326 * THE FLORIST. 



Boule de Neige, Skeltoni, Miss Emily Field, and Shrubland Pet have 

 been tried, but are not effective. Ingram's Princess Alice and Shrub- 

 land Rose bloom freely and do well here, as also Purple Nosegay. 

 Variegated kinds are grown very extensively ; Flower of the Day was 

 by far the most effective, taking foliage and tlower together ; Mountain 

 of Light, of which there was a large bed, was very patchy and 

 irregular as regards bloom. Mangles' Old Variegated is also largely 

 used, and found very useful ; Alma, a new kind, promises to be the 

 best of this class, the fohage and flower being better than any other we 

 have seen, but there was not enough of it to see what the effect would 

 be when grouped in a mass ; Golden Chain is only grown for its 

 fohage, as the flowers are cut off. 



Not many kinds of Verbenas are used, only a few of the most 

 decided and effective colours. In scarlets. Defiance is still the favourite, 

 but Mrs. Woodroffe was very good. There were goods beds of Andre, 

 Wonderful, Purple King, Blue Beard, Bouquet Parfait, Emma, 

 Parfume de Madeline, Madame de Stael, Etoile de Venus, and 

 Mont Blanc. The beds of Defiance and Bouquet Parfait were the 

 most showy and best filled. Ageratums, Petunias, and various other 

 plants were equally gay with those we have enumerated. 



There are 72 beds in the flower garden and 30 in the pleasure 

 grounds ; some idea, therefore, may be formed of the large number of 

 plants required to fill so many beds, and of the effect they produced, when 

 we state that many of the beds require 500 plants in each, and but 

 few less than 100 plants. What is termed the " Riband system " of 

 planting is here adopted to a very great extent. This is simply done 

 by planting in lines, commencing in front with a row of some dwarf 

 plant, and using taller growing varieties in the back rows. One " riband " 

 was 400 yards long, half of which was filled with the following plants : — 

 1st, or front row, Golden Chain Geranium ; 2nd, Lobelia Erinus 

 maxima ; 3rd, Geranium Cerise Unique ; 4th, Calceolaria Aurantia 

 and Scarlet Pentstemon planted alternately ; 5th, Phlox tardiflora ; 

 6th, Hollyhocks. The Phlox would have been more effective had it 

 been earlier. The other half was composed of the following : — 1st, 

 Geranium Golden Chain ; 2nd, Lobelia Erinus ; 3rd, ( > eranium Cerise 

 Unique ; 4th, Calceolaria Gem ; 5th, Humea elegans ; 6th, Dahhas ; 

 the whole being backed with evergreens. The Geranmm Cerise Unique 

 is found to be a more suitable colour to back the Lobelia. 



Another riband, 140 yards long, was planted as follows : — 1st row. 

 Geranium Golden Chain; 2nd, Forget-me-not (Myosotis caespitosa) ; 

 3rd, Scarlet Geranium ; 4th, Calceolaria Gem and Aurantia alternately ; 

 5th, Dahlia Zelinda (a dwarf purple variety). Another riband is 

 composed of straight lines, 160 yards in length, and backed with Roses 

 — such kinds as flower during the summer and autumn. In these rows 

 of plants variegated Alyssum intersected with Verbena venosa and 

 Virginian Stock formed the front row. Geraniums, Salvia patens, and 

 Delphinium Hendersoni and D. Barlowi formed the other rows. 



This plan, whether in straight lines or curved borders, is most 

 effective, and is admired by every one, especially when carried out to 

 such an extent as it is at Enville, where, in many instances, so many 



