794 THE GARDENING WORLD 
The Flower Garden 
A Retrospect. 
Tihe year 1908 is now practically past. 
Much useful work has been accomplished 
during that time week by week. Old methods 
have been improved upon, new ones, tested, 
valuable experience gained, and a vast 
amount of pleasure and profit reaped by 
readers of The Gardening World through 
taking an added interest in the culture of 
various subjects in theiir gardens. 
No doubt there have been some failures, 
some disappointments experienced. The 
enthusiastic gardener often meets with dis¬ 
appointments because he has adverse seasons, 
multitudes of insects, and many diseases of 
plants to contend with. But the successes. 
Ah ! these outbalance the failures, and this 
fact should be sufficient to encourage us to 
broaden our sphere of work during the com¬ 
ing year, to profit by any past failures, and 
to try our best to be still more successful 
and to make every department in the gar¬ 
den work full time. No part of the garden 
should be allowed to remain fallow many 
days at a time, but crop after crop should 
be the rule. 
Evergreens for Christmastide. 
Branches of evergreens and strands of Ivy 
are largely used at this festive season. But 
they should not be indiscriminately cut off 
the shrubs. lit is possible to cut away 
branches and, in doing so, greatly improve 
the form of the bush, or tree. Look well 
before cutting any of the branches, and re¬ 
move those that appear to be badly placed, 
or take away a few from the back part of 
the shrub so that any little gap‘ made will 
not be visible. It is better to out one or two 
branches from each of several bushes, than 
to take all from one shrub. 
Planting New Hedges. 
When.' planting a new hedge the position 
and character of the soil should be duly con¬ 
sidered. Privet is largely used for hedges, 
and the plants make very effective fences 
where very strong ones are not necessary 
and where choice shrubs and plants are not 
to be put in quite close to the resultant 
fence. The Privet is a gross feeding plant, 
and its numerous roots permeate the soil to 
a considerable distance and soon absorb the 
moisture in it. 
Privet and other hedges may now be 
planted, and during the next few months in 
open weather. Fig. 1 shows two forms of 
hedge banks. One is raised about 18 inches 
above the ground' level, as shown at A A, 
where the ditches are formed, through the 
removal of the soil for the raising of the 
hank. The raised bank is advisable where 
the soil is of a clayey nature and the ground 
naturally moist. Two rows of plants may 
be put in as shown at B. 
At C C a very low bank is made. This is 
the best method of forming a bank and 
hedge near a lawn, such, for instance, as 
a division hedge. Oine row of plants D is 
sufficient. Put in _ strong, healthy plants, 
well furnished with fibrous roots, and make 
the soil firm around them. All the plants 
should be of equal size and vigour, then the 
new growth will be even and strong.' 
Old Flower Stakes. 
Practically all the old stems of border 
plants will now be cleared away and the 
stakes used in their support will be libe¬ 
rated. But every stake should be carefully 
examined; the useless ones will assist the 
burning of prunings and other rubbish in 
the garden fire; the sound ones should be 
tied into bundles by themselves, and others 
Fig. 1 shows how you may plant Privet 
and other hedges. A, A show a bank of 
medium height, and. B shows two rows of 
Puvet plants. C, C show a low ridge on 
which one row of plants is put as shown 
at D. 
with rotted ends similarly treated. The lat¬ 
ter should be re-sharpened during bad 
weather, when outside work cannot be done. 
A fresh coat of dark green paint would also 
help in preserving the wood. Though they 
will be shorter, they will be useful for the 
support of many different kinds' of plants 
next year. 
Flower Pots, Pans, and Boxes. 
All soiled pots should be washed and 
neatly stacked away in their proper sizes. 
Old boxes needling mending should receive 
attention and new ones made. By doing such 
work on wet days now you will be at liberty 
to attend to other pressing work later on, 
Fig. 2. Insert cuttings of Red and While 
Currants A show’s buds left intact; B, 
lower buds removed-, and C, how lo insert 
the cuttings. 
December 26 r 1908 
and at the same time have the satisfactioi f 
knowing that a grand stock of pots d 
■boxes are ready for use. 
The Fruit Garden. 
Cuttings of Currant Bushes. 
Select the best taken off the bushes t 
pruning time, and insert them in rows i: a 
north or west border at once. The cutiti 3 
of Red and White Currants axe shown 1 
Fig. 2. Black Gurrant cuttings, are . 
sorted in a similar way, the only differe e 
being that the basal buds are not picked < 
The cuttings of Gooseberries are trea i 
exactly the same as those shown in the - 
companyiing sketch. The unripe ends f 
each cutting may be cut off, but it is not 
soluteily necessary to do this. 
From A to the tip of the cutting the b > 
are left intact. The lower buds, as she 1 
at B, are removed. The cuttings are she i 
in a -trench at C. Before putting them 1 
scatter some sharp sand in the trench, 1 
which the base of each cutting should t 
firmly. Allow a space of six inches betw 1 
each cutting in the rows and 15 inches 
tween the rows. 
Pruning Bush Fruits. 
If birds are very troublesome in cert 1 
districts the pruning of some of the bus ; 
may be postponed fox a time, but sn1 
finer fruits are borne on specimens wh i 
are pruned before the end of the year, : 
very early in the new year. Care should : 
taken to protect the buds on pruned tre; 
black thread passed from branch to brai 1 
to form a network is. a good preventive. 
The Kitchen Garden. 
Peas. 
Autumn-raised Peas will soon be seve 
inches high. No time should be lost in £ 
ting the ridges of soil drawn up to each 1' 
as shown at A and B in Fig. 3. C she s 
how to partially bury the young plants, a I 
D D show extra ridges of soil drawn 1 
These ridges and the small branching sti; 
form a considerable protection against > 
cold north and east winds. 
Broad Beans. 
Yeung plants should have ridges of s 
drawn up to them in the same way as ; 
vised for Peas. Where the rows run no 
and south, the ridge of soil on the e. 
side should .be somewhat higher than v 
one on the west. | 
Endive in Frames. 
Examine the plants and carefully pick 
any decaying leaves. Ventilate on fine da 
Seed Potatos. 
These, too, should be inspected, and a' 
extra ridges for protection. 
