236 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



Mat, 1911 



in a sunken garden fronting the plant- 

 houses, and the approaches from the en- 

 trance gate. See Fig. 12. Necessarily 

 geometrical, this has been maintained al- 

 ways in its original design of formal beds 

 edged with turf and separated by gravel 

 walks. Nearly everything customary in 

 bedding has been tried here, more or less 

 satisfactorily; the beds being massed with 

 tulips in early spring and given over to 

 other flowers or bright foliage through the 

 summer. Though the bulbs and such 

 formal plants as pelargoniums have given 

 most satisfaction when planted solidly, 

 (Fig. 13) the most pleasing effects have 

 comej from the combination in each bed of 

 a taller central type such as Phyllanthus, 

 Acalypha, Salvia, Lantana, Croton, Vinca, 

 Coleus,Talinum, Stevia, Plumbago, Nierem- 

 bergia, or Caladium marmoratum, and a 

 lower flanking form of finer texture such 

 as Santolina, Alyssum, Cineraria, Agera- 

 tum, Achyranthes, Alternanthera, Peris- 

 trophe, etc. Patterns in simple fines are 

 commonly used flanking the approaches 

 from the gate — necessarily in the low 

 growing compact foliage forms that bear 

 clipping well, sometimes with relief fiere 

 and there by the use of a single kind of 

 Croton, Acalypha or the like taller type. 

 Very pretty effects are produced by the 



two-species treatment of individual beds, the 

 ideal in which is harmony through the 

 entire garden and especially a lack of dis- 

 cord in form, texture or color in each bed. 

 A few of the best combinations are: 

 Acalypha and Alternanthera; Salvia, 

 Plumbago and Cineraria; Talinum patens 

 and Alternanthera. For the working out 

 of a simple pattern to be viewed from a 

 distance, I have never seen anything 

 more delicately beautiful than Ageratum 

 and Stevia. Aiming at presenting infor- 

 mation as well as pleasing the eye, as an 

 educational garden must, we have adopted 

 the plan of labeling each component of 

 such combinations, using a small unob- 

 trusive zinc marker, exposed for reading, 

 but scarcely evident except on close ap- 

 proach. 



Though less justifiable technically, sim- 

 ilar masses of a single kind, or of two sup- 

 porting kinds, have been used rather ex- 

 tensively at intervals in a carpet of turf 

 separating walks in certain parts of the 

 garden; pansies, daisies or other early an- 

 nuals precede them, as bulbs do the others. 

 Nearly the entire gamut of flower and 

 foliage has been rung on these — few more 

 delightful plants having been found than 

 the very dwarf varieties of pomegranate 

 and crepe myrtle. It is needless to say 



that a plant having been attractively in- 

 troduced once is sought in vain elsewhere; 

 the purpose here being to present as many 

 kinds as possible. In a private garden 

 even better effects in color would be se- 

 cured by the far simpler use of a smaller 

 number of these varieties at any one time, 

 massed in abundance, and varied year 

 by year. 



One compromise between the school 

 garden and the bedding plan of growing 

 herbaceous plants, chiefly perennials, has 

 been worked out in the presentation of 

 some hundreds of attractive and in- 

 structive "botanical" forms in classified 

 sequence between low hedges which form 

 a part of the geometrical plan of the 

 grounds. See Fig. 14. The species are 

 singly clumped in ovals or circles cut in the 

 turf. The idea involved is somewhat that 

 which makes an art collection more in- 

 structive when distributed through a 

 succession of rooms than gathered into a 

 single hall; and the pleasure of wander- 

 ing through and examining a sequence 

 of interesting or beautiful objects is 

 greater to some people than the once- 

 and-for-all burst of beauty offered by a 

 massed presentation in which individual 

 attractiveness is lost in the collective 

 impression. 



III. — HOW tO GrOW Bedding Plants — By H. C. Irish and Otto Bogula 



npHE aim of bedding is to maintain an un- 

 *- interrupted display from early spring 

 until autumn frosts. 



The ideal bedding plant is one of grace- 

 ful habit, healthy foliage, showy and, if 

 a flowering plant, with continuous and full 

 bloom. 



