1869.] HORTICULTURE IN AMERICA. 533 



Grand, with trusses 5 or 6 inches across. Madame Lemoine, a double flower 

 of the colour of Christine, was very beautiful ; while another called Perilla had a 

 zone or horse-shoe marking, very fine and distinct. The Duke of Edinburgh was 

 one of the finest of the bronze section, and showed off to advantage, having very 

 novel coloured foliage. Very conspicuous in this house, scattered here and there, 

 were specimens of a plant new to us — the Statice profusa, with pleasing light- 

 blue flowers. It is much thought of here, and said to be one of the best of things 

 to force into flower at all seasons. 



It is impossible within our limits to mention a tithe of the houses or their con- 

 tents, BO will just run over a few things that struck us favourably in our passage 

 through them. Among Orchids, several charming Vandas were in flower, parti- 

 cularly a huge V. teres, and another of V. cerulea. Mr Thomson was using largely 

 a new system of growing Oi'chids on sandstone with a very happy effect. Near 

 by stood a fine Suava in fruit, said to be of delicious flavour. A new Maiden-Hair 

 Fern called Adiantum Farlcyana is a very fine thing, having the appearance of a 

 miniature Ghingo tree. A fine Lomaria bella, also Sibotia spectabillis ; some 

 very good Ericas, particularly E. retorta major, Jacksonii, Marnockii, and Florida 

 nicely in flower : a Savillia major, 4 feet through, an Alonea superba with 

 delicate white flowers ; very fine. 



We had long desired to see some of the examples of the bedding-out process we 

 BO often read of as practised in Britain now, and had the opportunity here for the 

 first time. And certainly it deserves all that has been said of it. The masses of 

 bloom here to be met with, arranged with the precision almost of a picture, chains 

 formed of plants, kept as distinct to the line as a well-trimmed box edging, of all 

 and various heights to suit the grouping, with colours to match and harmonise 

 on philosophic principles, or the fancy of the designer ; every plant in its place, 

 neither too high nor too low ; walks between some with the nicest-looking gravel, 

 with other beds set in the verdant green of the lawn, certainly formed a picture 

 we shall not soon forget. Upwards of 70,000 plants are used to create this effect. 

 Many at putting out are of goodly size. There were whole carpets of blue, 

 formed by very fine varieties of the Lobelia studded with specimen objects of 

 colour, looking at a little distance like a blue lawn, with carefully-arranged groups 

 of flowers methodically planted within it. This was an entirely new idea to us, 

 yet nothing could be more striking. The compact, creeping nature of the Lobelia, 

 makes it a good plant for such a purpose, and now that they have various shades 

 of blue, white and even a dull red, quite a novel feature can be carried out by 

 having a groundwork of the desired colour, with groups to represent flower-beds 

 in any pattern wished, planted, as it were, in this floral lawn. No attempt of this 

 sort can be made except where planting is done on a large scale, and where the 

 situation is favourable to do so. But the idea there seems to be to find out new 

 ways to do their planting, particularly portions of it, so that some novel or striking 

 feature may be brought out each year. 



The very great variety of plants the English gardeners make available for the 

 purposes of bedding is not the least remarkable feature of the subject. We doubt 

 whether there is a plant with any pretensions to continuous flowering, or conspicu- 

 ous foliage, that has not, at one time or another, been tried as a bedding-plant. 

 By this we do not mean here and there one turned out into the flower-border in 

 a haphazard kind of way, but in regular grouping, either as a single colour, a line, 

 or figure. As we propose to take up this bedding question a little more thoroughly 

 hereafter, we will for the present leave out some specimens of grouping of which 

 we took notice at the time. 



