CHAPTER VIII 



CARPET PLANTS 



I WISH to say something more on the " Carpet 

 Plants," which I mentioned in my paper on the 

 Flowers of Spring.^ A short paper will be 

 enough for the purpose. 



By carpet plants, I do not at all mean the 

 plants that generally compose the so-called 

 carpet beds. These beds are, in my view, the 

 worst form of summer bedding, being generally 

 composed of stiff, parallel or concentric lines of 

 sempervivums, echeverias, and other plants, so 

 arranged as to give the impression of a small 

 carpet or rug. They are dearly loved by many 

 gardeners — even many good gardeners — and are 

 the especial delight of nurserymen ; but I cannot 

 admire them, while I do very much admire a 

 good use of carpet plants. For these carpet 

 plants the following points are necessary : they 

 must be evergreen, that is, they must not only 

 clothe the ground in summer and autumn, but all 

 through the year ; they must be of a soft, tender 

 nature, so that such bulbs as snowdrops, crocuses, 

 squills, chionodoxa, etc., and such plants as ane- 



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