366 
GEOMETRICAL FLOWER GARDEN. 
These and some others, if kept in small pots 
until the time of planting out, will be found 
of the greatest imaginable service. With re- 
gard to the plan to be adopted, the beds should 
always have the same productions and the 
same colour uniform. Thus, suppose there are 
six beds of a form, three angularly might have 
white Crocuses, and three, alternate, might be 
yellow ground Tulips, all in patches six inches 
apart. If the beds are in eights, then there 
should be four of one and four of the other ; 
but in no case ought it to be allowed that any 
want of this uniformity should be seen. Cro- 
cuses of blue might be alternated with those 
of yellow, in six of the outside beds; six other 
beds might be planted with the Hyacinths 
alternated in their own beds, red, blue, and 
white all over ; the arrangment being thus — 
Red, blue, white, red, blue, white, red. 
Blue, white, red, blue, white, red, blue. 
White, red, blue, white, red, blue, white. 
Red, blue, white, red, blue, white, red. 
This would afford a rich opportunity of com- 
pleting the circle of beds, without any varia- 
tion from one bed to the other. Other beds 
may be filled with the early yellow and white 
Narcissus. But whatever portion may be in 
or out of bloom, the circle of beds in which 
they are should be perfectly unique. Nothing 
is more easy than to do all this in pots; and 
thus as one flower declines, another may take 
its place. The beds of Hyacinths might be 
succeeded by Verbena Melindres, a brilliant 
dazzling scarlet, which may be planted out in 
the middle of May, in the same places ; for as 
they will bloom until they are absolutely cut 
down by the frost, or taken up for the winter, 
they may go out into the open ground ; and 
indeed might, if the Hyacinths are not done 
blooming, be planted in the spaces between 
them. Ten-week Stocks may be turned out 
between the Tulips or Snowdrops, or some of 
them at any rate. Pansies may be put out in 
flower from the pots before the end of May; 
autumn-sown pots of Nemophila might be 
turned out in flower, and so may the numerous 
dwarf varieties of Verbena. Petunias, being 
coarser flowers, may be put in the largest beds, 
but nevertheless need not be long before they 
bloom. The Annuals sown in pots will, in 
their turn, come forward to replace those which 
decline ; and, with a little management, the 
entire garden can be kept the chief part of the 
year in full bloom. There are some particular 
points to which our attention must be given 
in the adaptation of the flowers. First, two 
colours at all approaching each other ought at 
no time to be together ; on the contrary, the 
greatest contrast should be maintained; yellow 
against blue, or red and white against dark 
colours ; and in general, dark colours ought 
to part light ones. Any that must be planted 
out before they flower, may be put between 
those already out, if they are sufficiently dwarf 
to let the new plant have sun and air. At the 
end of the summer Ave have the autumnal 
Crocus, the winter Aconite, the Amaryllis 
lutea, and the Christmas Rose. A very slight 
observation, as the summer goes through, will 
enable us to note those subjects we most prefer, 
and use or reject all kinds of plants, as we 
admire or dislike them. But if we grow large 
quantities of all kinds in pots, they are little, 
if any, more trouble ; and no sooner need a 
series of beds look shabby, than we could re- 
plenish the space with something just coming 
to perfection. It is the same thing in manag- 
ing borders, only that we are not confined so 
much to the height of the plants, and therefore 
command a greater diversity. But let us now 
consider what can be done where pot culture 
cannot be managed. It is clear we can have 
all the spring flowers to plant in their various 
beds. These should be planted, as we have 
before observed, six inches apart at all other 
times, but here it will be better to plant them 
in closer order in the rows, and let the rows 
be a foot apart. These rows should always 
be drawn to match the inner edge or margin 
of the bed; thus, if there be a concave circular 
edge, the rows should be drawn to be the 
same distance from the edge all through. If 
the bed were circular, the rows should be rings 
a foot from each other. If the bed be any 
other form, the row nearest the inner edge 
must be the same figure, merely three inches 
from the inner edge ; and all the rows behind 
must be drawn the same figure, merely a foot 
behind one another. The object of making 
the plants or bulbs closer in the rows, and 
having a foot between the rows, is to facilitate 
the planting of succeeding subjects as soon as 
possible ; and this offers no impediment to the 
planting of the second subject while the first 
is in the ground. Not only so, but it gives an 
opportunity of digging up the first subject as 
soon as it is necessary, without disturbing the 
successor. The principle may be carried even 
further than this, for two subjects may be 
planted in the same bed at the same time. 
Crocuses, Snowdrops, early Tulips, Hya- 
cinths, and such subjects, may be planted in 
November, in one set of rows ; while Wall- 
flowers, Anemones, and the hardy Ranuncu- 
luses, may be planted in others ; and when 
the spring once opens, this alternate system 
will enable us to keep up the succession to 
almost any extent and variety. But even here 
the sowing of Annuals must be separate in 
some cases ; because many require planting 
out, others do not ; and the proper way to set 
about doing all this upon system is, to make 
up your mind first, that you will have certain 
things succeed each other. Thus the Hya- 
