THE FLORAL WORLD 



AND 



GARDEN GUIDE 



JULY, 1 8 G 6 . 



EEACTION AGAINST THE BEDDING MANIA. 



INE years have elapsed since the Elokal "Worxd first 

 eudeavoured to direct the attention of amateur gar- 

 deners to the fact that the bedding system might be 

 overdone, and that in many instances it had converted 

 pretty gardens into paltry nurseries, where some half- 

 dozen subjects were grown in batches of hundreds or thousands, to 

 the exclusion of all other forms of vegetation. Never has a season 

 passed since then without a protest in these pages in favour of making 

 private gardens beautiful and interesting, instead of mere polychro- 

 matic patterns. If reference be made to past volumes, it will be 

 seen that we never pretended to dictate to our readers ; we merely 

 stated our conviction that as the bedding system prevailed horti- 

 culture degenerated, for the simple reason that if gardeners had 

 great stocks of bedders to care for, they could not give proper 

 attention to other subjects ; and the rage for bedding had reached^ 

 such a height, that interesting and beautiful plants had been well; 

 nigh swept out of our gardens, and Tom Thumb geraniums had 

 taken possession as monarch of the scene. But having expressed 

 ourselves in this way, we left our readers to consider the matter as. 

 it pleased them ; and as a large majority of our supporters were 

 practitioners of bedding, we always offered them the best practical 

 information respecting the relative merits of bedding plants, and the 

 treatment they severally require to bring them to perfection. We 

 blew hot and cold ; but whether hot or cold, we always blew in 

 earnest. We believe in bedding, and always did ; in its place and 

 well done, it is the grandest of all possible embellishments. A 

 pavement of gems could not glow with such brilliancy as a well- 

 coloured parterre. But it is very much to be regretted that, in 

 small private gardens where promenade displaj's are not wanted — 

 where, in fact, they are as much out of taste as liveried servants and 

 a military band to play during dinner would be within the resi- 

 dence, that bedding plants should reign supreme, not only to the 

 exclusion of numerous beautiful hardy and tender ornamental plants, 

 but to the detriment of the kitchen and fruit-gardens, which are 

 robbed of the labour they require in order that geraniums may be 



VOL. I. — NO. VII. 13 



