IIU 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



cles are of French marigold, with a mixed 

 edging of gazania and lobelia. The oblong 

 here is filled with verbena Brilliant de Vaise, 

 with a single line of the gray Stachys la- 

 nata round it. This brings ns to the ter- 

 mination of the grand promenade near the 

 lake ; it is here intersected by another path 

 which leads on the right to the Palm 

 House, and on the left to the New Museum. 

 Tha large circular bed which is intersected 

 hy the four paths is planted with two rows 

 of ageratum, two of Puncb, and a broad 

 edging qf cerastium. This ring is much 

 more effective than when occupied entirely 

 with scarlet geraniums. By the side of the 

 path leading towards the Palm House there 

 are several very pretty beds, the best of 

 which is one of Delphinium formosum, well 

 pegged down, and edged with cerastium. 

 This larkspur is of a most brilliant and 

 beautiful blue, but begins flowering earlier, 

 aud does not last so long as most of the 

 bedding plants. It is perfectly hardy, aud 

 maybe left in the ground all winter ; in- 

 deed, is usually better in the second year 

 than it is the first. 



Although this series of beds by the side 

 of the main walk is very beautiful, yet the 

 floral display at Kew reaches its climax in 

 the geometrical garden in front of the palni- 

 .stove, and between it and the lake. It is 

 a difhcult task to describe a flower-garden 

 without giving a plan of it; but as there are 

 more than 400,000 visitors to this garden 

 every year, we may safely premise that a 

 large proportion of our readers have seen 

 it at some time or other ; those who liave 

 not should take the earliest opportunity of 

 doing so. This garden is open to the public 

 every day in the year (Sundays included), 

 with the one exception of Christmas-day. 

 This flower-garden, then, is divided into 

 two compartments, each of which is a 

 counterpart of the other ; and each of these 

 might be again divided, so that one half 

 should represent the other. The centre is 

 occupied by a raised bed of somewhat 

 quadrangular outline ; a vase, supported by 

 a pedestal, and filled with a bouquet of pe- 

 largoniums, is placed in the middle. The 

 bed is planted with Flower of the Day, bor- 

 dered with Baron Hugel, four rays of which 

 geranium strike upwards to the base of the 

 pedestal ; the whole edged with cerastium. 

 The four corner beds are filled with Tom 

 Thumb geraniums ; between these, at either 

 end, is a small circle of perilla, edged with 

 Golden Chain (a very pretty contrast). The 

 two long beds at the sides are of ageratum. 

 The four principal scroll-figures, being too | 

 large to balance with the others if all of ' 



one colour, are divided into three parts: 

 one end, that next the centre, is planted 

 with Purple King verbena ; the middle with 

 Calceolaria amplexicaulis, edged with C. 

 aurea floribunda; and the circle,with which 

 the other end terminates, with Delphinium 

 formosum. Between these and the centre 

 of the garden are two beds of Lord Raglan 

 verbena ; then a V-shaped bed, the point 

 of which is occupied with ageratum, while 

 tlie two arms are of Geant des Battailes 

 vi-rbena, finished with three lines of Sta- 

 chys lanata. Beyond these two beds are 

 two others of the same form, but smaller, 

 filled with the variegated alyssum (Koeniga 

 inaritima variegata). 



In front of the old museum there was 

 formerly a set of beds having no particular 

 design ; they were, in fact, a part of the 

 herbaceous garden originall3', and as they 

 were not well adapted for the display of 

 bidding plants, the whole have been re- 

 placed by a very simple but effective design. 

 There is, first, a long bed of about five feet 

 in width planted as a ribbon-border ; be- 

 hind the centre of this is an oval, and two 

 smaller beds to fill up the spandrils between 

 it and the ribbon-bed. The whole of these 

 are shut in by a line of ivy, the broad - 

 leaved Irish variety. The bed is about 

 eighteen inches in width, aud the centre 

 raised to about a foot above the level of 

 the turf. Tlie ivy is beginning to grow 

 well, aud when more fully expanded will 

 produce a pretty efl'ect. The ribbon-border 

 is planted with a double row of perilla 

 along the centre, then a line of Senecio 

 mai-itima on either side, and then four lines 

 of verbena, the first and third being Mrs. 

 Woodruft', and the second and fourth 

 Purple King. The oval is of geranium 

 Punch, edged with lobelia and variegated 

 alyssum mixed ; the other two beds are of 

 calceolaria. Beyond the line of ivy are 

 some beds of carnations and others of 

 dalilias, surrounded by the ribbon-grass 

 (Phalaris arundinacea), which makes a 

 very pretty and effective edging for beds of 

 tall-growing plants, hut it requires to bo 

 taken up and parted every year, or it will 

 grow too strong. 



These are the leading features in the 

 flower-gardening of Kew, but there are 

 numbers of other beds which one meets 

 with singly or in groups. Many of these 

 are planted with great taste, and some of 

 them with newer plants; but as we have 

 already written to a greater length than 

 we intended, we must reserve all notice of 

 them to some future time. 



