THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, October 0, 1857. 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
1 
D 
M 
D 
W 
OCTOBER 6—12, 1857. 
Weather n* 
Barometer. 
iar London in 
Thermo. j Wind. 
1856. 
Rain in 
Inches. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R. & S. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
af. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
6 
Tu 
Gomphrena, purple and white. 
29.944—29.922 
57—55 
E. 
06 
11 a. 6 
26 a. 5 
6 
21 
18 
1 ] 
54 
270 
7 
W 
Golden Rod. 
29.926—29.89 7 
59—52 
N.E. 
36 
12 
23 
a 
55 
19 
12 
11 
280 
8 
Th 
Autumn Crocus. 
30.060—29.904 
5S-49 
N.E. 
50 
14 
21 
7 
47 
20 
12 
28 
281 
9 
F 
Yellow autumn Amaryllis. 
30.244—30.120 
60—49 
N.E. 
— 
16 
19 
8 
55 
21 
12 
44 
282 
10 
S 
Cyclamen. 
30.199—30.106 
62—43 
N.E, 
30 
1 7 
17 
10 
15 
€ 
13 
0 
283 
11 
Son 
18 Sunday after Trinity. 
30.039—29.972 
60—52 
N.E. 
12 
19 
15 
11 
39 
23 
13 
15 
284 
12 
M 
Colchicum. 
30.160—30.045 
64—42 
S. 
02 
21 
12 
morn. 
24 
13 
30 
285 
Meteorology of the Week. —At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-eight years, the averagehighest andlowest 
temperatures of these days are 60.9°, and 42.9°, respectively. The greatest heat, 81°, occurred on the 7th, in 1835 ; and the lowest cold 28° 
on the 8th, in 1852. During the period 91 days were fine, and on 105 rain fell. _ ’ ’ 
BEDDING PLANTS AT KEW AND AT THE 
CRYSTAL PALACE. 
Which is of the greatest interest, to plant the largest 
number of kinds of plants which are suitable to that or 
this style of flower garden, or to plant the fewest 
number of plants from which the principal colours can 
best be obtained? This is a question which will never 
be settled unless the world were made into one vast 
garden, and all the “heads” reduced into one head 
gardener. 
I shall not, therefore, push my head against this wall 
to show which is the best of the two—the bedding at 
Kew or at Sydenham; perhaps they are both best, 
though very different. 
Beginning at Kew with the great central walk at 
the lowest end, and working our way up to the lake, we 
have a single row of flower-beds right and left. All the 
edges of the beds are at one uniform distance from the 
walk—three or four feet, I forget which—if the walk 
were ever so curved in any direction, or ever so long or 
so short. This style of flower-beds on each side of it 
in single rows is called the promenade style of bedding. 
For all limited gardens which are bounded by walls, or 
hedges, or palings, the promenade style in one single 
row is the most economical, and the best telling of all 
the ways of placing beds, and it is the easiest of all 
plans to plant. All that is necessary for effect is, that 
when a row is on each side of the walk each two 
opposite beds should be of the same size and shape, and 
be planted, if on the bedding system, with plants of the 
same colours, same height, and same style of growth, 
and the next bed or pair of beds not to be of a colour 
which will hurt or lessen the effect of the colour on 
either side of it. 
In large places the opposite pair of beds is planted 
with the same kind of plant; that is the way at Kew, 
and used to be the way at Sydenham, but at the latter 
they have a different way this season all round the 
Rose mount, which has a circular walk right round it 
like the rim of a wheel, and six curved walks up the 
mount like six curved spokes to a wheel. The centre 
part of the wheel where the axle goes through is the 
rosary on a deep slope. Each of the six walks goes up 
the slope by a flight of steps ; then there is another 
circular walk all round the top of the Rose slope, and 
there is a second slope filled with flowers, and other 
flights of steps to reach the summit of the mount, 
which is perfectly flat. All round the edge of this flat 
top runs a third circular walk, which is trellised on 
both sides, and arched high up above the head with 
galvanised iron, Arabesque fashion. The six walks, 
winding up the mount and up the two flights of steps, 
cross the top walk and trellis work, and meet on the 
centre of the flat, where the flagstaff is planted on gravel. 
The six walks cut the flat top into six divisions, and 
each division has a long flower-bed in a sunk panel; 
three of them are a reflect of the other three. The 
flower slope is in six divisions, of course, and is planted 
like the top, the one half reflecting the other half. The 
Rose slope is also, of course, in six divisions, and all of 
them planted with dwarf-worked Roses, with a row of 
the common China Rose all round the bottom or out¬ 
side, and the side next the walk at the top is ornamented 
with flowers planted in the same style as above; but 
the beds on each side of the six walks on the grass 
representing the spokes are planted differently this 
season, on the plan of contrast; that is, if No. 1 on 
your right is black, No. 1 on the left is white, and so on. 
Therefore you here see our best two public gardens 
where they have adopted the same style, call it what 
you please. Have them planted in opposite styles, so 
that you may be in the fashion, with your walks down 
the centre of your garden, and a row of beds on each 
side of them, whether you plant it after Kew or after 
the Crystal Palace, or if your walk follows the boundary 
line of the garden, up or down one side, across the top 
or bottom, and up or down the other side back to the 
house, you can have beds only on one side, the side 
next the centre. A similar arrangement exists at the 
Crystal Palace along the bottom of the centre portion 
of the terrace garden. All the beds in that row are 
planted alike, all the circles being yellow, and all the 
oblong beds scarlet. We also see in these beautiful 
large places, which are governed by very scientific men, 
and worked out by the best flower gardeners whom they 
could find, that there is no straining or hankering after 
the shape of the beds, such as some people on a small 
scale puzzle their brains about. Stars and garters, 
heart and tongue, and kidney-shaped beds, and all 
fantastical forms and plans for beds are beneath their 
notice. 
To be in the fashion, therefore, we should avoid this 
common fault, and imitate the dons as much as we can. 
Depend upon it fashion is a grand thing after all; 
although it takes awkward turns at times it is sure to 
right itself in the end. 
The planting at Kew, beginning at the bottom of the 
great centre walk, is on this wise:—Two circles, one on 
each side, General Pelissier Geranium; two oblong beds, 
Ageratum Mexicannm, edged with Calceolaria integrifolia 
or one of that breed; two circles, Boule de Neige and 
Patrick's Nosegay , which is here named Atro-sanguineum, 
or dark blood colour (it has often been noticed in The 
Cottage Gardener as the Red Nosegay , which was 
raised at Stoke Pogis, Bucks, by Mr. Patrick many 
years since, “ but is little known except in that neigh¬ 
bourhood ”); two new oblong beds, planted mixedly for 
experiment, which is not to be repeated; two circles, 
Verbena Wonderful , dark purple; two oblongs, Punch 
Geraniums ( Punch is well suited at Kew, and does well 
in return); two circles, Verbena and Mangles' Varie¬ 
gated Geranium. Here I would observe that this slender 
Geranium is proved at Kew to “ do ” with all kinds and 
colours of Verbenas, provided that the Verbena is not 
allowed to get the master of it. We have not seen it with 
a white Verbena, but no question about its doing if one 
likes it. The next two are new oblong beds filled with 
No. CCCCLXXI. Vol. XIX. 
