THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
September 18. 
442 
Messrs. Curtis and Halliday gave an account of a 
recent tour in Belgium and Western Germany. At 
Liege they had visited M. Lacordaire, the author of a 
very valuable work on the Genera of Coleoptera now in 
progress, the third volume of which is in the press; as 
well as Mr. Candeze, who is occupied on a monagraph 
on the extensive and difficult family of the Elateridat. 
At Aix la Chapelle they had seen the remarkable col¬ 
lection of M. Foerster, which is very rich, in minute 
Hymenoptera; and at Crefeld they had visited M. Von 
Brack, who possesses a very extensive collection of 
Coleoptera; and M. Winnertz, whose memoirs on the 
minute Dip ter a have materially facilitated the classifica¬ 
tion of those difficult tribes, and who has invented a 
very simple microscopic camera obscura (described in 
the Stettin Entomoloyisclie Zeitung) whereby he is ena¬ 
bled to delineate the wings, &c., with great facility 1 . 
A conversation ensued on the various kinds of 
cameras used for delineating microscopical objects. 
MIXED FLOWER BORDERS. 
I have received a string of inquiries from “ Clericus,” 
as to the best plan of planting mixed flower borders, 
and I hasten to explain my views. “Clericus” wishes to 
plant beds about six feet or so in width ; and also some 
plans for planting borders, say, four feet in width. “ Cleri¬ 
cus” should have stated the character, or figure, of his 
beds, for on the figure the planting much depends. As to 
borders, they are alike in form everywhere, or very 
similar. In truth, the planting of beds is an affair 
about which the world differs exceedingly. “ Cleri¬ 
cus” says, “ I have a few beds and boxes, and I have a 
border leading to my kitchen-garden, which I wish to 
have as gay as I can, and without any very great ex¬ 
pense. I should like to know how many rows of 
flowers Mr. Errington would plant in such a border; 
what distance between the plants; and how to plant it 
so as to have it gay in spring, summer, and autumn? 
We have successional crops in the farm, why not in the 
garden?” Now I conceive, that in planning all this, 
several things must be taken into consideration. Form, 
or general outline, is a material consideration ; at least, 
so I hold it. Colour is most important, also, as well as 
a due succession of flowers without blanks. 
To name all the plants at present in our gardens 
eligible for such a purpose would be to occupy a whole 
Cottage Gardener. I cau, therefore, ouly suggest a 
few of the inexpensive kinds in order to meet the views 
of “ Clericus." 
In looking over our stock-in-trade as to such borders, 
we must endeavour to group, or classify them, or we 
shall be groping in the dark. 
“ Spring flowers." Here, who can do without bulbs ? 
but bulbs have a blank in the middle of summer. An¬ 
nuals, too; who cares to do without them? Then we may 
point to our best old Herbaceous plants. I should he 
sorry to see a mixed border without these; but objects 
multiply as 1 proceed. Tree Roses I hold to bo a most 
important adjunct of the mixed border, although I once 
thought them thrown away in such a position. Holly¬ 
hocks ; who would not have a good, bouncing, jolly 
sprinkling of Hollyhocks? Not myself. Again, plants 
of exotic character, or half-harcly plants, are certainly in¬ 
dispensable. Then we come to our popular families of 
plants, adapted for either in-doors or out-doors; their 
name is legion. We will point to a few: Auricula, 
Polyanthus, Carnation, Antirrhinum, Pansy, Daisy, 
Lily, Verbena, Calceolaria, Cineraria, Pink, Fuchsia, 
Geranium, Petunia, &c. &c. Here, it will be admitted, 
is a goodly list; and how will “ Clericus” select from it, 
in order to make a very economic border ? i 
A reference to our extensive trade catalogues, with 
glowing descriptions of things, new and old, will make 
the mouth to water of hundreds besides “Clei'icus.” 
But, supposing that he merely needs such a border as 
can be got together without rummaging the trade cata¬ 
logues, I will proceed to point to a few decent old- 
fashioned things, which are qualified to carry out such 
views in a more moderate way. “How many rows in a 
five feet border ?” Flowers crammed in such a border 
never look well. We rather hold for good and well-dis¬ 
posed individual specimens, or groups, than a crowded 
assemblage of small affairs, ill-developed. Four rows, 
then, is the number for a five-feet border. In the outer 
row, I should place the dwarfer Annuals, Bulbs, with 
half-hardy things, Mignonette, and such like.) In the 
second row, adjoining it, the Tree Roses, at about eight 
feet apart; and between those, a second height of 
flowers of tolerably bold character. In the third row, 
what I call filling up materials, such as masses of An¬ 
tirrhinums; strong bushes of any stiong exotic in cha¬ 
racter, such as Fuchsias, Geraniums, Calceolarias, Cina- 
rarias, &c.; with here and there a very choice herbaceous 
plant of good character, such as our little Phloxes; and 
in the back row, a good cluster of Hollyhocks, just inter¬ 
mediate between the Tree Roses, in the second row, and, 
of course, eight feet apart; and between that, some of 
the more majestic of the herbaceous tribes, such as 
selections from the families Aster, Delphinium, Veronica, 
and others of tolerably bold development, ranging from 
three to five feet in height. 
But one question arises here—How to manage with 
the spring bulbs, so as not to be damaged by the blanks 
they create, in the naturally premature decay of their 
foliage; the latter of which must he tolerated, if a 
good bloom be expected in the ensuing spring. This is 
not so difficult an affair as some think. We can get over 
it tolerably well. Annuals are the best qualified to 
cover the delinquents, and we seek the low or prostrate 
kinds, such as the Nemophila, Kaulfussia, Calan- 
drinia, Saponaria calabrica, Mignonette, Musk, or any 
such things. By sowing the seed of such early, say 
the third week in March, and attending them carefully 
against slugs, storms, &c., they may be had in full 
blossom by the time the foliage of the bulbs fades, and 
so fully invest the spot, that nobody, henceforth, cares 
a button about the bulbs until the ensuing spring. 
But I deem it expedient to slightly enrich the soil 
about the bulbs before sowing the annuals, and this is 
beneficial to the bulbs afterwards. A circle is drawn 
round the bulb-patch, two or three inches in depth ; 
this is filled with some powerful old soil, such as the 
old loam and dung mixed from the top of a last year’s 
Cucumber-bed, and such being pressed tight, the seed is 
sown in this circle. 
As for “mixed beds,” about which “ Clericus” desires 
information; I presume that they would have to be com¬ 
posed of very similar materials to those quoted. But, 
as before observed, so much depends on the size of the 
bed. One thing I would name, or rather suggest, that 
proportion be taken into consideration—that great ele- 
ment of the beautiful, although not so as to the pic- 
i turesque. No bed, in my opinion, or border, would look 
well, with the high plants at the edge, and the low ones 
in the centre; neither would any bed or border look 
well with a deal of height and massiveness at one end, 
and light, or low and straggling forms at the other. We 
must have a sort of balancing both as to height, and 
colouring, and massiveness in form. T have seen beds 
look handsome, although what might be termed very 
short of colouring. 
R. Errington. 
