17 minute read
Green’s Lawn Mowers Imitated by Many! Equalled by None! Over 270,000 Sold! GREEN’S GARDEN ROLLERS ARE UNSURPASSED! Known and appreciated throughout the World. THOS. GREEN & SON, Ltd., Blackfriars Road, LONDON, S.E., and LEEDS. Please write for List, S. G., 1901. May be had from Local Ironmongers and Seedsmen. ...
1 minute read
London C. Arthur Pearson Ltd. Henrietta Street W.C. NOTICE. DON’T STAKE YOUR CARNATIONS TILL YOU HAVE SEEN THE Patent Improved Coil Stake. No Tying required. Stakes last a Lifetime. The Greatest Boon ever offered to Growers. Only wants seeing. Prices (Cash with Order) :— A. PORTER , Stone House, MAIDSTONE . THE FINEST APPLE ON EARTH IS UNDOUBTEDLY BRAMLEY’S SEEDLING, Unequalled for Productiveness and Quality. ALL KINDS OF FRUIT TREES ON OFFER TO SUIT EVERY PLANTER. THE ROSE (the Queen of Flowers), All new varieties stocked. FLOWERING AND ORNAMENTAL SHRUBS A SPECIALITY. My Flower and Vegetable Seeds cannot be excelled. Send for my lists which contain valuable remarks on Profitable Fruit Growing. Free on application to— Henry Merryweather, The Nurseries, Southwell, Notts. TANNED GARDEN NETTING. Protect your Strawberry Beds, Seeds, &c., from the ravages of birds. NETS OILED AND DRESSED; 36 SQUARE YARDS FOR 1/-. Can be sent any width...
5 minute read
Mulching —Term used for applying manure in a thick layer round the roots of shrubs, as a protection from frost. Pricking off —Transplanting seedlings into separate pots. “Eyes” —Incipient leaf-buds. “Heel” —The hardened part of a cutting, formed where it is joined to the original plant. Annual —Lasting one year. Biennial —Lasting two years. Perennial —Lasting several years. Herbaceous —Term applied to plants which die down completely every winter. Deciduous —Not ever-green; this term is applied to trees the leaves of which fall off every autumn. Suckers —Shoots that spring up from the common stock, as distinct from those which belong to the engrafted portion. Pegging down —Bending branches down close to the ground, and securing them with a peg. Runners —Separate little plants, issuing from the parent, and ultimately rooting for themselves. Spit —A spade’s depth. “Strike” —A term applied to cuttings making roots. Pinching out —Rubbing off undesirable...
5 minute read
What to go in for, and what to avoid—Brick walls—Trees, their advantages and disadvantages, etc. It is imperative that a small garden , such as one generally finds attached to suburban or small houses, should be made the very most of. Frequently, however, its owners seem to think that to attempt to grow anything in such a little plot of ground is a veritable waste of time and money, as nothing ever comes of it. The aim of this book is to show that even the tiniest piece of land can be made pretty and even profitable, if due attention be given it. WELL BEGUN IS HALF DONE. To begin with, it is well to remember that the tenant of a small garden should not endeavour to represent every feature he sees in large grounds; the poverty-stricken shrubbery and pond just about large enough for a nice bath, are too...
5 minute read
How to keep a lawn level—Paths, how to lay them—Beds and bedding—The new style versus the old—Flower-borders and their backgrounds—Improvement of the soil. THE AUTOCRAT OF THE GARDEN. We have spoken of the general arrangement of the suburban garden, and must now proceed to particularize. First as to the lawn : It might often be described as a thing invented to keep the journeyman gardener in constant work, for where that individual only comes for a day or even half a day each week (on which basis this book is written) he generally seems to occupy his time in rolling, mowing, and sweeping the grass. An endeavour should a made to curtail this lengthy business, if it can be done without hurting his very sensitive feelings. When a boot-boy is kept, he can be set to roll the grass before and after it is mown, and also assist in the...
4 minute read
Description of a small yet lovely garden—Colour schemes—The spring dell—A novel way of growing flowers—Variety in flower-gardens. “Be original!” is a motto that every amateur gardener should adopt. Far too few experiments are made by the average owner of a garden; he jogs along on the same old lines, without a thought of the delightful opportunities he misses. Each garden, however small, should possess an individuality of its own—some feature that stamps it as out of the common run. I remember seeing a tiny strip in a large town quite fairy-like in its loveliness, and it has always been a lesson to me on what enthusiasm can do. The old lady to whom it belonged was not rich, but an ardent lover of all that is beautiful in nature and art; moreover, she did nearly all the work herself. Though it was situated amid smoke and dirt, it almost invariably...
