MAKING BEDS AND BORDERS 85 



The gardener has always to consider the 

 trouble Involved in maintaining the shapes 

 of his beds, and this should make him cautious 

 about indulging in figures the geometry of 

 which is not very obvious. With rectangular 

 beds the stretched cord is always a sure guide 

 for the turf trimmer, and with circular beds, 

 or those bounded by straight lines and parts 

 of a circle, the radius cord attached to a stake 

 at the centre of curvature is a simple expedient 

 for controlling the shape. It is otherwise 

 with "fancy" shapes, when the eye alone can 

 be called upon to keep things right. 



Opinions differ on the question of camber 

 in the surface of the soil, if we may judge by 

 examples, some preferring to keep the surface 

 flat, and others to heap it up until the bed takes 

 on the semblance of a gigantic pincushion. 

 Safety lies in the happy medium. Some 

 camber is desirable as a means for throwing 

 off the water during heavy showers, and it 

 improves the appearance of the flowers, 

 particularly when they are all of a height, as 

 in bedding practice. Excessive camber tends 

 to drain off the moisture from the crown 

 of the bed. 



