CHAPTER VII 

 Flower Beds Large and Small 



THE shape of the bed in which plants are grown has an appreciable 

 nfluence upon their appearance. If we want to display a certain 

 lower, of average height, probably we cannot do better than give it 

 a round or oval bed all to itself ; but there are other methods whereby 

 different flowers can be assorted pleasantly, as well as other shapes 

 or beds better suited to trim growers not more than a foot.high. 



A fair combination of flower beds is shown by Fig. 1, and this 

 should set the gardener's mind to work inventing other arrangements 

 of beds divided by lawn, gravel, or pavement. 



The central bed is a round : let us imagine it filled with Helio- 

 ;rope young plants at the edge, trained older ones in the centre, and, 

 f we wish so to fill it, let us keep it bare until June. Meanwhile 

 we may plant the other beds with Viola?, mauve at A, yellow at B, 

 :ream at c, and dark purple at D. This is a beautiful design on a 

 arge scale, for a central mass of Delphiniums and all white peren- 

 nials in A, B, c, D. If it is sown with annuals, choose miniature 

 Sunflowers of one of the newer, dwarf kinds, and scarlet, cream,, 

 maroon-black, and gold Tom Thumb Nasturtiums. 



A novel chape is shown by Fig 2. To plant this with large 

 plants is to sacrifice its individuality altogether, but if it is sown 

 with a low annual such as Eschscholtzia Mandarin compacta, it will 

 give great pleasure. As a Pansy or Viola bed it is also meritorious, 

 while the lover of carpet bedding has only to plant it throughout in 

 a series of ribbon lines to follow the shape. 



Different shapes for small beds, one beneath each of the standard 

 Roses that are often quaintly ranged along lawn edges, will do much 

 to relieve the monotony that exists before the different colours of the 

 Hoses appear. Figs. 3, 6 and 7 offer some suitable outlines, Fig. 6 

 (p. 51) being the most difficult to cut but satisfactory in its origin- 

 ality. Double daisies are remarkably fine flowers nowadays, and 



