The compleat gardeners practice, directing the exact way of gardening in three parts : the garden of pleasure, physical garden, kitchin garden : how they are to be ordered for their best situation and improvement, with variety of artificial knots for the by Stephen Blake, gardener.

THE PHYSICAL GARDEN as it treateth of TREES.

A short Description or Direction for the Propagating of each TREE which is Fruitfull and Physical, usually planted in a Fruitfull or Physical Garden.

Barberry.

I Will be as short on this and all the rest as pos∣sibly may be, so that I may but give an in∣formation. The plain way of propagating of each Tree as this, is of the sucker, which springeth partly from the root, and being ta∣ken away in September, and set in the nursery, where suckers, slips and seedlings are set, and after they have taken root they may be transplanted into the quar∣ters of the Garden in uniform order where they are to re∣main.

Currants.

Currants are generally white, black and red, but yet each of these sorts differ in greatness as well as in goodness, accord∣ing to the care as is used about them, in the raising of them from suckers to fruitfull trees; the thing is plain, yet there are mistakes many times in it, therefore I would willingly give my evidence in it to insist upon it presently after Michael∣mas

take your suckers from your Currant trees, and if you have not ground ready for them to transplant them where they should alwayes grow, then plant them in a piece of ground by themselves at a foot distance, which may be fitly called a nursery, let them stand there while that time twelve moneth, then plant them into the middle of Strawberry beds at a yard distance, each tree bound to a stake, so that the wind may not break them, and put them out of uniform order.

Lastly observe, let these suckers be taken yearly from the roots of the old bearers, or otherwise they hinder them from being fruitfull, they must be pruned also, which is to cut away the superfluous branches which run above the rest and never bear fruit.

Gooseberries.

Are distinguished into many sorts, usually thus, Dutch and English; first with the Dutch, there is white and red, which are the worthiest of all other both to the pallate and the eye: of the English kinds there are white and red also, and many others, but I will only name these, that is, the long yellow and the round yellow, the amber and the christall, the nepture and the wild, all these are set of the sucker, as I told you of Currants in like manner, and transplanted into like places.

Many arguments of curiosity I could raise in the propaga∣ting of them, which would appear to men of experience to be needlesse, my self being sensible of the same I passe that, and only desire you to remember to prune them, so that the fruit may be the larger, and the trees renew their nature and ap∣pear the more pleasanter.

Mulberries.

Are white, red and black, these trees seldome send forth any sucker neither are they to be grafted upon other stocks to advance the fruit, but the way is to get young sprouts from the body, and to set them in good earth in September or there∣abouts, so that they may take root, and at two or three years end to be replanted into certain places where they may re∣main,

so done it is without question but these slips or cut∣tings will come to be trees, and bring forth fruit according to its mother.

Quinces.

Are supposed to be of divers kinds by reason that they yeeld contrary fruits in vertue and in shape; I shall not end the controversic here by any arguments, but shall refer you to a Book of mine which is coming forth entituled The Gar∣deners Rule, at the latter end of which is a Treatise of fruit-trees, wherein you shall find, that all old errors and unpracti∣call conceits are clearly reconciled by reason and argument; so I shall not speak any farther of the propagating of them here, for then it would be double labour. I name this plant here, because properly it belongeth to a Garden and not to an Orchard, and more especially to the physicall or fruitfull Garden.

Rasberries.

Of these there are red and white, which are greater and lesser, fruitfull and unfruitfull, according to the soyl, air, and ordering that they have. Upon these words I could draw as many arguments as would fill up a sheet of paper, but that is not my intent in this or any other part of this Book, for it would be little pleasing and less profitable.

Rasberries are set of the slips or suckers which it sends from the roots, which spreadeth in the ground, these being drawn up in September out of beds where they stand too thick, so taken up then pruned, which is to cut off the slips or suck∣ers above the root at a foot and a half in length, and so much of the root that it be not too cumbersome; having beds of earth prepared of three foot a breadth, then prick in three chase of these plants at nine inches distance, very few of these will bear any fruit the next summer, but the second summer is that which bringeth the greatest encrease if the year be fruitfull.

Lastly to be short, Rasberries must be pruned every year, for some alwayes dye, and the other spring up where they have been long planted.

Roses.

Omitting those that I spoke of in the Garden of pleasure, the rest are these, the Rose of Monday, the damask Rose, the red Rose, and the white Rose, and some tell me of a monethly Rose, but I was never satisfied whether there is such a one yea or no neither by experience nor theoditary, therefore I must wave it and speak of the rest.

