298 A HISTORY OF GARDENING IN ENGLAND 



Sir George Larpent, and exhibited in 1847. Among Geraniums, 

 " Tom Thumb " had at that date already secured a foremost 

 place, and was used everywhere for many years. Ageratum 

 Mexicanum was much in demand " for planting in masses in 

 the summer," and was considered " a capital thing for 

 bouquets." Bouquets were constructed of flowers pressed 

 closely together, and arranged so as to present a flat surface 

 of circular shape. The Ageratum was generally accompanied 

 by geraniums, calceolarias, and perhaps a rosebud or two, 

 surrounded by leaves of some scented geranium, tightly bound 

 together with geometric precision. It was only during the 

 last quarter of the century that the fashion came in of fasten- 

 ing bouquets loosely and allowing a certain amount of freedom 

 to each spray, also putting only one or two kinds of flowers 

 together and limiting the shades of colour. 



A change of taste began to show itself about the same time 

 in " bedding out." This system still was held in great esteem, 

 and even those who bewailed as a misfortune that the " garden 

 was only full from Midsummer to Michaelmas," and the re- 

 maining nine months of the year it " was a dreary blank," saw 

 no remedy save in the further development of the same 

 idea. " The bedding system," bemoans a prolific writer on 

 gardening, 1 is " only half developed. It is very much to be 

 feared it will never be known as a complete system, but that 

 it is doomed to remain an example of arrested development, 

 so far as the mass of the people are concerned." He goes on 

 to regret that " ten thousand gardens that would otherwise 

 have been rich in attractions of a permanent character, and 

 comparatively exhaustless in interest, have been reduced to 

 the condition of manufactories, and the summer show, as a 

 proof to all observers of what the factory could produce." 

 In spite of misgivings and a lurking fondness for " the hardy 

 herbaceous border, that is the best feature of the garden, 

 though commonly regarded as the worst," he advances no 

 new plan beyond a suggestion that spring as well as summer 

 flowers should be placed in the beds. The expense of the 

 summer show was already so enormous that few could attempt 

 more, and when a new solution of the difficulty was found, 

 1 The Amateur Flower-Garden, by Shirley Hibberd, 1875. 



