862 THE FLOBAL WORLD AND GARDEN GCIDE. 



THE EFFECTIVE ARRANGEMENT OF SPRING 

 FLOWERS. 



BY W. GARDIKER. 



\S the flower-beds and borders are usually filled with springs 

 blooming plants during the month of November, I have 

 prepared a few notes on their effective arrangement, 

 with a view to assist those amateurs who are not well 

 acquainted with them. 

 I shall not attempt to describe the cultural details connected with 

 getting up a stock of spring bedders, but, instead, relate a few of 

 the points of my own practice, and at the same time give a few 

 examples of planting, which have been found here to be worthy of 

 general adoption. We have a long narrow border, which is to be 

 planted as follows. Next the grassverge will be a row of Double White 

 -Daisies, and then rows of the following in the order in which they are 

 named : DoubleEed Daisies, Golden Feather, Aubrietia deltoides, and 

 Arabis albida. Here are five distinct varieties of early spring flowers 

 that will, from March until the end of May, furnish a display of colour ; 

 but, owing to the favourable position, I expect them to be at their 

 best from the middle of April onwards. None of these subjects are 

 difiicult to handle. They were taken up and divided at the end of 

 last May, and planted in a sbady border, and the only attention they 

 received afterwards was one or two good soakings of water during 

 August, when the weather was dry. 



The most showy subjects for distinct beds, or for prominent bits 

 of colouring, are Alyssum saxatile cowpackim, yellow, and Ibens 

 gihraliica, white ; both are fine and showy. The following arrange- 

 ments produce a charming combination : Centre of Alyssum, with 

 an edging of Iberis, reversing them in the next match bed; then, 

 again, at centre of another bed, Mijosotis sylvatica edged with 

 Alyssum. The proportion of blue must be considerably larger than 

 the other, or the strong tone of the yellow will kill it. It will be 

 well to bear this in mind when arranging the Forget-me-nots, for 

 even the white variety, when used in equal quantities, is too over- 

 powering. It will thus be seen that there is no lack of tasteful 

 combinations, if we know how to use the plants. What can be 

 prettier for a moderate-sized bed than a centre of either the Alyssum 

 or Iberis edged with a broad band of Aubrietia ? AU flower at the 

 same time, and will satisfy the most exigent critic. 



Here, again, is a round bed, ten feet over, divided into four 

 quarters by a line of the Golden Feather, placed at right angles 

 from the centre of the bed. In one quarter we have Aubrietia 

 deltoides, in the corresponding one Double Red Daisies, and in the 

 other two Double White Daisies and the Cliveden Blue Pansy. The 

 last arrangement is admirably adapted for Forget-me-nots alone. 

 By planting the divisional lines with the white variety, and filling 

 in the segments with the blue, the effect will be remarkably pleasing. 

 The next pair may be filled with blue Pansies, edged with Golden 



