of Rural Art and Tante. 



137 



each bed stands on its own merits, and no two 

 need be planted with the same style of plants, 

 unless there are match beds by the side of 

 walks, then it is best to plant things of the 

 same habit of growth and nearly the same 

 color, but it also gives space for more variety 

 of plants. 



I may here note that for this system 

 of beds, circles and ovals are the best shape, 

 and also the easiest to plant ; although there 

 is the best subtropical gardening in Europe to 

 be seen in the Battersea Park near London, 

 a number of long narrow beds of Canna, these 

 reminded us too much of nursery beds, tall 

 foliage plants not being adapted for square, 

 angular beds any better than Cedars would be. 



A circle six or eight feet in diameter looks 

 well, planted with moderate growing Cannas, 

 and Gladiolus between ; the spikes of flowers 

 from the latter with the foliage of the former 

 make a capital combination ; it is not necessary 

 to use the scarce varieties of Gladiolus for this 

 purpose ; years ago we used Brenchleyensis, 

 and that or any other bright colored variety 

 would look best ; we have tried bright colored 

 flowers, but these were not so satisfactory ; by 

 the time the Gladiolus flowers were over, the 

 Cannas were in full flower. 



A single plant of Castor Oil is a capital 

 center for a circle, and may be planted round 

 with Coleus, Tritomas or New Zealand Flax. 

 Another good center plant is the giant hemp, 

 Cannabus Giganteus. We have not seen this 

 in this country, but it is raised from seeds, 

 which probably can be obtained through any 

 of the large seedsmen ; the leaves of the hemp 

 are the same shape as Castor Oil leaves, but a 

 bright green, and smaller but more numerous ; 

 it grows fi'om eight to ten feet high. It will 

 be late to sow them now, although the plant 

 vegetates rapidly ; it is best sown where in- 

 tended to remain. 



The Wigandia was at one time popular as 

 a foliage plant in Europe, but it was not a 

 satisfactory plant, being neither graceful nor 

 elegant ; it grows very freely in this climate, 

 and with liberal treatment makes very large 

 leaves. 



A caj»ital center to a large circle, say eight- 



een to twenty feet in diameter, is either a 

 large plant of Aralia Sieboldii or Castor Oil, 

 surrounded by six plants of Arundo Donax 

 Versicolor, then a double row of Salvia Splen- 

 dens planted about two feet apart, then a row 

 of Abutilon Thompsonii, and edged with 

 Ageratum Caelestinum ; this is a splendid bed 

 until the frost destroys its beauty. 



The Madagascar Periwinkles are very 

 showy plants, especially for a row in a rib- 

 bon border ; these can be readily raised from 

 seeds, but our experience of seedlings has 

 been of the rose colored variety and also the 

 white, and white with rose eye, and grown 

 together that many of the seedlings come of 

 mixed color, which are seldom so good as the 

 original. The plants can be I'aised from cut- 

 tings but require wintering in a warm house. 

 A good plant of Humea Elegans is fine for the 

 center of a circular bed or as a single specimen 

 planted in the grass, its graceful feathery 

 sprays of red flowers make it a good contrast 

 to Pampas Grass ; and the bed this is planted 

 in may be filled with large plants of Mountain 

 of Snow Geranium, or any other variety which 

 has been proved useful for bedding in any 

 locality. We hesitate to recommend varie- 

 gated Geraniums, for in our hot summer they 

 are so seldom satisfactory. It should be 

 noticed that the Humea requires abundance 

 of water, so that when planted the soil should 

 form a basin round the plant that will contain 

 several gallons of water ; if allowed to get very 

 dry it will soon lose its best foliage and look 

 thin and poor. 



The variegated Arundo is a eood center for 

 a circle, but should have about six plants to- 

 gether to be surrounded by either a bright 

 flowering plant, or a bright colored, dark 

 variety of Coleus ; but as a large mass at the 

 back of a wide border or near water it shows 

 to the best advantage. 



A large irregular bed, to fill a corner, can 

 be planted in patches of any large, rough 

 specimens of Abutilon Thompsonii, tall Can- 

 nas, Arundo, Bambusa, Aralia Sieboldii, 

 Aralia papyrifera, Gymnothrix latifolia and 

 such like plants, taking care to have the tall- 

 est growers at the widest and most distant 



