with the grass 
side laid downwards, placed all the way on the top 
of the pebbles, and made to fit so close, that if you 
were to throw in a quantity of sand and then water 
it, not a particle of the sand could be washed down 
among the drainage. A foot of rough loam, without 
any mixture, was next added. This rough loam was 
the top spit from a meadow where the soil was not 
very strong, but in good heart. It was carted into a 
large heap, and turned over three or four times 
during six or seven months. If it had been strong- 
tenacious soil, it would have been reduced by adding 
sand, peat, and some vegetable mould to it. Tho 
top of the border was finished off with a finer com¬ 
post (on the old rule-of-thumb practice), say one- 
third loam, one-third peat, and one-third sand and 
leaf-mould, in equal quantities. This top-layer was 
about six inches thick, which made the border a cou¬ 
ple of inches above the path, thus leaving a full 
measure for settling, as all fresh soil put together 
will sink down more or less. 
The climbers for this house were potted about this 
time of the year, and, as the fresh roots showed 
through the ball in May, they were planted in the 
new border without disturbing the balls. This 
would appear strange in these days, as we now inva¬ 
riably shake off the mould when we are planting out 
climbers, that we may get at the roots to spread them 
out evenly. But as the month of May is the best 
time in the year to plant greenhouse climbers, and 
as by that time the climbers are in full growth, it 
would be hazardous to shake off all the mould at 
planting time, unless there was a good gardener at 
at hand, who would shade them and syringe them 
two or three times a day, besides keeping the house 
more close and warm for the first fortnight. To meet 
all this, the climbers that I refer to were taken 
young, and, at the spring potting, eveiy particle of 
the old soil was shaken from their roots, and such of 
the roots as were anywise coiled were cut back to 
the first bend of the coil, just as we cut in the roots 
of geraniums, and the pots they were put into were 
larger than such young plants would require, if they 
were intended to remain in the pots. The whole 
were then put into a close pit, but no heat applied, 
aud a mat thrown over the glass, whenever the sun 
appeared strong, for the first fortnight. A slight 
shower was also given over the leaves with a fine 
rose watering-pot almost every afternoon, and by the 
beginning of May the young climbers looked re¬ 
markably well, could stand the sun very comfortably, 
and also a portion of air from ten in the morning till 
three in the afternoon. About the middle of May 
the strongest of these climbers began to show roots 
coming outside the new ball, and, as soon as this 
was noticed, the plant was moved to the greenhouse, 
but not planted till the following week. This was to 
accustom it to the temperature before planting out. 
By the end of May they were all in the new border; 
they grew away like hops, without flagging a leaf, 
and, for ten years, I never saw any plants do better. 
Now, a man would almost be laughed at to-day if 
he were to plant a climber or any other plant out of 
a pot with the ball entire, and yet if one would take 
the some method and care, as above detailed, it 
would be just as good, and ten times more sure, and 
less troublesome, than that of shaking off the soil, 
and training out the roots according to the present 
system. It is true, such plants might be shaken out 
of the old soil, and planted in a border any time in 
March or April, before they begin to grow, but, then, 
some of them might get such a check that they 
would not begin to grow till late in the season, and 
make but a spindling growth of it after all. In such 
case, they would be in a poor condition to resist the 
chills and damps of the following winter. If so, 
they could not fail of being a prey to insects or di¬ 
sease next season, and, instead of being an ornament 
to the house, and a source of great pleasure to the 
owner, they would hardly be fit to be seen. We can 
