THE SUMMER GARDEN 



(continued}. 



" Another thing also much too commonly seen, is an aberration of the 

 human mind, which otherwise I should have been ashamed to warn you of. 

 It is technically called carpet-gardening. Need I explain it further ? 1 

 had rather not, for when I think of it, even when I am quite alone, 1 

 blush with shame at the thought" W. MORRIS, HOPES AND FEARS 

 FOR ART. 



CHAPTER XV. 



SUMMER-BEDDING. 1 



WHEN the bedding system first came into vogue, it was no doubt 

 its extreme brightness, or what we should now call its " gaudiness," that 

 caused it to hold the position it did ; but it was soon done to death. 

 Only scarlet Geraniums, yellow Calceolarias, blue Lobelias, or purple 

 Verbenas were used ; and the following year, by way of a change, 

 there were Verbenas, Calceolarias, and Geraniums, the constant 

 repetition of this scarlet, yellow, and blue nauseating even those with 

 little taste in gardening matters, whilst those with finer perceptions 

 began to inquire for the Parsley bed, by way of relief. Such a state 

 of things could not continue ; but yet the system could not be given 

 up for several reasons a very good one being that the great bulk of 

 hardy flowers had been ruthlessly swept out of the garden to make 

 room for bedding plants, and so gardeners being, as it were, in 

 desperate straits the development of the bedding system began, 

 and foliage plants of various colours were mixed with the flowers. 

 Then followed standard graceful foliage plants and hardy carpeting 

 plants ; and now dwarf-growing shrubs are freely associated with the 



1 As the aim of this book is to show in how many ways we can make a garden beautiful 

 apart from the bedding system, that system is described by one who carries it out with 

 great success. 



