BEDDING PLANTS. 



231 



DOUBLE GERANIUM. 



distinct and lovely leaf shadings and less conspicuous 

 flowers. Third and last conies the silver-leaved, well repre- 

 sented by the variety Mountain of Snow. 

 This variety stands the sun well. 



Geraniums are excellent for bedding 

 throughout the summer until frost comes, 

 and are comparatively free from disease. 

 Their forms are picturesque and compact- 

 growing, covering the ground well, ^vhile 

 few bedding plants will grow in dry sandy 

 soil better and continue to resist the effects 

 of drought so long. The colors of the different kinds 

 of geraniums mentioned above are so distinct that, on 

 expei'iment, it will be found that the most effective com- 

 binations can be made of their various tints. It is not a 

 generally accepted statement, but I believe it to be never- 

 theless true, that every geranium bed should have a border 

 round it of pyrethrum, alternanthera, or similar plants 

 of the grass type. This is, of course, simply following out 

 the principles of bedding design I have 

 already laid down. 



We come now to the most important 

 plant f(jr color effect that we use in bed- 

 ding. The coleus is widely known and 

 appreciated. It has been propagated and 

 varied by cultivation until its wonderful 

 capacity for sporting has given us an 

 astonishing number of the most diverse- 

 looking sorts. The leaves are spotted, shaded, and striped 

 with every conceivable tint of red, yellow, brown, purple, 



SINGLE GERANIUM. 



