296 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE, 
few examples of planting. For borders clear of other plants, and 
three feet and upwards in width, the following arrangement may be 
recommended :—Back row, dark single Wallflower ; next row, single 
yellow Waliflower, and a front row of Myosotis dissitiflora. A 
border may be planted thus with good effect :—Back row, Myosotis 
dissitiflora, next Alyssum sazatile compactum, next two rows of 
double red or crimson Daisies. I need not give more instances 
of how the plants can be arranged, as all the most useful plants can 
be used in the same way, with giving them various positions. 
In beds the style of planting can be varied to suit all positions 
and tastes. One or two examples will therefore suffice, and for a 
round bed astar of white Daisies in the centre, the spaces between 
the points of the star filled in with red or crimson Daisies, and an 
edging of the same about ten inches wide, has a beautiful and lasting 
effect. A round bed of the pink Saponaria calabrica, with a broad 
marginal band of Silene pendula alba, is very pretty. The pink and 
white variety of Silene pendula compacta may be varied according 
to taste in beds of all shapes. The Awbrietias are indispensable in 
the spring garden, as they flower continuously from February wntil 
June, A centre of red or white Daisies and an edging of Aubrietias 
does well in contrast. A centre of Myosostis dissitiflora and a broad 
edging of Alyssum saxatile compactum makes another telling bed. 
In every case the planter must bear in mind that small patches of 
colour are not so telling as with the summer bedders, and where 
the beds are small it will prove more satisfactory to fill them with 
separate and distinct colours. The beautiful laced Polyanthuses, 
which are now to be had ata reasonable price, make a charming bed, 
and should be planted by themselves. 
To have a satisfactory display of flowers in the spring it is neces- 
sary to have good plants, and to put them sufficiently close together 
to cover the soil, with the exception of seedling plants, such as the 
Silene and Saponaria. These grow apace in early spring, and if put 
out about four inches apart, will cover the beds in good time. Not 
so with Daisies and Aubrietias, Wallflowers and Polyanthuses, for it is 
very little growth they make before they come into flower, so that 
moderately thick planting is necessary. In every case plant firm, or 
the winter frosts will, likely enough, draw the plants out of the 
ground. Very few people seem to know what a glorious display of 
flowers a bed of mixed Pansies makes in early spring. Still less do 
they know how little is the cost of seed, time, and labour for spring 
gardening. Much injury has been done by the makeshift methods 
that have been resorted to. People will and do spend both time 
and money lavishly upon summer bedding, and because the spring 
flowers will not adapt themselves to a very niggardly system they 
go to the wall, and then the plants and not the system is blamed. 
How erroneons it is to blame the plants is abundantly demonstrated 
in any well-ordered arrangement of spring flowers, and, thanks to 
those who can and do know how to admire and grow them, there 
are plenty of opportunities offered to convince the most sceptical 
that spring flowers are as amenable to generous treatment as the 
fashionable summer flowers. 
