14 
THE FLORIST AND ROMOLOGIST, 
[ Jantary, 
winter also, dnsfc will settle on the leaves of 
such hairy or woolly-leaved plants as Pelar- 
r/oniioiip, Calceohiridfi, Ciiierariaf)^ Pniiiii/d.^, 
See., and it can be removed by means of a soft 
brush. About the middle of the month it may 
be found necessary to repot some of the for- 
wardest Ca/ceoldrids and Cinerurid^ that are 
getting root-bound, for it is of great advantage 
to keep these moving on in an uninterrupted 
growth, so that they may give some early 
flowers. They require to be kept gently grow¬ 
ing, and be near the glass. Specimen Pelar- 
(joniums intended for earl}’’ blooming will be 
the better for having the outer shoots tied 
out a little, to lay the foundation for a 
good plant, but it must be done with great 
care, as the shoots are easily broken off. There 
are many other little attentions that should 
be given, and when there is little in the outer 
garden to interest, the villa gardener may turn 
his attention to his pots under glass. 
Cold Frame. —This should now be occupied 
by many things for use in early spring and 
summer, not tender things, as a matter of 
course ; but with care, half-hardy plants can 
be wintered with safety’. A few C/iiaetmaf! 
Jtoses in pots should form a part of the occu¬ 
pants of the frame, as they \>dll soon be throw¬ 
ing up their flowers, and they are doubly 
welcome now. Pm)iiiila.‘<., Pol^aiitlnt.?., Aitricuhn^, 
Aqinlefiiae, Poclets, Cloves, Carmdions, and 
Picote'es, Pansies, Anemones, Scil/as, and many 
other things are proper occupants of such a frame 
now. If the weather sets in very severe—and 
the weather prophets are foretelling an un¬ 
usually severe winter—it will be a good plan 
to plunge the pots in a bed of dry cinder-ashes, 
or cocoa-nut fibre, as the roots of pot-plants 
come near to the sides of the pots, and are 
liable to be injured by frost. But very little 
water will be required; in fact, the drier the 
soil is kept about the roots of the plants the 
better, while frost is about. By means of a 
judicious selection of subjects, the cold frame 
can be made to yield something to flower during 
the next three months. 
Flower-Garden. —What can be done here 
’depends on the state of the weather; if it 
be dry and mild, necessary alterations can 
be made, and any planting done. Beds that 
remain unoccupied should be dug deeply and 
thrown up roughly, for the wintry elements to 
act on the soil. This is a good time of the year 
to change the soil of beds and borders. Any 
plants of a choice character, even though they 
rank as hardy, such as Pioses, Clematis, &c., 
should have some protection when hard frost 
sets in ; it makes them secure against possible 
injury. Lawns should be rolled and paths 
swept and made neat. A tidy garden is as 
enjoyable in winter as in summer. 
Kitchen-Garden.—Txo\x^-A\g, or trench, and 
ridge-up all vacant ground, that the mellowing 
influences of winter may act on the soil bene¬ 
ficially. Especially is it to be commended in 
the case of ground intended for crops of early 
Peons and l^eas, for sowing-time -will soon come 
round again. Lettuce plants may have a little 
litter thrown over them in severe 'W'eather, but 
it should be sprinkled loosely' about them. Any 
dung or vegetable refuse to be got on to the 
ground for digging-in should be conveyed 
there when the weather is frosty, and the paths 
firm and dry. 
Fruit-Garden. —Any newly-planted fruit- 
trees should be mulched with some loose, light, 
stable-dung, as the soil being loose and open 
allows the frost to jienetrate to the roots, -wdiich 
is alway's injurious to them. It will soon be time 
to nail hardy fruit-trees on walls, but Peach and 
A pricot-ixees arebestlefttillthe end of February. 
Pyramid and bush fruit-trees that require thin- 
ning-out can be gone over for this purpose, but 
the final pruning can be left for the present. 
This is a good time to root-prune any trees of 
a redundant growth, to get them into bearing, 
taking out the soil on one side a foot or more 
from the tree, and seeking to sever some of the 
leading roots. It is the severe top-pruning to 
which bush and pyramid trees are put that keeps 
them infertile, as they grow vigorously in sum¬ 
mer, and do not form fruiting spurs.—SuBDR- 
BANUS. 
GAEDEN GOSSIP. 
« IIE last few meetings of the Eoyal 
Horticultural Society have been 
especially remarkable for the displays 
of Hardy Shrubs \Yhich Iiavo luccu made. Both at 
the October and November meetings, the Messr.s. 
Veitch and Sons, of Chelsea, exhibited a large col¬ 
lection, consisting of about 100 specie.? and varieties 
of hardy evergreen shrubs, each sort being grouped 
so as to fill a round basket of sufficient diameter to 
represent the effect of a similar group when bedded 
out for the winter decoration of the flower-garden. 
The object was to show the rich variety of materials 
available for this purpose, ’ndiich is, so to speak, an¬ 
nually allowed to run to -waste, because not sought 
after for this, one of its most precious uses—at least, 
not at all to the extent it should be. On December 
17 a display of hardy shrubs was made by Messrs. C. 
Lee and Son, of Hammersmith, of a somewhat dif¬ 
ferent character, but serviijg to show' another 
phase under w'hich these evergreen hardy subjects 
could be turned to good account. This group, con¬ 
sisting of an intermixture of spiry with low-growing 
plants, varied by the introduction of dwarf standard 
Ivies, which, -with their brightly variegated foliage, 
struck us as being very effective. Both displays 
were in the highest degree meritorious. 
— ^!IHE National Eose Society held its 
anmial meeting on December 12, in the rooms 
occupied by the Horticultural Club, Arundel 
Street, Strand, the Hon. and Eev. J. T. Boscawen 
in the chair. The treasurer’s account, showing a 
balance in hand of £25 16s. lOd., was read, passed, 
and ordered to be printed, and the thanks of the 
meeting -were given to Mr. W. Scott, the hon. 
