Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-12-07
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II. rls~.r-Garasn in Dsoombs1.
(san Francisco Bulletin |

fSan Francisco Bulietin.1
This IL the month wherein flow
ara precious-the month of
cold nights and Of alternRted rain
and sun. The green grass is tender
and soft as down to the touch, as
We lie in sh eltered country hooks
and think how different from the
blear and savage Decem ber of Eng
lish poetry IL this busy month of
ours. The ferns which grow in
our coast ravines at the bases of
xnosey rocks are pushing their
brown, heavy buds through the
soft earth. After awhile they will
begin to uncoil their curious vo-
lutes, and the crlmpled clusters of
leaves will drop over ledge and
bank.
IN our tame and narrow gardens
this II = month OF bright hope and
busy work-of shrub.planting and
tree planting. of changing and re-
moving plants, Of renovating flow.
er-beds, and. In short, of laying
uumberless plans. W
The work of pruning, manuring
and digging the surface, which
ought 10 have been done last
month, may still be attended to, If
then neglected, but it will keep the
careless gardener remarkably busy.
Ono Of the needed lessons for Cali
ornians to learn is that each sea-
fen, month, week, and even day,
has Its own most appropriate gar
den work. Not until we cut loose
nom the directions and garden cal
ondars Of Eastern writer's, and, by
painstaking labor, discover = calen.
dar Of our own, may we hope to
rival the perfectness of Eastern and
European gardens. Comparative.
", We know little as yet Of garden
Ing as IN art. We crowd our gar.
dens too much; we do not sufficient.
" study our climate; we fail to har.
monize effects; we are intensely
lazy. These are thoughts for De.
oomber.
Think of our New England
flower-lovers who. months ago, dug
up geraniums and dozens of SINH
Lar plants aud hung them In a dry
cellar, or packed them in sand; who
trenched and covered roses aaG
many shrubs and choice fruit trees
and who must now depend on house
plants, window gardens and con
0orvatories for their sprigs o.
smllax and button-hole bouquets
In our Northern couaties and high
Or Sierras the rules of New England
apply with greater or less force
but along our pleasant slopes ant
fertile valleys we have no such
lab0rious preparations for the win
tsring Of plants, and hence mucf
time for plans and improvements
Now is the time to pass through
and around the. garden, noticing
where there are vacant places
what plants have died. and wha
A have proved lacking and are TO b
condemned. A little purchasing o
new plants will then be in order
Nurserymen's catalogues are, fol-
most people, rather dry reading
long botanical terms are so very
prominent, and the descriptions
are often in such ungrammatica
and halting English. Decidedly
the best plan is to visit the nurse
ries, select your plants, and see
them marked with your name and
Get aside before YOU leave
II the plants do mo-
come as you ordered them, rectify
the matter without delay. Decidn
ous and early-bIooming shrubs
ought to be planted this month
This includes lilacs, spireas, snow
balls, deufzias, wigelias, hydran
geas, syringas, calycanthus (ol
spice woody, kalmias, and our owr
native ceanothus, styrax ant
azAlea. From the ravines of the
Coast Range we may also dig uI
thrifty bushes of our native ribes
or wild currant, whose abundant
s rncomes range in color from pale
rose to light crimson.
Some of the self-sown seedlings
Of annusls will now be ready L
transplant to permanent bed
Animals, never more than q foo
high, may be placed six inches
apart, creeping ANIMALS still
nearer, and the taller kinds at &
greater distance. If at any time
Between rains the ground hardens
on the surface, 1t must be stirred
with rake. This also kills tht
small weeds.
Aud weed-killing is an import.
ant December question. 1t IL
slovenly work to let them star
And proceed to swamp everything.
They must be plowed under, OF
hoed out. If this is not done now,
We may have 90 much rain in Jan.
uAry and February that the ground
cannot be touched, and they will
almost take possession. The fore.
handed gardener destroys this ear
ly crop Of weeds. and, therefore, is
ready for the later crop also.
Cuttings of deciduous shrubs and
roses may be put in the open
ground. Take well-ripened, short.
jointed wood; cut it with a sharp
knife, making cuttings eight oil
nine inches long; set them in sandy
soil, slightly sloping and sheltered.
Z A curious experiment., worth
trying, Is thpt of retarding bloom
by moving plants. The writer
took . row Of &pirea Cdllosa last
season. and, by moving some once,
some twice, or even Oftener, ex.
tended the period of bloom to sew
eral times its usual length. Oh
course, only hardy and healthy
plants will respond to such treat
ment. Nurserymen, who "heel in "
or bank in trenches many shrubs,
nnd the blooming period greatly
retarded.