FORMATION AND MANAGEMENT OF FLOWER GARDENS. 
53 
either on a lawn or on gravel, the manner of filling 
which with different classes of plants we will 
now proceed to detail. It may be proper to re- 
mark, that the selection of plants may be made 
very different according to taste; and in the case 
of a greater number of beds having to be filled, 
any appropriate additions might be made to 
the plants here named. This is a matter 
which may be almost infinitely varied as the 
fancy of the planter may dictate. The selec- 
tion here given is believed to be a very good 
one, but is certainly offered more for the pur- 
pose of illustrating the principle upon which 
such gardens are arranged and managed, than 
as furnishing an exact model for imitation. 
The centre of the design is supposed to be 
occupied by a fountain, a dial, a statue, a 
pedestal with vase, or any similar fixed ar- 
chitectural and ornamental feature : this is 
indicated by No. 1 . Nos. 2, 3, 4, and 5, are 
small beds, to be filled with dwarf plants of 
corresponding habits and varied colours. Nos. 
6, 7, 8, and 9, again, correspond in some de- 
gree in the planting. Then follow a series 
of oval beds, Nos. 10 to 17, which should also 
correspond in the style of plant selected. 
Nos. 18, 19, 20, and 21 are again cor- 
responding beds; and so are the smaller in- 
termediate ones, indicated by the Nos. 22, 
23, 24, and 25. All these groups of beds, 
while they must be filled by plants of varied 
colours, should each, as far as possible, con- 
tain plants of the same relative size and habit 
of growth. The selection now remains to be 
detailed. 
No. 2 is to be planted in October, for 
spring flowering, with crocuses (light blue 
variety) ; these should be set in patches of 
five or six roots pretty close together, the 
patches being about nine inches apart; they 
will come into flower in January and the 
early part of February. In March, patches 
of Collinsia grandiflora (purple and blue), 
sown in pots in autumn, and kept through 
the winter in frames, and well hardened, are 
to be planted between the patches of crocus, 
the leaves of which may be tied together in 
little knots; these, if sown early in autumn, 
will be considerably advanced, and will come 
into flower in April, and continue throughout 
May. In May (or earlier) the roots of the 
crocuses may be taken up, and laid in to 
ripen in a reserve garden, their place being 
now (in May) supplied by Gazania uniflora 
(lemon-coloured), raised from cuttings in Au- 
gust, and kept through the winter and spring 
in the greenhouse and frames ; these will 
come into flower in the course of June, and 
will last throughout the summer and autumn. 
No. 3 is to be planted in October with 
crocuses (dark blue variety), set in patches as 
in No. 2. Soon after the blooms of these 
are past, or early in March, Valerianella 
congesta (lilac) may be planted between them, 
having been well hardened previously; these 
are to be sown in pots in September, and 
