THE LADIES' FLOEAL CABINET. 
195 
Santana A vigorous gTOwing variety, with immense 
flows of'a brownish-oiiurson color, the veins bemg 
^‘r/lomSmwz. One of the oldest and best know sorts, 
an excellent variety with variegated foliage. 
Mesoiiotamicimi. A variety of droopmg habit, en¬ 
tirely chsthrct from any of the above-described species, 
both in foliage and flowers, the flowers hang m regular 
rows down the flexible branches. The calyx is scarlet 
and the petals of a golden-yellow color. 
Mesopotamicim variegattvm is a variety of the above 
from which it differs only in its foliage, being beauti¬ 
fully blocked with green and gold. One of the most 
beautiful and distinct, and worthy of a place in all col¬ 
lections. Chas. E. Parnell. 
Queens, L. 1. 
FLOWER GARDENING. 
Hints for November. 
Most of the gardens in the Middle and Western States 
are now bereft of beauty, and are clothed in natur-e’s 
weeds. Occasionally we see a garden as gay and cheer- 
fid as though it were August, the owner having devoted 
a reasonable amount of room for Chrysanthemums, 
perennial Asters, Tricyrtis, Golden-rod and the fragr-jmt 
Guaphalium, not wishing the hedge-rows to monopolize 
all the beauty an Indian Summer affords. Now is the 
time, more than any other, to make a list of such plants 
as null blossom after the flist frosts have killed aU the 
more tender Muds. Now is the time the common and 
fringed Gentians reward the possessor a thousand-fold 
for all the trouble and expense he has been to to secure 
them. More beautiful flowers never gi'ew, and none 
ever gi*ew more cheerfully or more freely than the Gen¬ 
tians, yet how rarely are they met. We have not them 
in our own garden, nor anything half so beautiful, yet, 
they can be had by the thousand witliin fifteen minutes 
walk from our house, but we are going to have them 
next year', unless we neglect it. Those who make a 
sirecialty of hardy herbaceous plants have no tears of 
sympathy for those who have lost all their flowers, be¬ 
cause the hardy plants that prefer to blossom in Autumn 
have got a month to develop their beauty and gladden 
the eyes of their possessor's. 
There is no month in the year in which so much work 
is required hr the garden as November. Plants of every 
description that are to be taken up, either for winter 
blooming in the conservatpr-y, parlor, or greenhouse, or 
those that require rest and a situation free from frost, 
must now be looked after. This is the month, too, when 
hardy herbaceous plants should be taken up, when de¬ 
sired, separated and replanted. If not already attended 
to, as should have been, this is the month to plant bulbs, 
lilies, Hyacmths, Tulips, Crocuses, etc., etc. It should 
be borne in mind that most kinds of bulbs are gross 
feeders, and require an em-iched soil, the best of which 
is well-rotted sod; if you do not have this, then use 
weU pulverized manm-e, that from the cow-stable is the 
best. Hyacinths, in particular, require a very rich soil; 
when planted in such, they make a splendid bed for the 
flower-garden, flowering beautifully, besides making 
good bulbs for another season. They will bloom toler¬ 
ably well in a poor soil; in such the bulb will be 
useless for another year. Hardy Gladioli also flourish 
far better when they are planted in a bed or border of 
nicely-prepared compost j and Lilies, more than any 
other flower, should have a rich bed. Few persons are 
aware of the beauty a bed of Crocuses presents; Snow¬ 
drops, Narcissus, and many other things, of this class, 
should now be planted in beds or borders, in such a 
manner that annuals or bedding-plants may be inter¬ 
mixed at the proper time in Spring, thus keeping up a 
succession of bloom. 
This is the, finishing up month of the year, as far as 
garden work is concerned. Dead vines should be taken 
from their trellises or cords; all weeds or useless plants 
should be collected and burned. Under no ch-cumstances 
ever throw weeds into the compost-heap; there their 
seeds are preserved and disseminated in Spring-tune; 
cremation was fore-ordained for them. There is, how¬ 
ever, one better use for weeds than to bum them, tliat 
is hoe them; then you will not have them at all; then 
neither they, nor their children after them, will tor-ment 
you again. After aU, persistent weeds ai'e the gardenei'’s 
best friend; they keep him at work, and every time the 
soil is worked it is benefited, or rather the plants are. 
Hence weeds are blessings in disguise, and the disguise 
is very thick in most cases. Ridge up all hard or clayey 
soils, in order that the frost may thoroughly disintegrate 
the particles, and render it light and friable in spring; 
tie up all wayward branches or straggling vines, mulch, 
your trees, shrubs, and borders of hardy plants; tof)- 
dress the lawn, for a well-kept lawn is the most beauti¬ 
ful part of yom- enclosure. 
If the Dahlias still remain in the ground, take advan¬ 
tage of the first dry day to have them all taken up, and 
safely put away in a shed or any convenient dry place 
till they are well dried; and before they are finally set 
by for the Winter, be sure to secure the labels firmly to 
each. 
November is likewise the best month for be ginni ng to 
plant forest-trees, shrubs, etc., and particularly those 
which are larger than the common-sized nursery plants; 
for, by planting them now, they are enabled to get a 
fair hold of the soil before Spring, and are thus better 
prepared to begin their young growths vigorously and 
at the proper time. In planting, one of the principal 
tlimgs is to preserve and spread out carefully all the 
roots, and not to tread them into the ground rmtil after 
they have been well covered with soil; nor, even then, 
to trample about them beyond what is absolutely need¬ 
ful to flbc them properly in their places. A very con¬ 
siderable retardment of the plant’s progress results from 
inattention to these trifling circumstances. And no 
plant can reasonably be expected to flourish ■which has 
its roots much mutilated, or cramped into a kind of 
impervious cell by treading. 
