36 



BOTANIC GARDEN. 



arranging herbaceous plants in bor- 

 ders, with reference to the colour of 

 their flowers and time of flowering, 

 the object ought to be to have an 

 equal number of plants in flower in 

 each of the floral months ; and among 

 the plants of each month to have as 

 nearly as possible an equal number of 

 each of the principal colours. This 

 is the heau ideal that the cultivator 

 should keep in view ; but it is not 

 easy to carry it out into practice 

 without the assistance of a reserve 

 garden, and a number of plants in 

 pots, that can be substituted for any 

 plant which perhaps has not come 

 into flower sufiiciently soon, or 

 which has not produced a sufficient 

 quantity of flowers. The best mode 

 is to make a plan of the border, 

 and then to mark it with circles in 

 the desired colours. When this has 

 been done, the names of two or 

 three flowers, of the proper size and 

 colour for the situation, should be 

 Avritten in each circle ; and then 

 there will be no trouble in planting 

 the bed, as it will be only necessary 

 to refer to the plan to know what 

 flowers are wanted. When this is 

 not done, and the flowers are planted 

 at random, they will require taking 

 up with a ball of earth attached to 

 each when in flower, and shifting 

 about till a proper effiect is pro- 

 duced. When the plants named in 

 the circles continue only a short 

 time in flower, the names of others 

 should be given to fill their place 

 when they are out of bloom ; and 

 in this case the circles may be num- 

 bered, and the numbers referred to 

 a book, in which the names of all 

 the suitable plants and all necessary 

 particulars respecting them may be 

 inscribed. As a concise summary 

 of the distinctions between a bed 

 and a border in a flower garden, it 

 may be observed that in a bed the 

 flowering plants should be trained 



so as completely to cover the ground, 



while in a border, a distinct space 



should be left round each ; and that 



' a bed has a walk all round it, while 



I in a border there is a walk only on 



I one side. 



! Border Flowers. — Herbaceous 

 plants of hardy constitution, showy 

 in appearance, and of easy culture, 

 j and therefore v.-ell adapted for or- 

 namenting the borders of flower 

 I gardens. Border flowers are classed 

 ' as perennials v^'ith fibrous roots, 

 ! perennials with bulbous or tuberous 

 ! roots, biennials, and hardy annuals. 

 Among the fibrous-rooted perennials 

 I are some, such as certain species of 

 Saxifrage, Pinks, Carnations, &c., 

 I which are evergreen ; and these are 

 ' most desirable plants for the borders 

 ' of winter gardens. There are also 

 some evergreen biennials, such as 

 ' Wallflowers, Stock Gillyflowers, &c. 

 ' Boro'nia. — Riitacem. — Ever- 

 green JSfew Holland Shrubs, which 

 ' flower during the greater part of the 

 \ summer, and which are all very 

 ! ornamental. B. serrulata is a most 

 desirable species, forming a neat 

 ; compact plant for a room, or green- 

 ! house, and requiring plenty of light 

 ; and air, but very little heat. It, 

 and all the other species, will grow 

 j freely in sandy peat, well drained, 

 i and they may be propagated by 

 j layers or cuttings of the young wood 

 in sand, under a bell-glass, taking 

 care to wipe the glass frequently, 

 j so as to keep the cuttings free from 

 ' damp. 



j Botanic Garden. — A garden in 

 1 which the plants are arranged ac- 

 ' cording to some system of botanical 

 I science, only one of a kind being 

 , planted, and a name appended to 

 each. The most convenient mode 

 i for study is to place the plants in 

 j straight rows of narrow beds, one 

 row in a bed, with paths betvreen 

 : the beds : but the best mode for 