From a landscape standpoint flower 

 beds do not serve any useful purpose. 

 They may be valuable when separated 

 from the landscape so as to be a special 

 feature in themselves, e. g., in a sunken 

 garden or one shut off from the lawn by 

 high hedges. 



As a rule it is better to have one variety 

 in a bed, especially if the bed is small; 

 otherwise the varieties may be combined. 



It is often advantageous to make a bed 

 flanking a group of shrubs, in which case 

 such plants as cosmos and hollyhock could 

 well form the background, intermingling 

 with the shrubs and forming a pleasing 

 connection between the shrubs and the 

 larger mass of lower bedding plants in 

 front. By an alternating mixture of holly- 

 hock and cosmos in such a place a most 

 satisfactory succession of bloom is pro- 

 duced. 



SPRING BEDDING PLANTS 



English daisies, sweet-william, pansies, 

 and violas are grown from seed sown in 

 shallow boxes in coldframes the latter part 

 of August and transplanted to the cold- 

 frames as they become large enough to 

 handle. During winter the frames are 

 covered with hotbed sash and during the 



coldest weather the sash are covered 

 by boards. Every warm day a little 

 ventilation is given and with the ad- 

 vent of spring the sash are gradually 

 removed to harden the plants. Early in 

 March when the ground is in workable 

 condition the plants are placed in beds. 

 Many of them will be in flower and a few 

 warm days will bring out the others. As 

 a rule the daisies and sweet-william begin 

 to dwindle the latter part of May and must 

 be removed early in June. Pansies and 

 violas usually remain good a little longer 

 if we persistently pick the older blossoms. 



Stocks are grown by sowing seed in a 

 plant-house early in February, transplant- 

 ing to 3-in. pots, which are at first kept 

 in the greenhouse and later moved to 

 hotbeds until bedded out the latter part 

 of March. These are most satisfactory 

 against walls or buildings. 



Tulips are planted in November, after 

 the summer bedding plants have been 

 removed, one variety in a bed. The bed 

 is spaded and holes are made about five 

 inches deep, into which a little sand 

 is placed and the bulb dropped on the sand. 

 The bed is raked over and a little later 

 they are mulched with medium fine manure. 

 Their blooming period varies a few days 

 from season to season, according to the 

 weather. Ordinarily the early ones are 

 at their best early in April. These are 

 closely followed by the Darwin type, 

 and still later the mixed bed of Parrot 

 tulips produce a brilliant display. After 

 the tops ripen the bulbs are lifted, cleaned 



and stored in a cellar. The same bulbs are 

 used for many years. The early varieties 

 are numerous, running into many colors. 

 Among the best are Pottebakker White, 

 Pottebakker Yellow, Cottage Maid, Ver- 

 milion Brilliant, and Keizerskroon. 



Hyacinths are good bedding plants, but 

 there is more risk, as the spikes are easily 

 broken over by storms and the display 

 ruined. The expense for bulbs is greater 

 and they deteriorate in a very few years. 

 They are not, therefore, popular as bed- 

 ding plants with us. 



There is a showy yellow violet which 

 lasts longer than pansies. This is Viola 

 lutea, var. splendens. 



FLOWERS FOR SUMMER BEDDING 



The varieties we use most are given 



below, trade names being given for the 



convenience of beginners. 



Ageratum: Blue Perfection, Stella Gurney 



Alyssum maritimum, Sweet alyssum 



Althaa rosea, Hollyhock: 

 Various colors, separate. 



Antirrhinum majus, Snapdragon- 

 Red and yellow varieties, distinct. 



Begonia semperflorens , var. "Vernon" 



Canna: Austria, Express, Niagara, King Hum- 

 bert. 



Celosia cristata, Cockscomb : 

 Dwarf red varieties 



Celosia plumosa, Feathered Cockscomb: 

 Thompsoni, magnifica 



Cosmos : Early and late in various colors. 



Cuphea platycentra, Cigar plant 



Eschscholzia Californica, California poppy : 

 Yellow varieties. 



Geranium: S. A. Nutt, dark red. Forest Park 

 Beauty, pink. Heterauth, scarlet. La Fav- 

 orite, double white. 



