THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, August 17, 1858. 
the alliances in tlie vegetable kingdom, nor suggested 
by tlie rainbow. 
But now let me begin the Hose mount, opposite the 
entrance. Next to it, and No. I, is a corner bed, and 
all the corner beds are excellent. It is of Tom Thumb 
edged with a light Verbena, in single row. Up that walk 
are two pairs of circular beds, one pair being of Mangles 
Variegated Geranium and Tropceolum elegans, —two ex¬ 
cellent beds, but not matches, nor contrasts, in colour; 
each bed has a dot of another colour in the centre, 
two or three plants of Tom Thumb in the centre of 
j Mangles’, and a purple Verbena in the centre of the 
lovely Tropceolum : these dots have no meaning to me, 
they destroy the good effect of the bed. The next 
pair is Geranium Lgnescens superba, with a dot of light 
F uchsia in the centre, lower than the Geranium; and 
Phlox Magii, or one like it, with a dot of Nosegay 
Geranium in the centre. 
From this walk No. 1, taking the north or left- 
hand side, to walk No, 2, there are four circular 
beds on the mount side of the walk :—Thus, Blush 
Verbena, with a dot in the middle, of a Geranium 
like Touchstone ; purple Petunia, with a Horseshoe 
scarlet Geranium dot ; scarlet dwarf Verbena, with 
a dot of Boul de Neige Geranium ; and Flower of 
the Bay, a fine bed with a stupid dot of Hydrangea 
in the centre. The angular bed of the next winding 
walk up the mount would have been excellent in a 
moderate season, but the heat and drought is too 
much for it. It is a fine yellow Calceolaria, edged 
with a new edging plant; the old Teucrium-looking 
Salvia, which Mr. Cai used so much at Bedford Lodge 
twelve years back ; it is a faint blue and grey, and makes 
a capital edging to any strong colour, being itself a 
neutral. Opposite this angular bed is a circular one of 
white Verbena, with a dot of Shrublancl Bose Petunia; 
then a pair of opposite beds— Nierembergia filicaulis, 
a. splendid mass, with a dot of Tropceolum elegans ; and 
a yellow Calceolaria, with a dot of Salvia patens ; then 
a bed of Tom Thumbs, with a dot of yello w Calceolaria; 
after that a mass of the largest purple Petunia, with a 
yellow Calceolaria dot. This huge Petunia, called 
Magna coccinea, makes a splendid bed. 
Then round a mass of shrubs to walk No. 3, which has 
a very long point, and a large angular bed, planted with 
the purple Zelinda Dahlia; in the centre, a band of 
trained down variegated Ageratum • and outside, an¬ 
other band of Mangles’ Variegated, a magnificent bed 
in a better season. Opposite this corner bed are two 
circles,—one with scarlet Verbena, with a dot of yelloiv 
Calceolaria; the other, a light Verbena, with a dot of 
dark Phlox Brummondi. Also two pairs of circles up 
the ascending walk. The first pair thus,—a variegated 
Petunia, with Cottage Maid Geranium dot ; and Cal¬ 
ceolaria amplexicaulis, with a dot of purple Petunia. 
' Next pair, a variegated bed of Lady Plymouth and 
Bandy Geraniums, mixed with variegated Alyssum, 
and a dot of dark Verbena ; the other a purple 
Petunia, and a dot of Flower of the Bay. Along this 
circuitous walk, to the next ascending walk, No. 4, 
are three circular beds. The first is of Cuphea strigi- 
losa, with a dot of crimson Verbena; the second, a 
crimson Verbena, and a dot of Prince of Orange Ge¬ 
ranium ; and the third, Mangles’ Variegated, and a 
dot of Cerise Unique Geranium. This brings us to 
the fourth ascending walk, the angular bed of which 
is of the Crystal Palace Dahlia, trained to within four 
inches of the ground, and coming into flower-bud; 
then a band of Calceolaria amplexicaulis, and an edg¬ 
ing of scarlet Verbena, a fine mixture in a good 
season. Opposite are three circles,—one with Tom 
Thumb , and dot of yelloiv Calceolaria; one with a 
white Verbena, and dot of Nosegay Geranium; and 
the third of Lobelia speciosa, with a dot of Tropceolum 
307 
elegans. Then a pair of opposite beds—one of Shrub- 
land Bose Petunia, and dot of Floiccr of the Bay ; the 
other a bright pink Verbena, and a dot of Tom Thumb. 
