Notes on Flower Gai'den Plants. 73 



dered profusely with rhododendrons and kalmias, (two ever- 

 greens unsurpassed for real beauty, and which are to be had 

 in plenty for the trouble of lifting out of the woods,) with 

 here and there a single specimen of such trees as the Japan 

 cedar, Hemlock spruce, Chili pine, and Deodar cedar sparingly 

 introduced, is strikingly beautiful. In a pleasure ground of 

 this description we question whether the introduction of 

 flower beds would be an improvement. If anything was 

 allowable we should think it an oval bed filled with roses, 

 encircled by an edging of open wire- work to conceal the cut 

 earth, and convey the idea of a huge basket of flowers. 

 Throw an arch over the centre, to form a handle to the bas- 

 ket, and the deception is complete. Suppose there were two 

 such beds, we would plant one of them with white roses, 

 covering the ground with the scarlet verbena " Robinson's 

 Defiance," and the other with dark colored roses, similarly 

 covered with the white verbena *' Hovey's America," with 

 " morning glories" twining on the arches. Such a spot 

 would be completely spoiled if dotted all over at regular dis- 

 tances with trees, even although they were fine specimens.. 

 We would plant them mostly at the sides, keeping the centre- 

 comparatively clear. The Japan cedar (Cryptomeria japoia— 

 ica) is a fine airy looking tree, although somewhat thin, and 

 apt to get into a "brown study" in cold weather. The Chili 

 pine (Araucaria imbricata) is, on the contrary", an uncouth, 

 sombre looking subject, but has a fine eff'ect in the distance. 

 The White pine (Pinusstrobus) is a beautiful foliaged,. noble 

 looking tree in all stages of its growth. The Deodar cedar 

 is one of the most beautiful of evergreen trees, silvery foliage, . 

 and graceful bending branches ; but for denseness of fine 

 green foliage, combined with an elegant wavy habit, . where 

 is there anything superior to the Hemlock spruce ? 



Isolated flower beds, or even where the eye can take in 

 several at a time, are rendered more efiective when planted 

 with flowers of different habits and color, than when wholly 

 composed of one variety. There is much room, for refined 

 taste and fancy in this composition. A centre of scarlet ge- 

 raniums, surrounded with white petunias, these again . bor- 



TOL. XIX. NO. II. 10 