Of the Rose of Monday; this Rose is in all parts like the damask Rose, only the colour maketh the difference, for this Rose is damask and red striped, the propagating of it is by slip or inoculation: if you are not experienced in inocula∣tion, then be pleased to turn back to the place where it treat∣eth of the province Rose, and there is a guide set down for it, and for the directions for setting the slip, I hope I may omit the pains for to set it down, for a wise man may well under∣stand one thing by another.

Now for the ordering of the damask Rose, I will give a few plain directions.

First, If you have them already and would willingly en∣crease them, in the beginning of February, cut off all the young sprouts as come from the body, and pluck up all such as shoot from the root, then cut them all at a foot in length; now in the planting of these slips I shall omit that curiosity of casting up of beds for them, as I and others have done, so I will give you an easie and a profitable way, which is to lay a piece of ground levell well raked, then set in those said slips in that ground by a direct line at fifteen inches asunder, a moneth after, you may cast some Turnip-seed upon that ground, and it will not be only profitable for the table, but also shadow the face of the ground, and keep it from being too dry.

Secondly, These slips thus planted will have taken root by that time twelve moneth, and be grown to a greater stature, and may be transplanted into borders round quarters of herbe, or else a whole quarter or quarters of them, and Strawberries cast into beds, so that the Strawberries may grow under the Roses, and the Rose-trees to stand at three foot distance one way and five foot the other, that the Strawberry beds may

be three foot broad and two foot paths between, and the Rose-trees supported with stakes.

Thirdly, Roses may be raised of the seed, but this Rose with more case than any of the rest, many Authors have set down certain wayes for it which are contrary to rea∣son; if I thought that any man were so undiscreet to put it in practice, I would lay down some arguments for to prevent such errors.

Next for the propagating of the red Rose, which is by cut∣tings of the youngest shoots from the oldest standers, which cuttings ought to be a foot long, and if they be lesse they may grow very well; before I show you how to set them, prepare borders of two foot and a half in breadth, and paths of two foot between; the beds being laid a foot high, then set a line upon the border, so that there may be three rows of slips set in the border proportionably, then prick in the cuttings by the line side eight inches one from another, and so deep that one half be in the ground and the other above, let them stand slope-wayes in this bed or border, they may alwayes remain, for they are not to be removed without great hinderance of the bearing of them.

Lastly, Some directions for the causing of Roses to flower plentifully, that is to cut them with a pair of shears the first full Moon after Christmas day; what is to be observed in cut∣ting is, that such sprouts that were of the last years growth, be cut off at the heighth of the old bearers; whereunto I adde, that if Roses be planted in wet ground, that they will never flower plentifully, therefore observe to set them in the dryest soyl.

Savin-tree.

I suppose though it be not common in every Garden, yet the strange and admirable vertues that it hath makes it com∣mon in every ones mouth, so I will only speak of the nature and the raising of the plant: first it requireth a place which is somewhat shady, as most plants do that are of a hot nature, and keepeth green all the year; further observe, this tree yeeldeth no seed neither, it seldome or never sendeth any sucker from the root, therefore it is only propagated of the

slip which is taken from the branches, the time for doing of this is at the beginning of the winter, the place would be as I told you its nature requireth, in a shady place in an extraor∣dinary good mould, and if it were helpt with Pigeons dung, it would be much the better for to cause the slips to take root the sooner: now note, that these plants would be planted at such a distance, as that they might have room to grow when they are great, for they care the least for moving of any other plant whatsoever.

Strawberry-tree.

This tree should have been placed in my Garden of Plea∣sure, I hope you will place it in yours for the rarities and pre∣heminency belonging to it, and it being but a stranger in England, I will describe it in few words so that it may be known.

This plant riseth near to five yards in heighth, spreading with many branches toward the top, which maketh it to * 1.1 stand in a stately form, the leaves of this tree are green as the Bay-trees, and keep so all the year, they are also of the same shape though not half so big, the ribs of them are something reddish, and the bark of the body of the tree is of a reddish green colour something rough and dented, the middle of the tree as to say amongst the branches are bare and without sprouts or leaves, at the top springeth berries upon stalks, when they are ripe they are absolutely like Strawberries, and may be eaten though not half so good, yet they are usually eaten.

There is no way that I could find of propagating of this tree, but by slips taken from the branches and set in good mould, to the end that they may take root and become trees, but most of them thus done seldome take root. There is another way which is more certain, and that is to make a branch as it groweth upon the tree to pass thorow a pot which hath a hole in the bottome of it, and then to fill the pot full of earth, and that will cause it to take root as it grow∣eth on the tree, and then it may be cut off and planted in that place where it should remain.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Descrip.