BULBS IN BEDS AND BORDERS, 19 



borders of more ample scope quite a wealth of beautiful 

 spring, summer, and autumn-flowering bulbs may, how- 

 ever, be grown in a less formal fashion, in groups or 

 masses, in conjunction with other hardy plants, and this 

 is really the most effective way of growing them. 



I. CULTURE IN BEDS. 



Colour Schemes When grown in beds the reader 

 has the choice of growing a number of kinds, arranged in 

 rows or circles according to height; or, as in the case of 

 a group of beds, of devoting a bed to each kind. In either 

 event a good effect can only be ensured by planting the 

 bulbs according to a properly-defined colour scheme. Beds 

 planted with mixed varieties of hyacinths or tulips are 

 an exception to this rule, since their colours will blend 

 harmoniously ; but, where rows or lines of distinct colour 

 are used, then attention should be paid to arranging those 

 colours that properly harmonise with each other. Gene- 

 rally speaking, shades of red, pink, rose, salmon, and 

 scarlet; purple, lilac, and yellow; crimson, blue, and 

 white; and yellow and orange, blend nicely together; 

 whereas red and yellow, yellow and blue, violet and red, 

 scarlet and yellow, orange and magenta, or crimson and 

 orange are offensive mixtures, which should be strictly 

 avoided. 



Bulbs Carpeted with Spring-flowering; 

 Plants. The modern plan is, as far as possible, to plant 

 one colour of hyacinth or tulip in a bed, and to carpet the 

 surface with some spring-flowering plant. Thus a bed of 

 crimson tulips or blue hyacinths carpeted with the white- 

 flowered double arabis or a white viola; or yellow daffo- 

 dils with a groundwork of orange polyanthus, Purple 

 Queen wallflower, or aubrietia; white hyacinths or tulips 

 with blue forget-me-nots or blue viola; scarlet tulips or 

 hyacinths with pink Silene pendula compacta ; or salmon 



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