Not vnlike vnto this is your Daffadill of all kindes and colours, and in the same earths and seasons delighteth either to be sowen or planted, and will in the same manner as your Narcissus double and redouble his leaues; so will your Colombine, your Chesbole, and almost any hollow flower whatsoeuer. Many other forraigne flowers there are which grow plentifully in our Kingdome: but the order of their planting and sowing differeth nothing from these which I haue already declared, being the most tender and curious of all other, An excellent Caution. therefore I will end this Chapter with this one caution onely, that when you shall receiue any séede from any forraine Nation, you shall learne as néere as you can the nature of the soyle from whence it commeth, as hot, moyst, colde, or dry it is, and then comparing it with ours, sowe it as néere as you can in the earth, and in the seasons that are néerest to the soyle from whence it came, as thus for example: if it came from a clime much hotter then ours, then shall you sowe it in sandie mould or other mould made warme by strength of meanure, in the warmest time of the day, and in those moneths of the Spring, which are warmest, as Aprill or May, you shall let it haue the Sunne fréely all the day and at night, with Mats, Penthouse, or other defence shield it from sharpe windes, frosts, or colde dewes.
A new manner of planting flowers and fruits.
I haue séene diuers Noblemen and Gentlemen, which haue béene very curious in these dainty flowers, which haue made large frames of wood with boards of twenty inches déepe, standing vpon little round whéeles of wood, which being made square or round according to the Masters fancie, they haue filled with choyse earth, such as is most proper to the flower they would haue grow, and then in them sowe their séedes, or fixe their Plants in such sort, as hath béene before described, and so placing them in such open places of the Garden, where they may haue the strength and violence of the Sunnes heate all the day, and the comfort of such moderate showers, as fall without violence or extraordinarie beating, and at night draw them by mans strength into some low vaulted gallery ioyning vpon the Garden, where they may stand warme and safe from stormes, windes, frosts, dewes, blastings, and other mischiefes which euer happen in the Sunnes absence, and in this manner you may not onely haue all manner of dainty outlandish flowers, but also all sorts of the most delicatest fruits that may be, as the Orenge, Limond, Pomgranate, Poncythron, Cynamon-tree, Oliue, Almond, or any other, from what clime so euer it be deriued, obseruing onely but to make your frames of wood, which containes your earth, but déeper and larger, according to the fruit you plant in it, and that your Alleys through which you draw your Trées when you house them be smooth and leuell, least being rough and vneuen, you iogge and shake the rootes with the waight of the Trées, which is dangerous. And least any man may imagine this but an imaginary supposition, I can assure him that within seauen miles of London, the experiment is to be séene, where all these fruits and flowers with a world of others grow in two Gardens most abundantly. Now for such flowers or fruits as shall be brought from a colder or more barraine ground then our owne, there néedeth not much curiosity in the plantation of them, because a better euer bringeth forth a better encrease, onely I would wish you to obserue, to giue all such fruits or flowers the vttermost liberty of the weather, & rather to adde coolenes by shaddow, then encrease any warmth by reflection, as also to augment showers by artificiall watrings, rather then to let the roote dry for want of continuall moysture; many other notes and obseruations there are, which to discouer, would aske a volume larger then I intend, and yet not be more in true substance, then this which is already writ, if the Reader haue but so much mother-wit, as by comparing things together, to draw the vses from the true reasons, and to shunne contrary by contraries, which what Husbandman is so simple, but he can easily performe, and hauing the true grounds of experience, frame his descant according to his owne fancie, which is a Musicke best pleasing to all men, since it is not in any one mans power to giue a generall contentment. And thus much for flowers, and their generall and particular ordering.
Chap. VII.
How to preserue all manner of seedes, hearbs, flowers, and fruits, from all manner of noysome and pestilent things which deuoure and hurt them.
Of Thunder and Lightning.
It is not enough to bequeath and giue your séedes vnto the ground, and then immediatly to expect (without any further industrie) the fruit of your labours, no goodnesse seldome commeth with such ease: you must therefore know that when you lay your séedes in the ground, they are like so many good men amongst a world of wicked ones, and as it were inuironed and begirt with maine Armies of enemies, from which if your care and diligence doe not defend them the most, if not all, will doubtlesse perish, and of these enemies the worst and most violentest is Thunder and Lightning, which in a moment killeth all sorts of flowers, plants, and trées, euen in the height and pride of their flourishing, which to preuent, it hath béene the practise of all the auncient Gardners, to plant against the walles of their Gardens, or in the middest of their quarters, where their choysest flowers grow, the Lawrell or Bay Trée, which is euer helde a defence against those strikings.
Of Caterpillers.
Next vnto Thunder and Lightning are Caterpillers, which are a kinde of filthy little wormes, which lye in Cobwebs about the leaues, deuouring them, and poysoning the sap, in such sort, that the Plant dieth spéedily after: the way to kill these, is to take strong Vrine and Ashes mixt together, and with it to dash and sprinkle all the Plants cleane ouer, and it will both preuent their bréeding, or being bred will kill them: the smoake of Brimstone will doe the like, yet if they be excéeding much abundant, the surest way to destroy them, is to take olde, rotten, mouldy Hay, and setting it on fire, with the blaze thereof burne the Cob-webs, and then with the smoake smother and kill the wormes, and they will hardly euer bréede in that place againe.