Feb. 7th, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
361 
may be seen on a short branch, reminding one of a 
bunch of Nelumbium flowers, but more vividly coloured. 
The wood is white and soft, with about twelve rings 
to the inch, and is occasionally used for planking. 
Repeated attempts were made to introduce this fine 
tree into this country by seeds, but without success, 
the fleshy albumen decayed and killed the minute 
embryo. At length living plants were successfully 
introduced. It is too tender for the open-air in the 
east of England, but succeeds in Ireland. It flowered 
in Mr. Crawfurd’s garden, near Cork, in March of last 
year, and the leaves were fully developed in the 
following July. From this plant the plate was pre¬ 
pared. There is a plant in the temperate-house at 
Kew, which as yet has shown no signs of flowering. 
In the south of France and Italy it is quite at home, 
and has flowered on several occasions. 
tinted orange flowers, from which we can cut and 
come again. I had not previously seen it planted 
out, but the experiment has given entire satisfaction, 
the only drawback being that it loses the larger part 
of its foliage in the winter, and so exposes the wall 
rather more than is desirable. However, this is amply 
compensated for by the wonderful display of flowers 
it gives from spring to autumn. If any reader of 
The Gardening World has a spare plant, I should 
like to recommend a trial of it planted out, feeling 
confident that he will be pleased with the result. 
Those who have not grown this plant before may 
like to know that its culture is very simple. A good 
friable loam, with some old hot-bed manure and a 
nice sprinkling of sand to keep it open, seems to 
suit it well. 
I should add that it is impatient of heat, and dislikes 
CARPET BEDDING. 
Where carpet bedding is carried out, gardeners will 
be busy now in getting out their plans and designs, 
and in working up their stocks of the different plants 
that will be required in due time to plant the same. 
The present is a favourable time, then, to introduce 
into our pages the design of a large circular bed, 
made and planted by Mr. William Gibson, gardener 
at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, one of our most 
successful exponents of this style of garden decoration. 
Few gardeners we suspect, nay even few of the 
inhabitants of Chelsea, have any idea of the admir¬ 
able manner in which summer bedding is carried out 
in the Royal Hospital Gardens. There is a terrace 
here 280 yards long—one of the finest in the country 
—on which there are sixteen beds in a line, six of 
A CARPET BED, DESIGNED BY MR. GIBSON. 
DIPLACUS GLUTINOSUS. 
How very seldom do we see this beautiful Californian 
greenhouse plant in the condition that it ought to be ? 
This is owing chiefly, I think, to its always, or nearly 
so, being confined to pots instead of its being planted 
out. The colour of its flowers being orange is a great 
point in its favour, as there are few plants which 
are so free-flowering of this particular shade of 
colour. I know and admit that it is a desirable 
plant for pot culture, and when it receives full 
justice it is a plant which adds greatly to a collec¬ 
tion, be it at a flower show or in the conservatory at 
home. 
I have a specimen which was planted out three 
years ago that now covers the end wall of the 
conservatory 16 ft. by 14 ft. It is now commencing 
to make its young growth, and by the middle of 
March it will commence to flower. From then till 
August there will be a continuous supply of its lovely 
a close atmosphere. The only heat it receives here is 
during damp or frosty weather.— J. S. T., Malvern. 
——- 
THE MISTLETO. 
Although I am approaching the age of fifty years, 
and have spent more or less of my lifetime in twelve 
different counties, I never saw the Mistleto growing 
until I bought an Apple-tree with it growing upon it, 
from Messrs. R. Smith & Co., of Worcester, in the 
autumn of 1882, and there is no other tree in the 
garden that strangers will stop to admire so much as 
this Standard Apple-tree. Nearly all the top is 
getting covered with the parasite, in fact the Mistleto 
grows more freely than the Apple. I should add that 
both the male and female forms are worked upon the tree. 
As trees can now be purchased with Mistleto Viscum 
album, growing upon them, I am surprised that they 
are not more frequently seen in gardens.— T. W., 
Norfolk. 
them oblong, two oval, and eight round. The circular 
beds are 17 ft. 6 ins. in diameter, and it is one of 
these that was planted to the design here illustrated. 
The outer ring and the double and single rows of 
Echeveria were planted with the silvery - leaved 
variety, secunda glauca, with the exception of the 
ring round the central mass of Echeveria metalica 
(7), which was composed of E. glauca metalica. The 
second line from the outer edge, and the other lines 
running next to theEcheverias was formed of the yellow 
Pyrethrum Golden Feather, followed by a broader 
band of Alternanthera aurea, which also forms the 
groundwork of the bed. The sections marked 4, and 
the broad bands of the same depth of tint in the 
semi-circles, were planted with Alternanthera amama ; 
and the diamond-shaped pattern and inner portion 
of the semi-circles, with the deep green-leaved Mentha 
Pulegium gibraltaricum. As seen from the terrace 
walk it was exceedingly effective, the colours used 
being well balanced ; and it was bright and gay long 
after flowering plants had passed their best. 