7 minute read
The sweet old columbine — Bocconia cordata at Hampton Court — Campanulas as continuous bloomers—The heavenly larkspurs—Christmas roses—The tall and brilliant lobelias—The Chinese-lantern plants—Tufted pansies. We will begin alphabetically, therefore I will first say a few words regarding the pink-flowered anemone japonica . Though the white variety ( alba ) is to be seen in every garden, the older kind is not grown half enough; perhaps this is owing to the peculiar pinkish shade of the petals, a colour that will harmonize with few others, and might be termed æsthetic; it should be grown in a large clump by itself or mixed with white; it flowers at the same time as A. j. alba , and equally approves of a rich and rather heavy soil, and also likes a shady place. Both kinds spread rapidly. Aquilegias, or columbines, are most elegant plants , generally left to the cottage garden, though...
6 minute read
Mistakes in staging—Some suitable climbers—Economical heating—Aspect, shading, etc.—The storing of plants—No waste space—Frames. A well-kept conservatory adds much to the charm of a drawing-room, but requires careful management. Potting and the like cannot very well go on in a place which must always look presentable. A conservatory, of course, is tiled, and therefore every dead leaf and any soil that may be spilled show very much; it is therefore advisable to have a greenhouse as well, or, failing that, some frames. A greenhouse, though it may be only just large enough to turn round in, is a great help towards a nice garden, and a boon in winter; it also allows of a change of plants for the dwelling-house and conservatory, greatly to their advantage. Staging generally takes up far too much room ; the middle part of a conservatory should be left free, so that there is space to...
8 minute read
Spades and the Bishop—Weeding without back-ache—The indispensable thermometer—Well-made tools a necessity—Summer-houses and their adornment. Though it is true enough that the best workmen need little mechanical aid, yet a well-stocked tool-shed is not to be despised. Sometimes it may only be a portion of a bicycle-shed which can be set apart for our implements, or the greenhouse may have to find room for a good many of them, but certain it is that a few nicely-finished tools are an absolute necessity to the would-be gardener. Of course a good many of them can be hired; it is not everyone, for instance, who possesses a lawn-mower , but if the owner of a garden is ambitious enough to wish to do without a gardener altogether, a lawn-mower will be one of the first things he will wish to possess himself of. In that case he cannot do better than invest is...
14 minute read
Teas—Hybrid perpetuals—Some good climbing varieties—Treatment and soil—Rose hedges—Pillar roses. The reason for the heading given to this chapter is that growing roses for show will not be mentioned, as it is quite a separate branch of the art and would require a book to itself to do it full justice. Blooms of a fair size, but in abundance during five months of the year, that is what most amateurs need, for, after all, the amount of disbudding that has to be done when growing roses for show quite goes to one’s heart! We want fine, well-coloured, healthy flowers, and to attain that end a good soil is absolutely necessary . This is especially the case with Hybrid Perpetuals , but Teas will often do in a light soil, if manure is given them, and plenty of water in the dry season. The H.P.’s, as gardeners call them, must have loam...
3 minute read
Slugs, and how to trap them—Blight or green fly—Earwigs—Wireworm—Snails—Mice—Friends mistakenly called foes. The best garden as a rule has the fewest insects , indeed, no foe is allowed to lodge for any length of time without means being taken for its extermination. Some enemies are more easily got rid of than others; for instance, green fly, or aphis (to give it the scientific name), rarely attacks healthy plants to any extent; it goes for the sick ones, therefore good cultivation will speedily reduce their numbers . When any is seen, a strong syringing of soapy water will generally dislodge them, or, if this is impracticable, a dusting of tobacco-powder is a very good substitute. Tait and Buchanan’s Anti-blight, to be had of most seedsmen, is a reliable powder; it is also efficacious in preventing mildew in potatoes, chrysanthemums, etc. In some gardens, especially those inclined to be damp, slugs are...
17 minute read
A few hints on its construction—Aspect and soil—A list of Alpines—Other suitable plants. A well-constructed rockery filled with a good selection of Alpine plants is a never-failing delight to anyone fond of a garden. Yet how rare a thing it is! most of the erections one sees are mere apologies for the real thing. The truth is not one gardener in a hundred knows how to make a rockery, though he does not like to say so! An artistic mind is needed to construct one that will be pleasing to the eye, besides a knowledge of draining, water-supply, and so forth. An educated person is not actually necessary, but one with common sense, who would not dream of making it merely another back-ground for gorgeous bedding-plants which are all very well in their right place, but absolutely unsuited to a rockery . As regards aspect , one that is built...
12 minute read
Some good plants for growing beneath them—Selection of hardy shrubs—Enriching the soil—Climbers. Forest-trees in a small garden are somewhat out of place, but as they are often found in such positions, I will deal with them here. It is to be remembered that though they give most grateful shade, not only do they rob everything beneath them of sunshine, but also take so much out of the soil , that, unless constant renewals are made, very little can be grown in their immediate vicinity; the class of plants that will do best beneath their branches also find the soil they are growing in best renewed by the leaves which fall therefrom. For the sake of tidiness, these of course are swept away, but they should be kept for two or three years, and then brought back, converted into leaf-mould ; if this is not done, the quality of the soil...
