32 



GARDENIJ^G FOR PLEASURE. 



again, we have the mixed borders of bedding plants, a 

 heterogeneous grouping of a]l kinds of tropical plants, 

 still holding to tlie plan of either placing the highest at 

 the back of the border if it has only one walk, or, if a bed 

 has a walk on each side, the highest in the middle, and 

 the plants sloping down to the walk on each side. The 

 mixed system still has its advocates, who deprecate the 

 modern plan of massing color as being too formal, and 

 too unnatural a w\ay to dispose of flowers. But be that 

 as it may, we will not stop to argue the matter further 

 than to state, that on a visit to England in 1872, and 

 again in 1885, it was most evident that the '' Carpet 

 Styles " of massing plants, as done at Battersea Park and 



other public gardens in 

 London, were interesting 

 to the people in a way that 

 no mixed border con Id 

 ever be. Any one who 

 has not yet seen the won- 

 derful effects produced by 

 the massing of plants in 

 this way, has a treat before 

 him. Nearly all the pub- 

 lic parks in and about 

 London are so planted, 

 and thousands of cottage 

 gardens vie with each other in imitation of the parks. 

 But to plant m patterns or in ribbon lines requires for 

 immediate effect a large number of plants, for the reason 

 that they must be so set out that they will meet to form 

 continuous masses shortly after planting. 



An illustration in circles (for convenience) is given in 

 figure 8, to show what plants can be massed together to 

 give a pleasing effect. Of course, it will be understood 

 that a bed of any shape can be planted in this manner as 

 Y»-ell as circular beds, only keeping in view the icidth of 



FiS. 8.— DIAGRAM OF FLOWER BED. 



