132 
THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 
Bedding Plants—continued. 
Peacockii; No. 3 with Alternanthera amena; No. 4 with 
Alt. awrea nana, having centre plants of Iresine; No, 5 
with Alt. magnifica or Alt. rosea nana, having centre 
plants of Albizzia lophantha; No. 6 with Alternanthera 
versicolor or Alt. major; the groundwork (No. 7) with 
Mentha, Mesembryanthemum, Antennaria, Herniaria, or 
Sedum. The central panel might be nicely moulded from 
a slightly-raised centre to the edges. 
In Bed M (Fig. 154), No. 1 might be filled with Pachy- 
phytum bracteosum; No. -2 with Alternanthera parony- 
chioides major; No. 3 with Alt. p.m. aurea; No. 4 with 
Herniaria glabra; No. 5 with Alternanthera amena; 
No. 6 with Mesembryanthemum cordifoliwm variegatum ; 
and No. 7 with Pachyphytwm roseum. 
In Bed N (Fig. 155), A should have a centre plant of 
Yucca aloifolia, surrounded with Cineraria maritima can- 
didissima (B); © should be planted with Ageratum Wend- 
landii; D, with Coleus Golden Gem; HE, with Ageratwm 
mexicanum nanum; F, with Lobelia Erinus compacta; G, 
with Antennaria dioica; H, with Alternanthera parony- 
chioides; and I, with Ageratum mexicanum nanum. 
In Bed O (Fig. 156) there should be a central plant of 
Livistona australis at a, surrounded by Amarantus melan- 
cholicus ruberrimus (A); at b, Fatsia papyrifera; at c, 
Dracena Draco; and at d, Echeveria gibbiflora; B should 
be filled with Tagetes Legion of Honour; C, with Ager- 
atum mexicanum nanum; D, with Iresine Lindenii; and 
E, with Lobelia Erinus compacta. 
Fic. 157. DESIGN FOR CARPET BED (P). 
e 
Fig. 157 (P) may be utilised for either a Carpet or a 
Decorative Bed. If the former, there should be a Pheniax 
dactylifera as a central plant at A, surrounded by Begonia 
Worthiana; a should be filled with Lobelia Cobalt Blue ; 
b, with Alternanthera paronychioides; c, with Mesembryan- 
themum cordifolium variegatum; d, with Echeverit metal- 
lica ; e, with Mentha Pulegium gibraltaricum; f, with Dra- 
cena gracilis; g, with Alternanthera amena; h, with Pyre- 
thrum aureum selaginoides; 1, with Cerastiwm tomentosum. 
Bedding Plants—continued. 
A pretty Decorative Bed for P could be composed as 
follows: A, Yucca filamentosa; a, Pelargonium Black 
Douglas; 6, Pelargonium Harry Cox; c, Pelargonium 
Vesuvius; d, Lobelia Blue Beauty; e, Pyrethrum Golden 
Feather; f, Begonia Worthiana; g, Alternanthera par- 
onychioides magnifica; h, Iresine Lindenii; 1, Mesem- 
bryanthemum cordifolium variegatum. 
———_—— 
Fic. 158. DESIGN FOR CARPET BED (Q). 
At Bed Q (Fig. 158), a may be filled with Echeveria 
secunda; b, with Sempervivum montanuwm; c, with Sem- 
pervivum calcareum; d, with Echeveria secwnda; and 
e, with Owvalis tropxoloides (of gardens). 
Spring Bedding consists in planting Beds in the 
autumn with bulbs and hardy herbaceous subjects for an 
early spring display. When the Summer Bedders have lost 
their beauty, and no longer present an attractive appear- 
ance, they are removed—those that are 
required for next season’s display are placed 
in their winter quarters, whilst the others, 
such as Pelargoniums, from which an ample 
stock of cuttings have been procured, are 
thrown away. It is then usual to dig over 
the Beds, and plant immediately with the 
spring-flowering subjects; this is generally 
done in September and October—the sooner 
the better—so that the plants may be well 
established before winter sets in. 
Bulbs play a very important part in the 
decoration-of the Beds in spring. For this 
purpose they should be procured as soon 
as convenient in the autumn, those known as 
““Dutch bulbs” being inserted as soon as 
they arrive from the Continent, if the best 
results are to be obtained. They answer 
splendidly either grown in Beds by them- 
selves or mixed with other spring-flowering 
subjects, such as Polyanthuses, &c. After 
flowering they must be removed, so as to 
make room for the Summer Bedders, and 
this very often, if not always, has to be 
done before the foliage has died down, in 
which case they must be laid close together 
in Beds in the reserve garden or in damp 
ashes, &c., to thoroughly ripen off. 
The varieties of these subjects are very 
numerous, and it will not be necessary to 
mention them here, as large quantities may 
be procured from our various seedsmen, 
either in named varieties or in mixed sorts. 
The catalogues generally give the colour of 
each kind. 
Hardy annuals are also used for Spring 
Bedding; these are obtained from seed sown in July or 
August in the reserve garden, transplanting the seedlings 
when large enough, so as to make fine strong plants for 
transferring to their permanent positions in September 
and October. 
The hardy perennials, when removed from the Beds in 
spring, are planted in the reserve garden, there to have 
every attention as regards watering, weeding, &c., until 
required for transferring to their flowering quarters again 
