126 
THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 
Bedding Plants—continued. 
carpeting Beds of taller-growing subjects, whilst the 
vigorous growers are admirable for training into pyramids, 
carpeting the Beds with other dwarf subjects. Miss 
Nightingale, although an old variety, is still one of the 
best for Bedding, while President Garfield and White 
Lady are also to be recommended. 
Two or three Iresines are indispensable for Summer 
Bedding, on account of their richly-coloured foliage. Like 
Heliotropes, Iresines are rather tender, and ought not to 
be planted out until the season is well advanced. To 
bring their foliage to perfection a warm season, with an 
abundance of sunshine, is necessary. JI. Herbstii, I. awreo- 
reticulata, and I. Lindeni are excellent; the last forms a 
fine edging plant to Beds of Pelargoniums, &e. 
The named varieties of Lantana, with their large 
Verbena-like heads of richly-coloured flowers, produced 
abundantly during the whole summer, are charming 
subjects for Beds. They are as easy to cultivate as 
Pelargoniums, and may be used either in Beds by 
themselves, or as carpeting plants for tall-growing 
Fuchsias, &c.; or they may be trained as standards. 
‘Drap d’Or is unequalled for Bedding, while Don Calmet 
is very floriferous. The predominating colour amongst 
the dwarf-growing Lobelias is blue, a colour which is 
rather rare amongst the ordinary run of Bedding Plants. 
To this, and to their dwarf compact habit, may be 
attributed the reason of their universal adoption for 
Bedding purposes, and especially as edgings to Beds of 
taller subjects. 
Lobelia Evinus is the species from which most of our 
dwarf Bedding varieties have sprung. L. speciosa, L. com- 
pacta, L. pumila magnifica, L. ramosa, Cobalt Blue, 
Swanley Blue, Crystal Palace, and Emperor William are 
amongst the best dwarf kinds. Of the taller-growing kinds 
L. cardinalis, L. fulgens or L. splendens, Queen Victoria, 
and Firefly, in mild districts, prove hardy enough to 
stand the winter outside with a light covering of ashes, 
&c., though it is always best to lift and store them in a 
dry shed, starting them into growth again in spring. 
In the whole range of Bedding Plants it would be diffi- 
cult to name a more popular favourite than the Zonal 
Pelargonium. There are ordinary Zonals, Golden- 
bronzed Zonals (Model, Golden Harry Hieover, and Bronze 
Queen), Yellow-leayed (Crystal Palace Gem and Robert 
Fish, with zoneless leaves), Golden Tricolors, Silyer 
Tricolors,, White-Edged (these fine-foliaged varieties are 
generally growr for the sake of their leaves, and on this 
account are seldom allowed to flower), and Ivy-leaved. 
These last are suitable for covering trellises and for 
growing in vases, where their long, trailing growths, 
hanging over the sides, show off to advantage. They are 
rather more tender than the Zonal kinds, and require to be 
kept a little warmer during the winter. 
Perilla nankinensis is a most useful Bedder, and is 
generally employed for edgings or for mixing with silver- 
leaved plants, on account of its dark purplish foliage. 
Petunias are very showy and popular subjects when 
grown in masses in a sunny position and fairly rich 
soil. They are very effective when trained over hoops, 
fences, and trellises, as well as disposed over tree-stumps. 
Phlox Drummondi is a plant which cannot be passed by 
unnoticed, as for filling small Beds, or for mixing with 
taller-growing subjects, it is superb. Pyrethrum Golden 
Feather is a well-known, free-growing Bedding Plant, 
suitable for edgings, &e. It has been styléd “ the gar- 
dener’s friend,” and it certainly is a treasure to him, 
for it can always be relied upon, and is always in 
season. In spring the plants look like masses of gold, 
and in summer they light up the whole garden, and 
harmonise with everything. 
Verbenas rank amongst the showiest of our Summer 
Bedding subjects; they are very effective in Beds, 
especially when mixed with some contrasting colour, 
Bedding Plants—continued. 
such as is supplied by the Silver-Leaved Pelargoniums. 
There are also several named varieties which are very 
useful for Bedding purposes, such as Crimson King, Purple 
King, and V. Melindres splendens. 
Sub-Tropical Bedding.—The introduction of large- 
foliaged, stately, sub-tropical plants into our flower- 
gardens during the summer months has been arranged so 
as to enable us, as it were, to obtain faint glimpses of 
the grandeur of tropical vegetation. In this style of 
Bedding any sub-tropical plant may be used, providing it 
is sufficiently robust in constitution to withstand the 
variations of our changeable climate. Many of the plants 
used are of a tender nature, and only suitable for standing 
outside during the hottest part of the summer; but 
there are others which are hardy enough to withstand an 
ordinary English winter—in the South of England, at 
any rate. To this latter group belong such plants 
as Gynerium argentewm (Pampas Grass), <Arundo 
Donaz, Gunnera scabra and G. manicata, Chamezrops 
humilis, C. Fortunei (Trachycarpus eacelsus), and the 
Bamboos. These stately subjects are suitable for 
planting either as single specimens about the lawn or 
in groups in sheltered positions. The Gunneras require 
damp situations, preferably near the banks of lakes or 
streams, and when the foliage dies down in the late 
autumn, the crowns should be protected from frost by 
having a quantity of dry leaves thrown over them to the 
depth of 12in. or 18in. As the Gunneras start into growth 
early in the season, the winter covering should be removed 
before the young leaves have made much progress, other- 
wise they will be damaged during the operation. When in 
the young state the leaves are very tender, and preparation 
must be made for covering up the plants if any signs 
of frost appear. 
Returning to the non-permanent Sub-tropical Bedders, 
there are t ro distinct grounps—to the one belong the Agaves, 
the tender Yuccas, Dracenas, Musas, Tree-Ferns, and 
several of the Palms—plants generally of slow growth, 
which are kept in pots or tubs, and plunged outside during 
the summer, and have to be removed to the greenhouse for 
the winter; these present a fine appearance, giving to the 
garden a tropical aspect. One of the most essential points 
in the culture of Musas, Tree-Ferns, and, in fact, of all 
tender large-foliaged plants grown outside, is that of 
shelter, as if exposed to high winds the leaves get torn to 
shreds, and the plants are thereby disfigured, and look un- 
sightly objects in the flower-garden. It is therefore 
imperative that a sheltered position should. be chosen for 
this phase of Sub-tropical Bedding. For more exposed 
situations, and for terrace gardens, the Agaves and Yuccas 
are amongst the best of stately-foliaged plants, as ‘the 
leaves are not liable to be damaged by the wind, and the 
plants themselves are more in accordance with their 
surroundings. As this class of plants require a considerable 
amount of room for their accommodation in winter, it is 
evident that Sub-tropical Bedding cannot be carried out to 
any extent, except in very large establishments, where 
plenty of room is at command during winter. 
To the other group belong the Cannas, the tubers of 
which may be taken up in the late autumn, and after 
being dried, stored away for the winter in a shed or 
other suitable structure, where they are out of the reach 
of frost. With this group may be included numerous 
robust-growing annuals that are readily raised from seed 
sown in February, and which make quite large plants, 
if grown well. Of these the Castor-oil, Solanums, and 
Tobacco plants areexamples. With regard to planting out, 
the second week in June is about as early as it is safe to” 
plant out Castor-oil plants and other soft-wooded subjects 
grown from seed. It is preferable to have stout young 
plants, well-rooted, and carefully hardened off, as they 
succeed much better than larger specimens grown on in a 
high temperature and insufficiently hardened off ; in fact, 
