SUMMER BEDDING SUGGESTIONS 77 



herbaceous borders. Originality in the plants, in the 

 grouping of the plants, and in the colour effect is required. 

 In the new bedding many half-hardy annuals are used. 

 These are planted in association with hardy annuals, and 

 indeed also with some perennials. Chapter IV refers to 

 many annuals which are extremely useful for this purpose. 

 The list of half-hardy annuals at the end of Chapter III also 

 indicates the great variety of plants which there is to choose 

 from. These plants are all beautiful, and some of the 

 half-hardy annuals are entrancingly lovely. There are 

 full descriptions of many of them in good seed catalogues. 



The new sort of bedding is indeed worth trying, and 

 nurserymen are encouraging it by supplying good plants 

 of a large number of annuals at the end of May. 



If it is necessary to raise the stock oneself, it involves 

 a little more trouble than with Geraniums, etc. The seed 

 of some half-hardy annuals does not germinate very well, 

 and the young plants are liable to damp off after being 

 pricked out unless care be taken. But then gardening is 

 dull if it is easy. There is pleasure to be gained in expe- 

 rience, and added beauty for the borders. 



Originality of Arrangement : The arrangement of plants 

 in their summer beds should be original, on a well- 

 thought out scheme. Avoid straight lines and geometrical 

 figures. The borders themselves may be geometrically 

 shaped, but the planting arrangement should be simple 

 and natural, and not geometrical. Consider, for instance, 

 a long border in which the so-called carpet bedding has 

 been laid down in accurate triangles of different colours, 

 edged top and bottom with some small white or pink plant ; 

 or a circular bed divided into smaller circles, each planted 

 with some neat dwarf growing plant of a separate colour. 

 One may be struck with the skill of the gardener or admire 

 the grouping of the colours, but after all, such borders may 

 look ornate but quite unnatural. 



Nature did not intend plants to be arranged thus. In 

 the country you never find plants growing in triangles, 

 squares, and circles, but in irregular patches ; and if a 



