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THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



Park, where the bedding is generally 

 superb, this season there is a ribbon v.'ith 

 centre rov,' of verbena Purple King, and 

 variegated alyssum on each side of it, 

 and the verbena is not solid even now, 

 through being planted too thin. The 

 reason why no general rules can be 

 given is because in different soils, and in 

 wet and dry seasons, the same varieties 

 grow differently : again, in the same soil, 

 and the same season, different varieties 

 grow differently. While this question 

 was before us we went into the garden, 

 and measured one of cur average plants 

 of Tom Thumb, and the measurement is 

 twenty inches across ; hence to have Tom 

 Thumb solid by September, it sliould be 

 about twenty inches apart every way. 

 But we have Queen geraniums nearly 

 three feet across, and verbenas of which 

 a single plant covers a square yard. 

 Generally, verbenas and petunias of ave- 

 rage habit should be fifteen inches apart, 

 and dwarf geraniums eighteen inches, but 

 if put out late and small, and in a poor 

 soil, they should be considerably closer. 

 Of geraniums the best bedders are At- 

 traction, Eclipse, Queen, and Cottage 

 Maid, the last-named is at present tlie 

 best of the horse-shoes, but a still better 

 will he published next spring. Of ver- 

 benas Lord Leigh is the best scarlet, 

 Suowtlake the best white. Purple King 

 " the best purple. Of petunias Magnum 

 Bonum has no equal as a bedder, next 

 to that Shrubland Rose, and the Queen. 

 Double petunias are generally not good 

 bedders, though, when grown in pots, 

 they bloom more finely in the open air 

 than under glass; we use Eliza Mat- 

 thew, one of the noblest double petunias, 

 as a bedder, and this season it has been 

 grand ; but in such a season as 1860 no 

 petunia of any kind is worth the ground 

 it occupies. 

 TBOP.EOLUMS.— i?. A. TF.— The dwarf nas- 

 turtiums are capital bedders, but they 

 are coarse, and best adapted for public 

 gardens where the patterns are worked 

 out on a large scale. The proper way 

 to do them is to sow the seed in April 

 in boxes: then pot them and let them 

 show bloom, and then sort them out and 

 plant in masses only those that come 

 true. If planted out before they show 

 bloom, those that come false spoil the 

 affair. "We grew this season all the 

 varieties sent out by the dealers, and, 

 with the exception of Pearl, described 

 as silvery white, and in reality a mise- 

 rable flower of a pale straw, they were 

 all remarkably good, the dark crimson 

 and Crystal Palace Gem particularly so. 



They are the cheapest of all the showy 

 bedders known, and invaluable to people 

 who are not blessed with unlimited 

 fortunes. 

 Vakiegatep Plants. — Simcoe. — We can 

 quite understand your case, for in our 

 strong loamy soil very few variegated 

 plants keep true for any length of time, 

 and the only way we can keep them is 

 to prepare the places they are planted in 

 by taking out the soil and introducing 

 mixtures of chalk, worn-out peat, and 

 the sittings of the sweepings of gravel- 

 walks. In such mixtures, such lovely 

 things as the variegated lue, strawberry, 

 epilobium, etc., keep as true as in pots. 

 If you are fond of such things, keep 

 duplicates of all ynur plants in pots. 

 Various. — M. B. G. — Lastrea rigida. — 

 A. A. M. — 1, Cystopteris fragilis an.sus- 

 tata, and the best form of it; 2, C. f. 

 dentata; 3, C. f. angustata in another 

 form, the pinnules very i-egularly in- 

 cised; 4, C. f., the species in its normal 

 condition. On a good south wall sem- 

 pervirens rose Grevillea will be a fine 

 thing, if you like to wait some years 

 for it to grow to a size for effect and 

 bloom. You do not say what height 

 you wish to carry it; if not more than 

 twelve or fifteen feet, H. P. Jules Mar- 

 gottin will be grand if planted in a 

 deep rich loamy border. Otherwise, 

 choose Felicite Perpetuelle or common 

 Boursault. Tlie following English ferns 

 of evergreen habit are suitable for a 

 Wardian case: — Scolopendiums in va- 

 riety, Polystichum aculeatum, lobatum 

 and augulare, Asplenium marinum, A. 

 adiantum nigrum, A. viride, A. tricho- 

 manes, Adiantum capillus-veneris. The 

 last named may be kept pretty close ; 

 the others will require moderate venti- 

 lation. — W. S. B. — The common and 

 the tree mignonette are one and the 

 same thing, Reseda odorata; it is cul- 

 tivation alone that makes the difference. 

 You allowed your melons to set too 

 many fruit; you should have been con- 

 tent with half a dozen on each plant. — 

 W. M. — ^We should certainly object to 

 showing Sehiginella Wiidenovii as a fern ; 

 in the first place because it is not a fern, 

 and secondly because in all well arranged 

 schedules which include fine foliage 

 plants there are classes for Lycopodiums. 

 — P. M. ^.— Most of the ornamental 

 gourds are eatable, and, when any doubt 

 exists, it may be settled by tasting a 

 slice, for the unwholesome kinds are in- 

 variably bitter. In most of the seeds- 

 men's catalogues particulars are given 

 as to the uses of the various kijids. 