After them, and along the main walk, are five cir¬ 
cular beds, before we come to the fifth rising walk. The 
first is of Hydrangea, and dot of purple Petunia; the 
second a scarlet Verbena, and dot of variegated Age¬ 
ratum ; the third of the old crimson Bosa indica, and 
dot of Flower of the Bay ; fourth, white Mesembry- 
anthemum spectabile, and dot of a pink Geranium; 
and fourth, a fine mass of Tropceolum elegans, and dot 
of purple Verbena. The angular bed of the fifth rising 
walk is the magnificent mass of Lucia rosea, which 1 
mentioned above, edged with a white Verbena ; but a 
dark crimson would be the best edging for so light a 
flower as Lucia, in the full sun. 
Up this walk are two pairs of circles again. The first 
pair—the larg o purple Petunia, with dot of Hydrangea ; 
and scarlet Verbena, with dot of Mangles’. The second 
pair Tom Thumb, with dot of blue branching Larkspur; 
and yellow Calceolaria, with dot of Tom Thumb. Op¬ 
posite the angular bed is a mass of Flower of the Bay , 
with dot of pink Nosegay Geranium. Here is where 
the value of the loose flowers of the Nosegays, in con¬ 
trast with the globular trusses, of the other breeds of 
Scarlets, can be seen to perfection. From this, the 
fifth walk, to the sixth and last, are four circles. The 
first is a blue Verbena, with a large white eye— Cup¬ 
bearer, and a dot of yelloiv Calceolaria; the second, 
CEnothera prostata, and dot of Salvia patens ; third, 
Heliotrope, and dot of Cottage Maid ; fourth, Shrub- 
land Bose Petuuia, and dot of Boule de Neige Ge¬ 
ranium. And the last of these angular beds is of 
Lgnescens superba Geranium, edged with Flower of the 
Bay, a splendid mass. 
Opposite the bed of Lgnescens surperba are two 
circles,— one is of Cerise Unique, and the dot of 
Heliotrope; and the other is the last I shall name, 
missmg five more circles in the same stjde. This last is 
of Verbena venosa, pegged down, which makes a good 
change ; the dot in the centre is of Tropceolum elegans. 
They have excellent hands for training and regulating 
every kind of bedding plant at the Crystal Palace ; 
and if ever we are to see the shot-silk bed again, that 
is the place to look for it. The man who trained that 
bed of Verbena venosa will have no more trouble in 
making a shot-silk bed of it than I have in writing 
about it. The variegated kind of Geranium for making 
the shot-silk with is now in two rows all round the 
inner trellis-work, on the top of the mount, with a 
row of the variegated Alyssum between the two. 
One of the most curious facts, which we have de¬ 
tected for the first time at the Crystal Palace, is, that 
two of our best variegated plants destroy each other 
most completely when they are planted in contact, 
notwithstanding that each of them will set off to ad¬ 
vantage any other kind of bedding plant. This varie¬ 
gated Alyssum is the thief; it steals away all the riches 
of every kind of variegated Geranium placed in con¬ 
tact with it. Hundreds of the Alyssum round this 
mount, and round the said circle on the top thereof, 
with the stolen property in their possession, stare you 
in the face without a blush. Therefore, when you 
happen to have these two good subjects to lodge for a 
season, pray do not put them in the same bed, nothing 
being so provoking as to discover that, after all one’s 
pains, the best two beds in the garden, or the best two 
bedding plants in one bed, neutralise each other ; and 
this instance of it could not possibly have been fore¬ 
told or foreseen. “Who would think it,” without see¬ 
ing it ? 
I think I once likened the main walk, which goes 
round the bottom of the Bose mount, to the rim of a | 
carriage wheel, and the six walks, which rise from it ! 
