THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 71 



and Co., of the Central Avenue, Covent Garden, London, a circular 

 announcing cheap plants of tlie following: Chainaerops hu"^ilis, 

 Coeos audtralis, Cocoa campestria, Corypha australis, Latania Bour- 

 bonica, Sabal xldansonii, and Sabal Palmetto, the prices ranging from 

 3s. to lOi'. each, or one plant of each all round (seven in all) for 285. 

 Now, with palms at such a price, who can resist the temptation to 

 infuse this new, this superb element into the system of decorations 

 of the English garden ? I shall not attempt to reply, but shall be 

 content with having pointed the readers of the Floral Would to a 

 region of beauty that perhaps many of them have not dreamt of 

 before. 



A FEW OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE FLOWERIXa 

 BEDDERS. 



[HERE are so many thousands of varieties of bedding plants 

 in cultivation, that amateurs may well be perplexed in 

 attempting to make choice amongst them. Hiving 

 for many years past made it a practice to visit and 

 carefully in^j^ect all the great parks and gardens where 

 bedding is carried out with the greatest spirit, and having several 

 large families of bedders always under my eye, I can, perhaps, as 

 well as anybody, direct attention to a few of the most useful bedding 

 plants obtainable for gardens. Something towards this was at- 

 tempted last months in the short scrap on variegated-leaved bedders 

 (p. 49). I shall now enumerate a few of the most telling fluwers. 



Calceolarias. — Bird of Paradise and Canariensis are the two 

 best in cultivation, not only for effect, but for withstanding the 

 various assaults to whicli calceolarias are subjected when planted out, 

 especially drou<i-ht- Some of our readers may remember an account 

 we have somewhere given of an experiment with calceol irias. They 

 were planted in a mixture of one-half mellow loam and the other 

 half thoroughly rotted maniu'e. They grew luxuriantly and flowered 

 superbly, and continued good till far into September. This was 

 last year (1866), when there was a general failure of the plant, and 

 many gardens were completely spoiled in respect o\' colouring by the 

 loss of yellow. The following are also good : — Aiirca Jloribumla, 

 dwarf and bright ; Tom Thumb, gold yellow, very dwarf; Prince of 

 Orange, brownish orange ; Amplexicaulis, tall and pale yellow. This 

 last is of great value when skilfully used ; it requi,red to be dwarfed, 

 it may be pegged down. 



Daulias. — The following are the best four bedding varieties: — 

 Queen of Whites, the best white ; Duke of Newcastle j yellow ; 

 Scarlet Tom Thicmh, scarlet ; Crimson Gem, fine crimson. It is im- 

 possible to have dahlias in flower early in the season ; to do them 

 well requires ample space, an open, sunny position, and a free but 

 not over-rich loamy soil. 



Geraniums. — The best Scarlets are Cyhister, Black Dwarf, and 

 Kate Anderson. The best Pink are Christine and Wiltshire Lass. 

 The best Red are Rebecca and Lady Middleton. The best Salmon 