6 minute read
Planting—Watering—“Puddling”—Aspect—Shelter—Youth and age in relation to plants—Catalogue defects—A time for everything. Now that we have seen what to plant, it will be advisable to learn how to plant it . Perhaps the most important point to be taken notice of is the necessity of firm planting . Watch how a clever gardener presses the earth well round the roots of everything he puts in, where the plants are large, treading the soil down with his foot. Loose planting is ruinous (except in a few isolated cases), and yet it is a favourite practice with amateurs, who call it treating their flowers tenderly! But, as with the human kind, a judicious mixture of firmness and tenderness is the happy medium to be aimed at, and which alone insures success. A good watering helps to make the soil settle as much as anything; therefore, when put into the ground the plants should...
8 minute read
Fruit—The best kinds for a small garden—Avoidance of size minus flavour—Vegetables—Herbs. If a small garden has room for any fruit-trees, apples are the most useful kind to grow; they can be so trained as to take up little room; for instance, in espalier fashion, down each side of a sunny walk. These apple-hedges are a lovely sight in spring and also in the autumn, when the ruddy fruit is waiting to drop into the outstretched hand. Though names can easily be given, it is generally a good plan to make enquiries in the neighbourhood as to the best varieties to grow, for so much depends on soil and position. Colloquial names are often given, which require identifying with existing varieties; this can be done by sending up a specimen of the fruit to the manager of a correspondence column in some reliable gardening magazine. These gentlemen are generally able to...
2 minute read
How to grow annuals—Some good kinds—Some good biennials. Many amateurs look upon annuals as rubbishy things to grow, and only suitable for the children’s gardens, but that is because they have generally failed to grow them properly. With the improved kinds now in cultivation, it is possible to make the portion of the flower-garden devoted to them “a thing of beauty” if not “a joy for ever.” As it is more satisfactory to bring them up from the beginning, I have described in Chapter XVI . a method generally successful. Seed-sowing out-of-doors being rather precarious, I have found it advisable to sow all the smaller seeds either in a green-house or frame , however hardy the annual be. This not only saves endless trouble in the way of protecting the seed from birds, etc., but is advantageous in that one has an earlier display of bloom, owing to the growth...
6 minute read
How to make them—Relation of box to residence they are intended to adorn—Suitable soil—Window plants for different aspects. Where gardens are small, one seems to need window boxes more than where there is land and to spare. They add to the number of one’s flowers, and, if carefully looked after, decidedly improve the appearance of a house . That is a large “If” though, for unkempt boxes only make it look untidy. FLOWERS FIRST, BOX SECOND. Though the tiled sort obtain a good deal of patronage, nothing really looks much better than boxes covered with virgin cork, if constantly renewed, for it acts as a foil to the flowers , whereas patterned tiles are rather apt to take one’s attention away from them. In summer, certainly, they have the advantage of preserving the earth in a moist condition, and in smoky towns they help to give a bright, clean look...
4 minute read
Graceful arrangement—How to manage thick-skinned stems—Colour-schemes—Bad colours for artificial light—Preserving and resuscitating—Table of flowers in season. The fashion of decorating tables to the extent now done is of comparatively recent date. When the duties were taken off the importation of foreign flowers, they became so much lower in price that the great middle-class could afford to buy some even in mid-winter. In the British Isles themselves, too, the carriage of flowers is much cheaper and more expeditious, though there is plenty of room for improvement still in that respect. The manner of arranging them has much altered, for, instead of cramming a clumsy vase to its utmost limits with a dozen different flowers of as many shades, only one, two, or at most three, kinds are now used, and these are set out in as graceful and airy a manner as possible. Plain glass vases , as a rule, show...
4 minute read
By dividing—By cuttings—By seeds—By layers. Propagation may be affected in various ways , of which division is perhaps the easiest. It must be done very carefully, or decay will set in. Some plants lend themselves to this form of propagation very readily; in others, the root stock is single and obviously resents division, wherefore it is better to try another plan. The Michaelmas daisies are good instances of the first kind; their roots are fibrous, and soon take to the new soil; it is tap-rooted plants which dislike division so much. CAREFUL DIVISION. It is advisable to divide most plants in the growing season, which is from spring to early autumn; if it is done in the winter months, each piece frequently remains quite inert and eventually rots. The plant should be taken up, with a fork by preference, and then pulled carefully apart with the hand. The smallest fragment...
9 minute read
Best kinds for “roughing” it—Importance of cleanliness—The proper way of watering them. The majority of English women like to see their rooms, and specially their drawing-rooms, adorned with growing plants . Nevertheless, a great many do not cultivate them successfully, so a few hints will not be amiss. Constant attention is needed to keep plants in perfect health, and this is exactly what is so often denied them. A lady buys two or three ferns that take her fancy, and feels for a while quite interested in their welfare; but, after a week or so, she leaves them to take care of themselves, which means to dwindle, and ultimately die. Many shillings, therefore, are constantly being spent in renewing plants which, with proper care, should last for years. All room plants must be looked after daily , a few minutes every morning being far better than an hour once a...