The abridgement of the gardeners dictionary / [Philip Miller].

  • Miller, Philip, 1691-1771
Date:
1763
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The abridgement of the gardeners dictionary / [Philip Miller]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    932/958
    Having procured a parcel of feeds from good flowers, f you lhould provide fome flat pans or boxes, which mull have holes in their bottoms to let the moifture pafs off; thefe lhould have pieces of tile or oyfter-fhells laid over each hole to prevent their being flopped ; then they mull be filled with frefh, light, fandy earth, and the beginning of September the feeds fhould be fown thereon pretty thick, obferving to fcatter them as equally as poflible ; then cover them over about half an inch thick with the fame light frefh earth, and place the boxes or pans where they may have the morning fun till eleven o’clock ; and if the feafon fhould prove very dry, they mull be now and then refrefhed with water. In this fituation they may remain until the middle of Ofiober, when they fhould be removed into a warmer fitua¬ tion, where they may have the full fun mod part of the day, and fcreened from fevere frofts ; in which place they^ im’ifl abide ali the winter, obferving to keep them clear from weeds and mofs, which, : t this feafon, are very apt to fpread ever the furface of the earth, in tubs, pans, or pots, when they are expo led to the epen air. Jn the fpring the plants will appear above ground, when, if the feafon is dry, they mull be now and then refrelhed with water, and conflantly kept clear from weeds; and as the feafon advances, and the weather becomes warm, they fhould be again removed into their former fhady fituation, where they may enjoy the mrrning fun only. When the leaves begin to decay (which will be in June), they muft be e'eared from weeds and dead leaves, and fome frefh earth fifed over them about half an inch thick, ftill fuffering them to abide in the fame fituation all the fummer feafon ; during which time they will require no farther care, but to keep them clear from weeds, until the beginning of Oflobcr, when they mufl be again removed into a warm fituation, and the furface of the earth lightly taken off, and fome frefh earth lifted over them. In this place they muft remain all the winter, as before ; and in the fpring they muft be treated as was direfted for the former years. When the leaves are decayed, the bulbs fhould be care¬ fully taken up (which may be befl done by ftfting the earth through a fine fieve), and a bed or two of good light frefh earth fhould be prepared, into which the bulbs muft be planted, at about three inches afunder each way, and three inches deep. Thefe 1 eds muft be conflantly kept clean from weeds and mofs; and if the winter fhould prove fevere, the bed fhould be covered with rotten tanners bark, or Peafe haulm, to keep out the froft; and in the fpring, juft before the plants come up, the furface of the beds fhould be ftirred, and fome frefh earth fifted over them about half an inch thick, which will greatly ftrengthen the roots. During the fpring and fummer, they muft be conflantly weeded ; and at Michaelmas the earth lhould be again ftirred, and fome frefh fifted over the beds again, as before, ob- fervirg in winter and fpring ftill to keep the beds clean, which is the whole management they will require, and in Junt following the greateft part of the roots will flower» at which time you fhould carefully look over them, and put down a flick by all thofe whofe flowers are beautiful, to mark them ; and as foon as their leaves are decayed, thefe roots may be taken up to plant in the flower-garden amongfl other choice forts. But the nurfery-beds fhould ftill remain, obferving to keep them clear from weeds, as alfo to fift frefh earth over them, as was before directed ; and the following feafon the re¬ maining part of the roots, which d d not flower the fore¬ going feafon, will now fhew their blolfoms; fo that you may know which of them are worth preferving in the flower- garden, which fhould now be marked ; and when their leaves are decayed, they muft be taken up and planted with the other fine forts, in an eaft-border of light frefti earth ; but the ordinary forts may be intermixed with other bulbous- rooted flowers in the larger borders of the pleafure-garden, where, during their continuance in flower, they will afford an agreeable variety. But after thefe choice flowers are obtained from feeds, they may be increafed by offsets, as other bulbous ^flowers are. The offsets fhould be planted in a feparate border from the blowing roots, for one year, until they have llrength enough to produce flowers, when they may be placed in the flower- garden with the old roots. Thefe bulbs need not be taken up oftener than every other year, which fhould always be done foon after their leaves decay, otherwife they will fend forth frefh fibres, when it will be too late to remove them ; nor fhould they be kept long out of the ground ; two months is full enough ; for when they are kept longer, their bulbs are fubjedl to fhrink, which caufes their flowers to be weak the following year. The Perfian Iris is greatly efteemed for the beauty and extreme fweetnefs of its flowers, as alfo for its early appear¬ ance in the fpring, it generally being in perfection in February, or the beginning of March, according to the ferwardnefs of the feafon, at which time there are few other plants in beauty. This may be propagated by feeds in the fame manner as the other forts ; but the boxes in which they are fown, fhould be put under a garden-frame in winter, to fhelter them from hard froft, becaufe, while the plants are young, they are fomewhat tender. From the feeds of this kind I could never obtain any varieties, their flowers being always the fame. Thefe plants are alfo propagated by offsets, in the fame manner as the other forts ; but their roots fhould not be tranfplanted oftener than every third year ; nor fhould they be ever kept out of the ground long, becaufe their roots will fhrink and entirely decay when they are long above ground, fo as not to be recovered again. This lort was formerly more common in the gardens near London than at prefent, which, I luppofe, has been occafioned by the keep¬ ing the roots above ground too long, which deftroyed them. XYLON. See Bombax. Y E W-