228 BEDDING PLANTS. 



best' of the red kinds are versicolor^ amoena, and. paronycM- 

 oides ; and of the yellow, aurea and aurea nana. 



Where these alternantheras do not appear as a grass 

 effect throughout the mass of bedding, their proper place is 

 on the extreme edge of the group. Such borders should 

 never be of regular width, but should swell in and out of 

 the general mass. The illustration of the bedding adjoining 

 the Arsenal, Central Park, indicates this method of using 

 alternantheras on the outskirts of the plantations. 



Belonging to the same grass type and blending the 

 larger plants of the bedding with the greensward, are the 

 centaureas, pyrethrums, and nasturtiums. The echeverias 

 do not blend with a general mass of bedding. They are 

 too dwarf and too stiff and formal in appearance, and 

 should therefore be always used in designs by themselves. 

 Indeed, to me their strange, rosette-like shapes are not alto- 

 gether attractive, although they are certainly interesting 

 and curious. Echeverias form the greater part of the 

 famous carj)et-beds and rugs constructed with so much art 

 on many lawns. Two excellent echeverias are metallica 

 and secionda glauca. 



Pyrethrums, sometimes called fever few, or golden 

 feather, are also well suited for border bedding-plants. 

 They are somewhat larger in growth than the alternan- 

 theras, but their contour is soft and agreeable, and blends 

 well with the general mass. The kind best suited for 

 bedding is aureum, on account of its bright yellow color 

 and its dwarf habit. The same irregular treatment of a 

 border arrangement applies as well to pyrethrums as to 

 alternantheras. 



