THE FLOWER GAEDEN. 



223 



Character of Plants.— Tke first condition 

 essential to selection is that the plants shall be dis- 

 tinctively Jine-foUaged plants (not necessarily flower- 

 less) ; another is that they shall be of easy culture ; 

 and a third, that they be of rapid growth. The last 

 condition is of great importance, when the shortness 

 of our most favourable summers is taken into account, 

 and rapidity of effectiveness is necessary to get any- 

 thing like satisfaction for the labour spent. Good 

 culture will do something in this direction, such as 

 taking. pains with the raising of the plants, letting 

 them have no check either from staying too long 

 in the seed-pans, or getting root-bound before re- 

 potting, or exposing them to the atmosphere before 

 they have been duly prepared by partial and gradual 

 hardening off ; and, lastly, by sparing no pains in the 

 preparation of the beds. Warmth of soil is insured 

 in the coldest districts by well draining, trenching 

 deeply, and throwing' up the soil above the ground- 

 level of the turf, that the sun may have full power, 

 not only on the flat portion of the bed, but through 

 the upraised earth. As to manure, plants of this 

 character will take any quantity in reason, and need 

 it quite as much to develop their full beauty as for 

 rapidity of growth. 



Site for Sub-tropical Beds. — The plants, for 

 the most part, being tall, and some of them tender, 

 naturally suggest shelter. A deep dell, and an open 

 slope sheltered from north-east winds, are both ex- 

 cellent sites, and if close to a lake or stream the 

 value of such sites will be increased, as some of the 

 plants only look their best in association with water, 

 notably so the Arundos, Bamboos, and Phormiums. 

 Another desirable condition in the choice of site is, 

 that the surroundings be sufiiciently massive ; or in 

 other words, that there be a good background either 

 of shrubs, banks of turf, ivy, or other greenery ; 

 such solid surroundings are quite indispensable to 

 hiing out the full beauty of such finely-cut foliage 

 as that of the Sumachs, or the flowery panicles of 

 Socconia eordata, or of Sumea eUgans. 



These of course are named as best sites, but the 

 owner of a small villa garden, if he only has shelter, 

 may if so inclined have a first-rate sub-tropical bed. 

 Say for instance he has a, large circular bed, and 

 wishes it planted effectively after the sub-tropical 

 fashion ; here is the arrangement. In the middle 

 plant a large clump of the hardy Bamboo {Arundi- 

 naria japonica, generally grown under name of Bam- 

 busa Metake) ; or else of New Zealand Flax {Phormium 

 tenax) ; then three plants, equal in size, of seedling^Z- 

 bizzia lophantha, generally known as Acacia lophantha; 

 and next six plants of Grevillea robusta; the outer row 

 of all being twelve plants of variegated Abutilon ; . 

 the edging to be the hardy variegated Plantain Lily 



[Fuiikia ovaia variegata). All these plants can be 

 bought at the price usually paid for common 

 Geraniums, and are therefore within the reach of all. 

 The bed can be filled out either with flowering or 

 foliage plants ; . considering the position, we should 

 advise the former, the kinds to be either Geraniums 

 or Fuchsias, or both in mixture ; should foliage 

 plants be preferred, variegated Thyme, Gold Feather 

 Pyrethrum, or any of the mossy selection of Sedums, 

 would be appropriate. 



Arrangement and T'orm of Beds. — ^Though 

 there are numbers of plants that do well singly in 

 isolated positions on the turf, and some should thus 

 be planted, care and good judgment are needed in 

 their dispersion, otherwise the garden will present a 

 too " dotty '* appearance. Good breadths of turf be- 

 tween each bed are of infinitely greater importance 

 than even the arrangement of plants in the beds, 

 hence the necessity for being specially particular as 

 to the planting of single specimens on the turf. An 

 angular nook, or a piece of turf of that form, or as a 

 divisional line to a set of beds — these are the only 

 rightful places for single specimen plants in the 

 sub-tropical garden ; whilst as to shape or form of 

 beds, none are so telling as ovals and rounds, and 

 the size of each should be determined by the size of 

 the garden, not forgetting that wide spaces of turf 

 between each are of the greatest importance. Long 

 borders, not formal in design, but the front part 

 running in irregular semi-circular shape, are also 

 suitable forms for sides of banks which are well 

 backed up with shrubs. The free and stately habit 

 of growth of all kinds of sub-tropicals, is sufficient 

 of itself to show how inappropriate fantastically 

 formed beds would be in a sub-tropical garden, and 

 therefore their adoption should never be thought of. 



Arrangement of Plants. — If due regard be 

 had to avoidance of the "dotting" mentioned in the 

 preceding paragraph, and the beds are of a good size 

 with wide sweeps of lawn between them, the general 

 arrangement of the whole will be of the easiest 

 description; for even if the variety of plants at 

 command be limited, it will then be possible to so 

 intermix and place them apart, that want of variety 

 will only be observable after strict scrutiny. What 

 we shall call the mixed plan of arrangement is that 

 we practise, and recommend ; for though it is most 

 usual to have a bed of a kind, there is about such 

 an arrangement, however elegant the plant may be, 

 a lack of variety and a " lumpy " appearance most 

 objectionable from any, but particularly from a true 

 garden artist's point of view. 



Strictly adhering to this mixed plan, the follow- 

 ing is an arrangement for the long border above 



