THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



175 



bidden, and the order given to concentrate the 

 labour on summer and autumn display. This fact 

 those who disparage summer bedding would do well 

 to take into account, for none will dispute that 

 the owner of a garden has a just right to de- 

 mand from a servant the carrying out of whatever 

 branch of gardening is best suited to his arrange- 

 ments. 



The cultivation of spring flowers in permanent 

 hardy flower borders, or in front of shrubbery 

 clomps on the lawn and turf, or in large masses at 

 the sides of woodlzmd walks, is altogether a sepa- 

 rate question. This way of growing them being 

 virtually no expense in labour or otherwise, no em- 

 ployer can possibly object to their being thus grown 

 in the greatest possible abundance ; and every real 

 gardener who has once got a taste for this way of 

 growing them will not easily be diverted from the 

 path. Of course to get a good and extensive dis- 

 play is a work of time and patience, yet repajnment 

 comes wonderfully quickly. Snowdrops, Primroses, 

 Daffodils, Wood Anemones, and Wild Hyacinths 

 are generally to be had by the thousand on all large 

 estates, and only need collection and arrangement to 

 produce grand floral effects in spring. What looks 

 more natural tlian to see clumps of these on the turf, 

 even in the most dressy parts ? As a rule they have 

 done flowfiring before mowing is needed. Or if not 

 on the turf, why not in large clumps in front of 

 shrubberies, and, stxE better, under deciduous trees? 

 Add to the common kinds just named those that can 

 be bought at an extraordinarily cheap rate — viz.. 

 Crocuses, Pheasant's-eye, and double Narcissus, 

 Scillas, Dog's-tooth Tiolets, double and single Prim- 

 roses, Polyanthus, Cowslips, double Daisies, Hepati- 

 cas, Pansies, Myosotis, Aubrietias, Arabis, and 

 Alyssums — also the kinds that come readily from 

 seeids, such as Wallflowers, Stocks, Silenes, Candy- 

 tufts, limnanthes, Collinsias, and many others, and 

 it will be seen what a wealth of spring beauty is 

 possible at a merely nominal cost. The planting of 

 most kinds is of a permanent nature, the advent of 

 ■each spring finding them of increased vigour and 

 extent, producing a corresponding degree of pleasure 

 in every lover of flowers, and especially in those that 

 were privileged to plant them. 



For villa and cottage gardens there is no better 

 way of obtaining spring flowers than by planting 

 them in permanent groups on the turf or in the 

 borders round about the house ; indeed, it is by this 

 old-fashioned mode of planting that scores of our 

 old-fashioned flowers (which are again becoming 

 *' new ") have been preserved to us. Annuals and 

 biennials must of course have border culture, but 

 every description of bulbous-rooted spring flowers 

 should be on turf or in the shrubbery border, for it is 



there they look best, give least trouble, and, what U 

 a consideration in small gardens, take up virtually 

 no space. 



Spring Bedding — The above is one phase of 

 spring gardening, the other and larger being that of 

 spring bedding, a branch rendered the more neces- 

 sary some few years back, owing to the general 

 practice of summer bedding, a style of flower gar- 

 dening that caused such a blank in gardens as soon 

 as severe frost set in, that it was felt that " some- 

 thing must be done " towards remedying such a 

 state of things. Hence the advent of uintcr and, 

 more generally, of spring bedding-out, but neither 

 has as yet received the universal adoption that the 

 inexpensiveness of either would warrant. All, 

 without exception, admit that one or the other is 

 necessary to supplement sununer bedding, the diffi- 

 culty in many cases being which to adopt, a point 

 that can only be decided by those most nearly con- 

 cerned. The best aid to solution is to ask whether 

 winter effectiveness and brightness shall be pre- 

 ferred to spring gaiety of flowers ; and to this must 

 be added that other consideration before-named — 

 at which season is the family in residence ? If 

 longest in winter, then shrubs and hardy carpeting 

 plants should stand before spring flowers, which, 

 though they do furnish the beds in winter, are for 

 the most part so small and uninteresting at that 

 season as to be but a mere apology for furnishing. 

 A combination of the two styles of planting is pos- 

 sible — i.e., shrubs and spring flowers — but at neither 

 season does the garden look so well when thus 

 planted, as it does when either winter or spring 

 planting is adopted, each in its entirety ; and 

 being much more difficult to carry out, it is scarcely 

 worthy of consideration. 



It is presumed that the foregoing remarks show a 

 sufficient reason for the adoption of spring bedding. 

 To do the same well, the first essential is a reserve 

 garden — that is, a plot of ground set apart for the 

 transference of the plants at the end of the flowering 

 season from the garden proper, to be prepared by 

 division and other modes of propagation for the 

 following season's use. The best site for such a 

 garden is that of a shady border ; north and east 

 aspects are best, for the obvious reason that when the 

 plants are lifted at the end of May or beginning of 

 June, the weather is warm and dry, hence shade or 

 a cool spot is indispensable to the early re-establish- 

 ment of the plants. Besides, they grow best under 

 such conditions, red spider and other insects being 

 troublesome when grown in the full sun, or if they 

 suffer from drought. It will be gathered from this 

 that moisture and liberal culture are necessary to 

 the obtaining of a healthy growth, vrithout which 



