Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1858-04-29
Gardening for ladies.

we wish to say a few words, this
month to u lady readers about garden
ing. As We have looked into o .ra-
tempts to make home cheerful by cult
waiting a few house plants. Some OF
you had the skill and good fortune to
make a fine show; others have succeeded
but indiferently. The verbenas uomld
dry up, or damp off. The geraniums
would drop their yellow leaves and look
scrawny; the roses were covered with in
seets and would not bloom. You had
almost begun to lose faith in gardening.
But we will say nothing more at present
on that point. Spring is now op:ning,
and you will undoubtedly succeed bet
ter in out door operations. Light, air,
moisture and temperature are better
regulated by nature than we can man
age them. y
Our little sermon to you, now, is sug-
-gested by the sight of the early bulbs
Just peeping up in the warm border Oh
the south side of our dwelling. The.
snow drop'aRd erocu are beginning to
show their blossom buds; and dafGodiis,
'hyarinths, and tulips are coming up
ready to flower in their turn. And yet,
not fer away are snow banks. Why
should not this sheltered spot be as i
one of our family pets? Here Spring
shows herself first, and here Autumn
fingers latest. We therefore advise yon
to seek out a warm corner like this, un-
der a high, tight fence. or 4 wall, or the
protected side of your house, and make
= bed there for early bulbs. In this
neighborhood, also it might be well to
put a few early shrubs, such as Mazer-
con-, Japan Ounce, Towering Almond,
and these might be planted now. 1t is
too late, however, to set out bulbs for
SpripHiowering; but now, while your
mind is upon it, secure the spot for
planting in tho Fall. Such a spot as
.this is an excellent one, also, for setting
out late towering plants, which would
be injured by the frosts of Autumn,
If growing in the open garden. Last
Fall, We had Chinese Chrysanthemums
lowering in our border, after nearly
every other plant in other, situations
had been killed by / e-cold.
Now is the time, also, to prepare for
improvements in your your grounds at
large. Have you a front yard? Trim
up those lilacks, prune out the dead
branches of those rose bushes, and tie
up the remainder to neat stakes. Per
suade husband or brother. to hoe out the
weeds from the talks, and to dig up all
thistles and foul stuffs from the grass
plat. A little pure grass-seed and white
clover scattered over the ground will do
harm, especially, if a light dressing
of old compost is added, and the whole
is raked off smooth and neat. OIL
you want some flowers in your
yard. But we could not advise
you to set herbaceous perennials there,
or to SOW ANIMALS. The latter are a
long while coming into bloom, and the
after they have lowered, begin
to die down and to look shabby. Set
this kind of flowers in a garden by them
a little aside your front lawn
But prepare a border by the side of
your walks, in frontof the house, for
such plants as bloom all the season, and
whose foliage is always fresh. Or, in
place of a. formal border, cut out circular
beds Cor those or any fanciful Shaped
in the grass near the walks, and fll them
the plants last mentioned. OF
these, the best are %verbenas, petunias,
scarlet geraniums, h~elitropes, | n%tanas.
pyrethrum, &c. Any or all Of these
,an be got at low rates, of the florists
IN your neighborhood. Their perpetual
will repay well all their cost
You can exercise much skill and taste
n arranging colors. Blue contrasts
inally with white; stradge with purple;
with pink, scarlet, &c, &c.
But why should we attempt. to teach
aides anything about arrangement of
They will, however, let us ad
rise them to keep the grass of the lawn
smooth all summer, in order to
ret the full beauty Of this stole of gar.
ening. ..aza