138 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



all bedding plants not having flowers of a scarlet, yellow, or blue 

 hue, were looked upon as of little service, and were quietly elbowed 

 out, to make way for those haviug flowers of the desired colour. 

 Indeed, it was thought that the greatest glare of colour was the 

 chief merit of a well-kept garden ; but Nature has taught us that 

 colour is very sparingly used, and when applied it is very bright and 

 attractive. Another lesson we have also learnt from Nature is, that 

 other tints, particularly those approaching to the various shades of 

 green, when well blended together, are extremely beautiful ; and 

 consequently curious, aud highly-coloured leaf plants are fast gaining 

 the respect of all those who have a refined taste for the love of 

 Nature. I fear, however, that very few, even of those who like to 

 see their gardens planted in the best possible style, have a fair idea 

 of the splendid and rich effect that can be produced with ornamental- 

 leaved plants only; for those who have not seen Alternantheras, 

 Echeverias, Golden Feather, and other low-growing bedding plants in 

 their proper colours, cannot form an idea of the beautiful appearance 

 they have when properly arranged. 



There have been many very pretty arrangements of these low- 

 growing plants in Battersea Park, and those who have had an 

 opportunity of seeing them have no doubt learnt much respecting 

 them. The selection of the colours used in this park has unfor- 

 tunately been too much limited, for they consisted almost exclu- 

 sively of magenta, yellow, and white ; and, as the two latter do not 

 contrast well, they ought not to be planted side by side. The 

 prettiest and best beds, last season, were at Messrs. Veitch's Nur- 

 sery, Chelsea ; these were oblong raised block beds, between, and 

 abutting against, the gable end of the greenhouse, on each side of 

 the entrance. And when seen, these raised mounds, tapering up- 

 wards, each having its beautifully-squared edges, might have been 

 taken for pedestals for statuary. They averaged about eighteen 

 inches high, five feet long, three feet wide at bottom, and about 

 eighteen inches at top, and were planted in great taste with diminu- 

 tive plants. Golden Feather, Alternantheras, Echeverias, and a small- 

 growing bright blue Lobelia, formed the outline, and the panels 

 were well shaped out in various designs, such as diamonds, triangles, 

 half-rounds, etc. For neatness and taste, I believe the designs 

 eclipsed all that has yet been attempted. The only flowering plant 

 was the Lobelia, for the sake of its blue colour. At Kew they had 

 a very large bed intended for this style, but, by intermixing tall 

 plants, a complicated design was the result, and the required effect 

 was totally lost. It was at best merely a curiosity without beauty. 

 The next best design to Messrs. Veitch's was, in my opinion, in my 

 trial garden, and was simply an ordinary flat, raised about ten inches, 

 with its sides slightly sloping towards the walk. 



Now comes one of the main features in making these beds. In 

 the winter season we collected as much as was likely to be required 

 of fresh cow-dung one-third, and the remaining two-thirds adhesive 

 loam. These were roughly put together until bedding-time, the bed 

 made the shape required, with its sides so as to be perfectly straight, 

 flat, and level when all was planted and finished. This done, we 



