184 



THE FLOWER GROWER'S GUIDE. 



now afforded. The reign of scarlet " geraniums," yellow calceolarias, and other gaudy- 

 tender flowers that will not stand rain or frost, is practically over, and the more 

 serviceable, if scarcely so showy, kinds are having full justice done them. At the 

 same time, the tender plants will never be wholly discarded, nor is it desirable they 

 should be. Less formally planted than of old, and associated with a variety of sub- 

 tropical plants, very beautiful effects can be created by them in summer, and by the 

 time frosts have rendered such plants unsightly an assortment of well-prepared spring 

 flowering plants ought to be ready to take their place. 



SPRING BEDDING. 



With fewer beds to fill, and more time to devote to the preparation of suitable 

 plants than in bygone years, there is every likelihood of greater attention being 



Fig. 88. Increasing Plants. 

 a, Cutting; b, slip; c, division. 



bestowed upon hardy annuals, biennials, perennials, and bulbous-rooted plants, with 

 shrubs and conifers for imparting a pleasing appearance to flower-beds during the dull 

 months of the year. Only those who have seen some of our best examples of spring 

 bedding have a true conception of what can be accomplished at a comparatively small 

 outlay in money and labour. So very gay can beds be made with the aid of alyssums, 

 aubrietias, daisies, forget-me-nots, polyanthuses, primroses, silenes, and various other 

 plants, in April and May onwards, that they contrast most favourably with the best 

 that can be done in the summer. Naturally, it is during April and May when the 



