THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 187 



annual of the beet family, that we have frequently recommended. The 

 chenopodium is kept to its proper height by topping, and the young side- 

 shoots have a tinge of deep crimson that considerably relieves the blackish 

 purple of the full-grown leaves. Perilla nankinensis wants this same 

 decided touch of crimson, or else a deeper tone of black in the leaves, to 

 render it easy of adaptation as a dark agent in garden colouring. Among 

 the beds on the mount that deserve to be specially named as good are the 

 following : — At the angles of the walks, Cottage Maid geranium, edged 

 with Flower of the Day; Purple Nosegay geranium, with the same edging; 

 Calceolaria amplexicaulis, mixed with ageratum, and edged with varie- 

 gated ageratum, most beautiful; Punch geranium, edged with" Cerastium 

 tomentosum ; Ignescens superba geranium, edged with variegated alyssum. 

 Along the walks which form the radii of the mount are, among others, the 

 following: — Alma geranium, mixed with the scarlet variegated verbena, 

 Imperatrice Eugenie, and the verbena with much more colour than it 

 usually has, for it is one much given to make herbaceous growth ; Sidonia 

 geranium, a bold flowering, fbry hybrid (which every amateur should 

 possess), edged with Ivy-leaf geranium ; Ignescens superba and King 

 Pufus geranium, the latter a high salmon colour, edged with Ignescens 

 minor; Dandy and Lobelia speciosa, mixed all through, a channing effect ; 

 Flower of the Day and variegated alyssum mixed all through, and though 

 undoubtedly good — each helping the effect of the other — scarcely bearable 

 in bright sunshine. Last summer this mixture was used at the lower 

 angles of the walks, and was so dazzling that it was scarcely possible to 

 see quieter colours till some time had elapsed after quitting the spot. 

 Mangles' variegated geranium and Purple King verbena plant for plant, 

 which might be good in a bright season, but at present is not so. The 

 Crystal Palace geranium and Tropceolum elegans play their part here 

 richly, and with Punch and Sidonia give the most decided colours. Tom 

 Thumb is not now used at all. Within the rose temple the planting is 

 as good as elsewhere. The four beds round the flag-staff are superb. 

 They consist of Fothergillii geranium in the centre, two rows of Flower of 

 the Day, one row Crystal Palace, and an edging of blue lobelia. The six 

 compartments forming the bank of the rose temple is in the best taste of 

 high colour for so important a position. 



Just as the Chenopodium has fell into good hands at Sydenham, 

 Perilla Nankinensis has had good fortune at Kew. We want more of this 

 class of foliage plants for bold colours, and, in hot seasons, some few stove 

 plants would, prove valuable in bedding. The perilla is everywhere grown 

 in private gardens, but in very few eases rightly used. A ribbon line of 

 it, contrasted with gray or white, is miserable, and much more like a 

 funeral procession than a colour-agent in gardening. It attains its highest 

 perfection under the deep shade of trees, as we have proved this season at 

 Stoke Newington; and in such a position, where geraniums might fail of 

 bloom, calceolarias would succeed admirably, and give the very colour 

 perilla needs to render it effective. In the promenade beds on the line of 

 the walk from the terrace garden at Kew, there are some circular beds, 

 consisting of Prince's Feather for the centre, the better for being dwarfed 

 by want of ground heat, perilla round the Prince's Feather, and Calceolaria 

 aurea floribunda outside. Lower down is an oblong bed of perilla, edged 

 with Fothergillii and Mrs. Vernon geraniums, which bring out the black 

 of the perilla most effectively, just as the orange calceolaria brings out its 



