THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 139 



marked out the centre design as required. Every plant was then put 

 exactly in its place — not one-eighth of an inch out of their proper 

 line and height. After the centre was finished, so that the sides 

 could he easily reached from the grass or path, we commenced 

 plastering and building up the sides with the cow-dung and loam. 

 This was merely to keep the edges up throughout the season, and as 

 we proceeded with the work we inserted a perfectly regular line of 

 Echeverias. Either secunda or secunda glauca will do, although the 

 latter is the best. Sempervivum califomicum is also very pretty, and 

 quite hardy. These were in the centre of the six-inch edging. One 

 regular-sized plant was used, and put at a regular distance from 

 plant to plant, otherwise the beauty of the bed would have been 

 spoiled. After this, we proceeded to finish the planting of the bed. 

 I struck mine out last year with my boy's bow and arrow, which 

 gave me a continuation of small half-round shapes on both sides, 

 making the centre a running line of diamonds, which were formed 

 with Lobelia pumila grandiflora (blue), Golden Feather (yellow), 

 Alternanthera (orange and red), and the remaining half circle was 

 filled up with various plants for a trial. To give a slight idea how 

 attractive this bed was, many persons asked if they might examine it 

 the second time; and it is difficult to say how astonished they were 

 when they learnt how simple were the arrangements. 



The most chaste and lovely beds may be made with the following 

 plants : — A margin all round of Echeveria secunda glauca, which is 

 of a beautiful bluish grey tint ; then plant a broad band of Alter- 

 nanthera paronychioides, which soon after planting turns a beautiful 

 orange red at the points ; then make either squares, circles, or 

 diamonds in the centre, at equal distances, and fill them with Pyre- 

 thrum Golden Feather, which is the most effective, accommodating, 

 good-natured plant in the world, as it will stand having the halves 

 of the leaves pinched off without sustaining the slightest injury ; 

 then finally fill up the remaining space with Alternanthera amosna, 

 which is the brightest coloured of all. For complete success in a 

 bed of this kind, the soil should be made firm at the edge, and cut 

 off perfectly level, and the Echeveria should be planted sideways, 

 and every one in a straight even line ; this is one of the main points for 

 a bed of this description. Other fine and effective beds may be made 

 with the following : — The margin Sempervivum califomicum, which 

 is a peculiar tint of green, with nearly black points, and requires to 

 be planted in the same way as the Echeveria ; then a broad band of 

 Antennaria tomentosa, which is one of the finest dwarf silvery grey 

 carpet-like plants we possess; next a broad band of Pyrethrum 

 Golden Feather, and fill the centre with Iresine Lindeni, a ^raud 

 sanguineous red-leaved plant of dwarf habit, and a pleasing shade of 

 colour ; but it will require pinching at intervals to prevent it over- 

 topping the other things. 



The following plants are the best adapted for this style of plant- 

 ing, but there are many more which might be employed by persons 

 who understood their growth : — 



Pyrethrum Golden Feather is exceedingly pretty and cheap. A 

 one shilling packet of seed would produce about five hundred plants. 



