ee eae cheerful “ merrie” month of May—once 
4 again unfolds her flowery mantle. Our beds and 
ee borders are now bespangled o’er with the varied and 
beautiful tints of opening flowers. The pits and greenhouses offer the 
garden their winter-stored subjects, already bursting into active growth, 
and eager to breathe the free and open air. Some caution and care 
must, however, still be exercised ; the return of occasional sharp frost 
during the past fortnight reminds us that all danger is not quite passed, 
and that it will be advisable to be prepared with some protecting 
material to shelter, in case of need, such plants as are most susceptible 
of injury. Amongst the usual bedding plants, do not forget Cuphea 
platycentra, Heliotropium Voltairianum, Plumbago Larpente, &e. 
If not already decided upon, determine at once all your plans; pay 
particular attention to the arrangement of colours. A flower-garden 
may be richly furnished with plants, but be very ineffective if the 
colours are badly arranged. For producing brilliant effect in masses, 
reject parti-coloured flowers; such are never effective. Use pure and 
decided colours, such as brilliant scarlet, pure white, deep purple, 
bright yellow, &c.; those which are in close affinity kill each other. 
Take care not to mix plants which are of doubtful duration when in 
bloom with those of a more permanent character; remembering always 
that the beauty of a formal flower-garden depends upon its being in all 
its details a perfect work of art, in which no blemish should occur, 
There must be high keeping, symmetry, judicious arrangement of 
colours (traceable to fixed principles), or it will not form a satisfactory 
whole. Young gardeners should attend to this. Many persons plant 
their stock so thinly that their beds are not covered till late in the 
season; we advise thick planting for speedy effect. 
Where annuals are required for late flowering, they may yet be 
sown; and hardy annuals that have come up too numerously should 
be thinned out, so as to retain but enough to be vigorous. Tender 
annuals, raised in pots or frames, should be taken, with as much soil to 
the roots as possible, and after the middle of the month be carefully 
planted out. After all planting is done, the next operations will be 
training and pegging down the plants; this is a tedious but most im- 
portant process towards having well-furnished beds. Climbing plants 
will now require training from time to time, according to their 
growth. 
Forists’ FLowrrs.—A mongst these we may class the Antirrhinum; 
many of the kinds now in cultivation are exceedingly pretty, and deserve 
to be grown. Now is the best period to plant them out in beds, there- 
fore, if not already done, no time should be lost in procuring such as 
