A Treatise on Domestic Economy Part 26

_To Re-pot House-Plants._

Renew the soil, every year, soon after the time of blossoming. Prepare soil, as previously directed. Loosen the earth from the pot, by pa.s.sing a knife around the sides. Turn the plant upside down, and remove the pot. Then remove all the matted fibres at the bottom, and all the earth, except that which adheres to the roots. From woody plants, like roses, shake off all the earth. Take the new pot, and put a piece of broken earthen-ware over the hole at the bottom; and then, holding the plant in the proper position, shake in the earth, around it. Then pour in water, to settle the earth, and heap on fresh soil, till the pot is even full.

Small pots are considered better than large ones, as the roots are not so likely to rot, from excess of moisture.

_On the Laying out of Yards and Gardens._

In planting trees, in a yard, they should be arranged in groups, and never planted in straight lines, nor sprinkled about, as solitary trees.

The object of this arrangement, is, to imitate Nature, and secure some spots of dense shade and some of cleared turf. In yards which are covered with turf, beds can be cut out of it, and raised for flowers. A trench should be made around, to prevent the gra.s.s from running on them.

These beds can be made in the shape of crescents, ovals, or other fanciful forms, of which, the figure below is one specimen.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 39.]

In laying out beds, in gardens and yards, a very pretty bordering can be made, by planting them with common flax seed, in a line about three inches from the edge. This can be trimmed, with shears, when it grows too high.

_On the Cultivation of Bulbs, and Tuberous Roots._

For planting the _Amaryllis_, take one third part of leaf mould, half as much sand, and the remainder, earth from under fresh gra.s.s sods. Plant them in May. The bulb should not be set more than half its depth in the ground.

The _Anemone_ and _Ranunculus_ are medium, or half-hardy, roots. They should be planted in soil which is enriched with cowdung, and the beds should be raised only an inch from the walk. They must be planted in October, in drills, two inches deep, the claws of the roots downward, and be shaded when they begin to bud.

The _Crocus_ must be planted in October, two inches deep, and four inches apart. In measuring the depth, always calculate from the top of the bulb.

_Crown Imperial._ This must be planted in September, three or four inches deep; and need not be taken up but once in three years.

_Gladiolus._ Those who have greenhouses, or pits, plant the Gladiolus in October, and preserve it in pots through the Winter. Those who have not these conveniences, may plant these bulbs late in April. The earth must be composed of one half common soil, one fourth leaf mould, and one fourth sand. Plant them about an inch deep.

_Hyacinths_ should be planted in October, eight inches apart, and three or four inches deep, in a rich soil.

_Jonquilles_ should be planted in October, two inches deep, in a rich soil, and should not be taken up oftener than once in three years.

_Narcissus._ This should be planted in October, four inches deep; covered, through the Winter, with straw and leaves, six inches thick; and uncovered in the middle of March.

_Oxalis._ Plant this in September, in a soil, composed of two thirds common earth, and one third leaf mould. The old bulb dies after blossoming, and is succeeded by a new one.

Plant _Tulips_, in rich soil, in October, three inches deep.

Plant _Tuberoses_ late in April, in a rich, sandy soil. They are delicate plants, and should be covered, in case of frosts.

_Daffodils_ should be planted two inches deep.

When bulbs have done flowering, and their leaves begin to decay, they should be taken up and dried, and kept in a dry place, till October, when they are to be replanted, taking off the offsets, and putting them in a bed by themselves.

Bulbs which blossom in water, or are in any other way forced to bloom out of season, are so much exhausted by it, that it takes them two or three years to recover their beauty.

_Dahlias._ Dig a hole, a foot and a half deep; fill it with very light, loose, and rich, soil; and drive in a stake, a yard and a half high, to which, to tie the future plants. Then set in the root, so that it shall be an inch below the soil, where the sprout starts. When the plants are two feet high, tie them to the stakes, and take off some of the lower side-shoots. Continue to tie them, as their growth advances. If the roots are planted in the open borders, without any previous growth, it should be done as early as the first of May, and they should be covered from the frosts. When they are brought forward, in pots or hot-beds, they should be put out, in the middle of June. It is said, by gardeners, that late planting, is better than early, for producing perfect flowers.

In the Autumn, after the frosts have destroyed the tops, let the roots remain awhile in the ground, to ripen; then dig them up, and pack them away, in some place where they will neither mould, from dampness, nor freeze. In the Spring, these roots will throw out sprouts, and must then be divided, so as to leave a good shoot, attached to a piece of the tuber or old stem, and each shoot will make a new plant. It is stated, that if the shoots themselves, without any root, be planted in light soil, covered with a bell-gla.s.s, or large tumbler, and carefully watered, they will produce plants superior to those with roots.

_Annuals_

These are flowers which last only one season. They should be so planted, that the tallest may be in the middle of a bed, and the shortest at the edges; and flowers of a similar color should not be planted adjacent to each other.

The following is a list of some of the handsomest Annuals, arranged with reference to their color and height. Those with a star before them, do best when sowed in the Autumn. Those with _tr._ after them, are trailing plants.

SIX INCHES TO ONE FOOT HIGH.

_White._ Ice Plant, Sweet Alyssum, White Leptosiphon, Walker's Schizopetalon, Blumenbachia insignis, *Candytuft.

_Yellow._ *Yellow Chryseis or Eschscholtzia, Sanvitalia proc.u.mbens, _tr._, Musk-flowered Mimulus.

_Rose._ Many-flowered Catchfly, Rose-colored Verbena, _tr._

_Red._ *Chinese Annual Pink, Virginian Stock, Calandrinia Speciosa.

_Blue._ Graceful Lobelia, Nemophila insignis, Clintonia pulch.e.l.la, Clintonia elegans, Nolana atriplicifolia, _tr._, Anagallis indica, Commelina coelestis, Grove Love, Pimpernel (blue.)

_Varying Colors._ *Heart's Ease, or Pansy, Dwarf Love in a Mist, *Rose Campion.

ONE FOOT TO EIGHTEEN INCHES HIGH.

_White._ Venus's Looking Gla.s.s, Priest's Schizanthus, Sweet-scented Stevia, White Evening Primrose.

_Yellow._ Drummond's Coreopsis, *New Dark Coreopsis, Golden Hawkweed, Dracopis amplexicaulis, Drummond's Primrose, Cladanthus arabicus, Peroffsky's Erysimum.

_Rose._ Drummond's Phlox, Rodanthe, Rose-colored Nonea, Clarkia rosea, Silene Tenorei, Silene armeria.

_Red._ Crimson c.o.xcomb, Silene pendula, Crimson Dew Plant, _tr._

_Scarlet._ Cacalia coccinea, Flos Adonis, Scarlet Zinnia, Mexican Cuphea.

_Lilac and Purple._ Clarkia elegans, Clarkia pulch.e.l.la, *Purple Candytuft, *Purple Petunia, _tr._, *Crimson Candytuft, Double Purple Jacobaea, Leptosiphon androsaceus, all the varieties of Schizanthus, Veined Verbena, _tr._, *Purple eternal Flower.

_Blue._ Ageratum Mexicanum, *Gilia capitata, Spanish Nigella, Blue Eutoca, Dwarf Convolvulus, Didiscus coeruleus.

_Lilac, Purple_, or _Blue and White._ Collinsia bicolor, Gilia tricolor.

_Very Dark._ Lotus Jacobaeus, Salpiglossis, Scabious.

_Colors varying._ German Aster, Balsam, Rocket Larkspur, Ten-week Stock, Poppy.

EIGHTEEN INCHES TO TWO FEET.