72 



THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



at once a few strong plants, take off 

 the points of the shoots so as to make 

 cuttings of them an inch long. Plant 

 these cuttings singly in thumb pots, 

 filled with leaf-mould or peat, and 

 place on a hot-bed. They will enjoy 

 a brisk moist heat, and unless very 

 badly managed, not one will fail. 

 Colens nigricans, of the same habit 

 as the preceding, is the darkest bed- 

 ding plant shown ; its leaves are 

 black. 



Those who take an interest in 

 hardy plants, will find the following 

 very beautiful, and well adapted for 

 the formation of groups of ornamen- 

 tal foliaged plants: — Oxalis corni- 

 culata rubra, a close- growing, tufted 

 plant, with chocolate and crimson 

 leaves. Plantago rubra, red leaves. 

 Trifoliumrubrum pictum, deep brown- 

 ish bronze. Sedum telephium atro- 

 purpureum, nearly black. Ajuga 

 reptans purpurescens, nearly black. 



We have yet one remark to make 

 on this subject, and that is, that as a 

 rule plants with ornamental foliage 

 do not assort well in the same beds 

 with plants that have gay flowers. 

 For edging beds of geraniums, 

 verbenas, etc., etc., many of those 

 which have grey and silvery foliage 

 are of the highest value, such as 

 variegated arabis and alyssum, Ceras- 

 tium tomentosum, Stacbys lanata, 

 etc. ; but the more highly-coloured 

 plants now before us assort best with 

 plants that are also chiefly beautiful 

 on account of their leaves. Thus it 



will be a safer course for the inexpe- 

 rienced to appropriate the beds and 

 ribbon borders in which these plants 

 are to be used wholly to foliage 

 plants ; the effect will then be more 

 novel and unique. As an example of 

 the way this may be done, we will 

 describe a foliage ribbon we had in 

 our garden last summer. This was 

 adopted on a border shaded with 

 large trees, where flowering plants 

 never give full satisfaction, owing to 

 the deficiency of sunshine. The 

 front line consisted of variegated 

 Arabis, producing a close neat line of 

 yellowish grey. The next line con- 

 sisted of Perilla Nankinensis and 

 Atriplex hortensis rubra mixed, the 

 effect of which was much richer than 

 either would be separately. When 

 the Atriplex became seedy it was 

 removed, and by nipping off the tops 

 of the Perilla, these soon filled out 

 the space by their side growth. The 

 third row consisted of an old- 

 fashioned border everlasting flower, 

 called Antennaria margaritaeea, 

 which has bright silvery leaves, but 

 the flowers are worthless. This was 

 kept to its proper height and full of 

 dense growth by frequently nipping 

 off the tops. The back row consisted 

 of Coleus Verschaflelti. Nothing 

 could be more effective than this 

 planting ; and the rear of the border 

 being a line of evergreen shrubs, the 

 glowing colours and striking con- 

 trasts of the lines of plants was most 

 beautiful. 





BEDDING ROSES. 



A collection of the best hybrid per- 

 petual roses, either on their own roots 

 or on short stocks, is always an inte- 

 resting feature in a garden ; but if 

 the varieties are numerous, we shall 

 observe that, at the best of times, 

 there are many not in bloom, and the 

 blanks caused thereby destroy the 

 harmony of the scene, regarded solely 

 as intended to please by a uniform 

 distribution of colour. Poses may 

 be planted in a hundred various wa\ s 

 to satisfy the requirements of the 

 planter, and yet, in every one of the 



arrangements, we might fail to dis- 

 cover, at any season of the year, a 

 genuine bedding effect. In fact, if 

 roses are grouped as roses, and their 

 culture pursued under the impulse of 

 enthusiasm for the rose, as a subject 

 of floricultural care and study, it will 

 rarely happen that a display is pro- 

 duced such as would satisfy the re- 

 quirements of persons more anxious 

 for colour than quality, and for the 

 greatest possible display of blooms 

 over a given extent of ground. Yet 

 the interests of those who entertain 



