Instructions in gardening for ladies

by Mrs. Loudon

In the kitchen-garden the shallots should be taken up; but in other respects there is nothing particular to do—except the routine culture of keeping the garden neat, and sowing the seeds of culinary vegetables for succession.

August.

The box edgings are again pruned in this month as they were in spring. The pinks and carnations having now done flowering, should have the layers which were made in June cut away if they have rooted; and some German stocks, and other plants which have been purposely raised in pots, should be planted amongst the carnations, to prevent the beds from looking bare of flowers.

The seeds of most of the annual flowers are now ripe, and should be gathered. The evergreens and other plants in the shrubberies should be pruned, and their summer shoots cut in, if they have been too luxuriant. The bulbs of crown imperials, lilies, and all the scaly kinds, which generally remain several years in the ground without taking them up, should be planted in this month. They will grow under the shade of trees, and in any situation not too dry. If too much exposed to the sun, the flowers will fade almost as soon as they expand. Scaly bulbs that have been long planted, may also be taken up, their offsets taken off, and the bulb removed to a new situation; but no scaly bulb should be kept long out of the ground.

In the kitchen-garden this is the gathering month, as most of the fruits and vegetables are now ripe.

September.

The dahlias are now the principal ornament of the flower garden; and they should be kept neatly tied up, and all the dead flowers removed as soon as they fade. The autumn flowering bulbs are now in full blossom; and all the greenhouse and frame plants that were turned out are also in flower. The beds for hyacinths and other spring bulbs should be dug over and manured.

In the kitchen-garden, spinach may be sown for use in spring; and the potatoes and other roots should be taken up. This is considered the best month for planting strawberries. The wall-fruit will require protection from birds, wasps, and flies. Some worsted twined backwards and forwards from projecting nails, is said to be the best protection from birds; and bottles of sugar and water hung from the twigs will attract the wasps and flies from the fruit. After the fruit of the wall-trees is gathered, the borders are usually lightly forked over, and what is called a top-dressing of fresh compost is spread over them.

October.

In the flower-garden the tender greenhouse plants should be taken up. Seeds of the hardy annuals that will stand the winter should be sown, particularly those of the heartsease, rocket-larkspur, coreopsis, Eschscholtzia, and all the californian annuals. The best way of managing these is to choose a portion of hard ground on which a little light earth, six or eight inches deep, has been laid; in this the seeds should be sown, and the young plants will be ready to remove by spadefuls to the beds prepared for them in spring.