A FURTHER GLANCE AT MODERN FLOWER-GARDENS. 
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fifteen inches, let a row of variegated Geraniums be planted. And now let the interior be furnished 
with the Lobelia fulgens, the latter planted in groups of fives. This combination of colours may 
appear exceptionable to some minds, but this bed would always give satisfaction as far as form is con¬ 
cerned ; and the Cupheas might be planted so as to form a continuous band or belt. 
There are many other dwarf flowers, however, better adapted than the Cuphea for this purpose; 
such as the various Verbenas, Kaulfussia amelloides, the Myosotis family; the Lobelias—Erinus, 
erinoides, bellidifolia, &c.; Lupinus nanus, Anagallises, Leptosiphons, Musk, Pansies, Chryseis, 
Heliotropes, Petunias, &c. &c. Such, to which several more might be added, are perfectly eligible for 
this purpose. This band or edging generally looks best if kept distinct from the rest of the bed, and 
certainly from the edge; it is more artistic, and by consequence more dressy; and the narrow margin 
of soil around, if kept clean raked, w T ill give a cleanly finish to the whole, and afford a wholesome 
relief to the eye. 
One of the most admired beds this season, in a flower-garden here, is thus composed :—Pansies of 
various colours (the yellow seifs most prevalent) round the exterior, pegged down early in the season, 
and made to blossom well late ; next, some compact variegated Geranium bushes; the interior filled 
up with the Salvia patens. None of these are allowed to touch, if possible, and it really is the gayest 
bed I ever saw; although no doubt Monsieur Chevreul and other artistes would object to the combina¬ 
tion of colours. As for the latter principle, painters may talk as they please about harmony, &c., but 
it will be found in general that the stongest contrasts please the best with most minds. All men are 
not painters or poets; and if the endeavour is to be that of pleasing the greatest number, why, I 
suppose we must even fall in with prevailing impressions. 
High keeping is, after all, one of the chief elements of success in flower gardening; no combination 
of colours or forms can give perfect satisfaction, if neglect or untidiness appear. The rake should be 
frequently in use where bare soil appears; weeds, of course, are entirely out of the question. All coarse 
and disproportionate foliage should be timely removed, and all decaying blossoms constantly trimmed 
away. Pegging down should be performed as early as possible in the season, in order that the trusses of 
flowers may stand fairly in relief, and wear an air of freedom combined with neatness. Tying up or 
staking also requires a little nice handling. In the first place, all stakes or sticks, of whatever kind, 
should be so coloured as to be as far as possible inconspicuous. For this purpose, perhaps, no better 
model presents itself than the very sober green of an old mossy wall, or the stump of a tree. To give 
the stakes another colour would be to attract attention ; to paint them of a fine fresh green would be 
to institute an invidious comparison between them and the foliage. The tint here alluded to is a sort 
of bronzy green, such may be seen on every moss-grown tree in shady woods. Ordinary coppice sticks, 
however, are very good where attainable, if straight; of course neither dressing nor paint are requisite. 
It is barely necessary to name that timely tying up and staking are of the utmost importance. Flowers 
once suffered to become crooked are a long while before they regain their position ; and most inelegant 
the finest of flowers look, if suffered to get into dishabille through lack of this needful operation. 
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Another point bearing on the principle of proportion as well as artistic appearance; rambling or fast¬ 
spreading flowers should be kept within bounds. What looks worse than an overgrown Pansv, 
exhausted with long flowering, presenting nothing to the eye but lank stems and wasted out or faded 
blossoms P How different the fresh blooming Pansy in early summer—all vigour, compactness, and 
beauty! The Pansy, however, I merely quote as typical of numerous things in the parterre, which 
want a timely trimming, in order both to render them compact, and to perpetuate their flowering. 
In the selection of plants for flower-garden purposes, durability of flowering, in the main, should 
be made the key-stone of the arch. Those who can afford to have a changeable flower-garden need 
not, of course, be so much influenced by this principle; having plenty of material and labour at 
command, they can have their beds decorated in early spring with Scillas, Bulbocodiums, Erythroniums, 
Hepaticas, Sanguinarias, and other precocious gems, and these succeeded by a system of early-sown 
annuals, the latter, of course, to be withdrawn the moment they begin to fade. In carrying out a 
system of this kind, the bulbs would, of course, require to be taken up in May, to give place to the 
massing flowers which would have to occupy their place. 
There is little doubt that the propriety of some of the advice here offered will be impugned by some 
who have become completely wedded to the ordinary massing system. Such persons may urge what 
they will, but they may rest assured that public taste is somewhat of a kaleidoscopic character; and it 
is easy to see that the dissentients of the clumping method have been on the increase during the last 
three years; at least that system as confined to self-coloured masses of one kind. Will it not be well, A 
then, to anticipate and prepare for any coming change ? 
