336 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



England, in early April, and therefore may be thrust aside in May, 

 so as to leave a clear stage for the scarlet and yellow. It is the 

 dwarfest- growing of the tribe, barely reaching ei^ht inches high. 

 When in flower, forming a low evergreen mass, at all times sheeted 

 over in spring with the purest of white. If liberally planted, it has 

 a very cheerful effect in spring ; or may be used advantageously as 

 an edging to the larger beds, giving a ring of snow in April and 

 May, and ditto of green the rest of the year. Unlike sciupervirens, 

 or corifolia, this may be propagated by division. Growing close to 

 the ground, every branch becomes rooted, and a medium-sized plant 

 will break up into twenty or more. Thos. Williams. 



Bath Lodge, Ormskirk. 



THE PHLOX AS A BEDDING PLANT. 



|E do not suppose that by penning this paper we shall 

 diminish the popularity that our bedding plants have 

 attained as more suitable for this purpose, because 

 there are yet some great guns to be silenced, and a 

 formidable force to contend against, which must receive 

 a check before we can hope to see any chance of their retreating to 

 their old quarters (the herbaceous border) ; but nevertheless we are 

 sano-uine of living to see that day — not that we shall rejoice at their 

 downfall ; we shall rather hasten to assist them in their dilemma, 

 because we can offer them the condolence of long-tried friends, and 

 we shall be deceived if these do not rise higher in the estimation of 

 all true lovers of flowers, and thus in the end the herbaceous border 

 will be the gainer, because old advocates will return more enthu- 

 siastically than ever, and young innovators will set to work in 

 earnest, because to them it will open up a wide field of operations 

 in which their genius can be turned to a profitable account. We 

 think no apology is requisite for introducing this subject. AVe shall 

 therefore suggest a few plants as suitable to that style of gardening, 

 but which we seldom see used for that purpose ; and the subject for 

 this paper, as will be seen above, is the Phlox, and we do not hesi- 

 tate to say in a mass it is one of the grandest and most showy of 

 our herbaceous plants — so much so that we believe only those who 

 have seen it as we saw it at Messrs. Wood and Sons' Nursery, at 

 Maresfield, can form an idea of the grand effect it produces. 

 Although it is novr a little more than three years since we saw them 

 at the above nursery, the impression they made on our mind is still 

 fresh in our memory, and we think never will be quite eftaced. As 

 well as we can remember, we think there were four beds six feet 

 wide, and some twenty yards in length, with four rows in a bed. 

 Now let the reader imagine, if he can, the gorgeous display that 

 these would produce through the months of July and August, com- 

 puting at the lowest number that each bed cgntained at the time I 

 saw them (July) oOO spikes of flowers, and these possessing all the 



