352 jOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The sooner then that " carpet bedding and ribbon borders " are 

 consigned to the limbo of obscurity, the better will it be, both for those 

 who look after them and from the point of waste of materiaL It 

 should be possible to arrange any flower garden in such a way as 

 to have not more than two beds, at the very most, of any one kind 

 of plant, for variety is infinitely better than repetition. In one 

 direction there has been an improvement of late years in the arranging 

 of what I would describe as " picture beds," i.e. beds that are relieved 

 by taller plants in the centre or at the back, in which way the formahty 

 is considerably lessened. These beds, when arranged with good taste 

 as to colour, are undoubtedly effective. 



A system has grown up of late years, especially in pubhc parks, 

 of frequently renewing the plants. Plants are put out into the beds 

 which cannot in any sense be termed suitable for general purposes. 

 The beds or borders, as the case may be, look remarkably well for a 

 time, and as soon as the plants begin to fade they are lifted and another 

 lot put out in their place. Thus a wonderf al display may be kept up, 

 but it is not done in what I might term a fair way, as contrasted with 

 those gardens which have not the accommodation, or the resources 

 to provide the second lot of material. Not in one private garden in a 

 thousand is there accommodation for bringing forv/ard a sufficient 

 supply of plants to treat the bedding in this way, nor do I think it 

 ougnt to be encouraged. I have noticed in some of our well-known 

 public gardens what a crowding there is of material to produce the 

 desired effect just for the time being. It is well known that these 

 supplies of plants are brought forward in houses and pits built for that 

 purpose alone. In private gardens, therefore, it is next to impossible 

 to compete with such cases as these. I well remember, when I was a 

 young man, being told not to give too much heed to the cultivation 

 of bedding plants which occupied the houses and pits to an excessive 

 degree, and that advice was not lost. Nowadays, I am pleased to 

 see more attention is being given to such plants as Antirrhinums 

 and Pentstemons — to name only two instances of almost or quite hardy 

 plants ; these and the Viola will no doubt play a more important part 

 in the future than they have done as yet. 



It may be asked what do I mean by " Informal Gardening," and 

 what are its advantages ? It has several points in its favour, as I hope 

 to show. 



1. It is more economical 



2. It is more easily accompHshed. 



3. It is more attractive the year through, at least to all real 



garden lovers and enthusiasts. 



4. It affords greater space for greater variety. 



I. As to Economy.— Th\s is attained in two ways. First, there need 

 not be the waste of material — I mean the waste of having an excess 

 of one kind of plant. In an informal garden there will be scope for 

 variety rather than too much of one thing. The larger the garden, 

 the greater should be the variety as a matter of course. Secondly, a 



