straight and strong on a border or rockery. It is of a very
blue colour, with a centre of lovely stamens and stigma
forming a bright orange tassel. These species of Crocus
are much more satisfactory to grow in borders than the pale
Colchicums of the Swiss meadows, as they are true Cro-
cuses, and only form in spring slight narrow leaves instead
of the despairingly coarse growth of the Colchicums, which,
dying down in the end of May, make such an eyesore in
the borders ; it seems best therefore to plant the latter in
grass. My double and single Italian Daturas are later
this year than usual, owing to the wet weather ; but they
are covered with blooms now, and very sweet. The
double ones will last longer in water, scenting a room,
than the single ones. We plant them out at the end of
May ; and when they have been out three weeks or so, a
spade is passed round them to cut the roots, and a ditch
made, which is filled in with manure. This generous
treatment makes the whole difference in their flowering
well. I cannot say whether it would be necessary in a
damper soil, but I think it would, as cutting their roots in
spring stimulates them to flower earlier, before the frost
comes. The old plants are taken up and put into pots,
and housed for the winter. This is such a happy time of
the year for a gardener. There is a sense of power about
it ; all the planting and planning and changing are done
now. One is loth to disturb beds till the frost comes
and kills things down ; but it is most desirable not to put
off planting, and to get everything done one can before
any real cold comes.
I am gradually clearing away nearly all the Laurels I
found on the place, only keeping those growing under
trees, and others that form a protection against the
north-east wind ; but even those few that are left want
constantly cutting back, as they soon encroach and choke
everything else. At the stores they sell a most excellent
OCTOBER 181
instrument for pruning, called the ' Myticuttah.' There
are some with long handles and some with short ; they
cut through quite big branches like butter, and are really
indispensable. The work is not too tiring for any woman
to do herself, and everyone should have a strong pair of
French nippers as well, for cutting back smaller shrubs
and plants. One is always seeing in catalogues that this
plant or that will do for the borders of shrubberies. My
experience is that no summer herbaceous plants do in the
borders of shrubberies at all, though spring and autumn
things may do fairly well ; and many of the smaller shrubs,
like Lavender Cotton, Eosemary, and Brooms of sorts,
will hold their own in front of larger shrubs.
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AI-modernized reading of the original text
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straight and strong on a border or rockery. It is of a very
blue colour, with a centre of lovely stamens and stigma
forming a bright orange tassel. These species of Crocus
are much more satisfactory to grow in borders than the pale
Colchicums of the Swiss meadows, as they are true Cro-
cuses, and only form in spring slight narrow leaves instead
of the despairingly coarse growth of the Colchicums, which,
dying down in the end of May, make such an eyesore in
the borders ; it seems best therefore to plant the latter in
grass. My double and single Italian Daturas are later
this year than usual, owing to the wet weather ; but they
are covered with blooms now, and very sweet. The
double ones will last longer in water, scenting a room,
than the single ones. We plant them out at the end of
May ; and when they have been out three weeks or so, a
spade is passed round them to cut the roots, and a ditch
made, which is filled in with manure. This generous
treatment makes the whole difference in their flowering
well. I cannot say whether it would be necessary in a
damper soil, but I think it would, as cutting their roots in
spring stimulates them to flower earlier, before the frost
comes. The old plants are taken up and put into pots,
and housed for the winter. This is such a happy time of
the year for a gardener. There is a sense of power about
it ; all the planting and planning and changing are done
now. One is loth to disturb beds till the frost comes
and kills things down ; but it is most desirable not to put
off planting, and to get everything done one can before
any real cold comes.
I am gradually clearing away nearly all the Laurels I
found on the place, only keeping those growing under
trees, and others that form a protection against the
north-east wind ; but even those few that are left want
constantly cutting back, as they soon encroach and choke
everything else. At the stores they sell a most excellent
OCTOBER 181
instrument for pruning, called the ' Myticuttah.' There
are some with long handles and some with short ; they
cut through quite big branches like butter, and are really
indispensable. The work is not too tiring for any woman
to do herself, and everyone should have a strong pair of
French nippers as well, for cutting back smaller shrubs
and plants. One is always seeing in catalogues that this
plant or that will do for the borders of shrubberies. My
experience is that no summer herbaceous plants do in the
borders of shrubberies at all, though spring and autumn
things may do fairly well ; and many of the smaller shrubs,
like Lavender Cotton, Eosemary, and Brooms of sorts,
will hold their own in front of larger shrubs.