316 HARDY BEDDING 



Among March and April bloomers there are Russian violets, 

 the Japanese Adonis, the dwarf-crested iris, golden tuft, and moss 

 pink. Under these we can grow snowdrops, grape hyacinths 

 (plate 104), glory of the snow (see plate 104), and scillas, getting 

 two crops of flowers before the ordinary flower beds are even 

 planted, and this, too, without such extravagant methods as we 

 see in the Boston Public Gardens, where everything is potted, 

 forced under glass, and then set out. 



Among the best October-blooming or frost-resisting flowers 

 are pompon chrysanthemums, the Napoleon III pink, gail- 

 lardias, and nine kinds of hardy asters. Under the edging plants 

 you can put three kinds of autumn-blooming crocuses and main- 

 tain a succession from September almost to Thanksgiving. 



NEED OF EXPERIMENTING 



The reader must not jump to the conclusion that any filler 

 here recommended will do with any centre piece, or any bulb 

 under any carpet. For instance, it is said that you can grow 

 tulips in a peony bed, but not daffodils, because tulips can stand 

 as much manure as peonies need, while daffodils cannot. The 

 whole subject is experimental. Some successful combinations 

 are known, but hundreds are still to be proved. Gardeners 

 interested in this line of work ought to report their successes and 

 failures to the horticultural press. 



POINTS TO REMEMBER 



In conclusion, it seems to me that there are only two positions 

 of the first importance where formal beds are really needed, viz., 

 near the house and in the garden. For the first position the 

 noblest plants are the broad-leaved evergreens, especially American 



