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handsomer than when set promiscuously. There are 
some who admire them very much, while others seem 
not to like them at all, as one lady said, while passing 
by, “ See the Petunias; they’re such a common flower.” 
Well, if they are, they send forth a delightful perfume. 
We candidly admit they are not as suitable for bouquets 
as some others, but they form a beautiful bed in a 
flower garden. There is no flower that blooms longer 
and is of less care than the Petunia. They are equal 
in every respect to the Sunflower, to which we are 
confident she is partial. 
What can we say of the Gladiolus? They are of 
FLOWER GARDENING. 
Perhaps some of our friends would like to know how 
to lay out their gardens, and for this purpose I will 
send the design of ours. Of course any one can plant 
the flowers as their fancy dictates, and not adhere to 
the arrangement of the design, though if you do you 
will find your garden will look beautiful. 
The first two beds, as you will perceive, are grass; 
in the centre of these are planted rose bushes. The 
next two are geraniums. These, wo 
find, do better a little shaded. Some 
have sent up a continual bloom all 
summer. We also find that the 
younger ones have larger bunches 
on, though not so great a number as 
the older ones; and another thing, 
they are splendid for the centre of a 
hanging basket. We had two in 
baskets this summer; the one had 
eighteen bunches on, while the other 
had fifteen. The former was the 
salmon color, the latter was scarlet. 
Experience, no doubt, is a great 
teacher. In regard to breaking off 
slips for your friends, or whoever 
may call for them, I would advise 
the ladies to have one bush of each 
kind for this purpose, as breaking 
slips off continually will cause the 
bushes to relinquish blooming. The 
sap seems to run out, as in the grape. 
Any one having a garden will have 
to adopt the rule to give to every¬ 
body ; for whoever does not is soon 
christened “the stingy old thing.” 
Now come the Phlox and Verbe¬ 
nas. These are very fond of the sun, 
and cannot have too much. The 
hotter it sends down its rays the bet¬ 
ter they seem to like it- Our Phlox 
bed has come to perfection this year. 
It is truly beautiful. They need to 
be set closer than Verbenas, as the 
heads are not so compact, and they 
are not so- much inclined to spread. 
The Verbenas, in our estimation, 
form most beautiful bouquets, and we 
were somewhat disappointed to have 
only seven seeds germinate from a 
whole packet from Henderson, and 
not one scarlet one among them all. 
The miscellaneous bed we must 
contrive to have somewhere, as the 
Heliotrope and Mignonette, with 
Alyssum, are indispensable in ar¬ 
ranging button-hole bouquets. How 
pretty the tulips look in spring time; 
and so early, too. It is a good plan 
to dig up the bulbs the latter part of June and lay 1 such beautiful colors and variety of shades; besides 
them in a dry place till September, when you can spade \ they are so tall and stately, one can hardly express in 
up the bed and replant them. We do not think this language the charming effect they produce in a flower 
really necessary every year, and as it is rather early garden. 
of the care we so freely bestow on others. I think no 
garden complete without them, whether large or small. 
Throughout our garden, in the different beds, we set 
Sweet Alyssum, Mignonette, Forget-me-nots, Pansies, 
Daisies, etc. The latter two I think better for a bor¬ 
der plant, as they do not make much show when 
planted alone. On the left hand side we have as 
much ground as we have in flowers. It is not laid 
out, and is principally devoted to shrubbery. In our 
rockeries we plant anything to make them look 
pretty. As our garden is comparatively large we are 
obliged to cultivate annuals. 
To have success I would recom¬ 
mend planting the seeds in boxes in 
the house, in February or March. 
They bloom somewhat earlier than 
when let come up out of doors 
where the seeds dropped last year. 
But if you ever try the latter plan, 
let the beds remain undisturbed till 
the plants have grown large enough 
to be pricked out with the trowel; 
then have the bed dug up, and care¬ 
fully replace them. They do better 
if planted on a cool, cloudy day, or 
just before a rain. Verbenas can 
be set out middling early, as they 
withstand frost. Petunias, Phlox, 
Sweet Alyssum, can all be treated in 
this manner, if you desire. We also 
have a great many flowers in pots. 
Our Primroses we never shift, but 
let them remain in the crocks where 
they are planted after being large 
enough to .take out of the box where 
they were sown. I wish I was bet¬ 
ter acquainted with the names of the 
Begonias, I would tell you of ours 
and how beautiful they are. One 
has a very large leaf; this is in a 
basket, and is very much admired. 
Another, the flowers hang some¬ 
thing like a Fuchsia; the leaves are 
small and waxy. There is the 
Coral, which blooms constantly, and 
which belongs to this family; we 
have still another, the name of which 
I do not know, but it is so beautiful, 
blooming the whole summer long, 
and covered with its pink flowers, 
which are like the common Coral in 
shape and size. I almost forgot 
that we' have another, the leaves 
being somewhat larger than the 
others and the under surface red- 
veined. The flowers of this are also 
larger and different at the base, 
being destitute of a calyx. 
Cuttings of Begonias grow very 
easily, but must not be set deep. 
Lily of the Valley. 
> 
—) 
when they die down, they can be replaced with an¬ 
nuals — Phlox, for instance. 
Next on the list comes the Pink bed. I do not know 
the name, but it is the kind that blooms quite early, 
and, if cut down immediately after, will blossom the 
second time. 
Opposite this bed are the Petunias. They are quite 
an exhibition when planted in a clump; so much 
The last bed, but not least, has invited our atten¬ 
tion for a few minutes. This is filled with early 
spring flowers,—the Snow-drop, Blue-bell, and others, 
that are welcomed among the first. Next year we 
set Coleus in their place after they are gone. I am a 
great admirer of the leaves of plants, and think the 
foliage will make a greater display than some plants 
which produce flowers; besides, they deserve a little 
Hyacinths in Glasses. —An amateur writes to the 
London Journal of Horticulture that the best spikes of 
flowers were got in this way: The ordinary glasses which 
are used for growing Hyacinths in water are filled with 
rotten dung and leaf mold, and about an inch of soil 
on the top, in which is planted the bulb. There is no 
drainage. The advantages, I think, are equal vigor 
with those in pots, but better than in pots, for less 
evaporation from surface soil, and thus more healthful 
for dwelling-house, and requiring less attention in 
watering. 
