THE GARDENING WORLD. December 10, 1904. 
Herbaceous Perennials for Bedding Purposes 
There can be no doubt but that by a. careful selection of 
varieties of perennials for bedding purposes, where the beds are 
of sufficient size to admit of their being used, a much more 
graceful and lasting effect can be produced than by using the 
stereotyped “ bedding plant.” Especially is their advantage 
seen in the North, where we get very late frosts in the spring 
and also early in thei autumn, when the display from such 
things as Heliotrope, Calceolarias, and Pelargoniums certainly 
does not. repay for the amount of time and trouble expended 
on their growth and their preservation during the winter 
months. Their effect even when a.t their best is also very 
gaudy, and cannot at all compare to the grace of any peren¬ 
nial when well grown, and planted with discretion. Another 
advantage of perennials is the small amount of attention 
needed to keep them in condition. The ground should be 
trenohed and heavily manured, as they delight in a deep soil, 
and in a dry season they are then independent of artificial 
watering. In planting do not, make the usual mistake of 
overcrowding, but give sufficient room to allow the plant to 
develop to tbe fullest advantage, and allow for increase in size 
in the second year. 
Every three' years it is advisable to lift the plants and dig 
and manure the beds dividing tbe clumps 1 before replanting, 
which ensures finer flowers than where the clumps are left for 
several years to get hard and woody. Of things that can be 
used there is no end of variety, and it depends on the space 
and aspect of the beds to be filled a,S' to what varieties can be 
used. I will therefore only mention some of those varieties 1 
have noticed as being to my mind exceptionally suited for this 
purpose. Montbretias for grace of foliage and beauty of flower 
are kings amongst perennials for this purpose, and beauty ot 
foliage appeals to, the artistic eye' quite as much as beauty 
of flower. Montbretias should, however, be used with care 
in the North, and should be protected with straw or bracken 
top-dressing to the bed® in winter. 
Hyaeinthus candicans, with its lovely spikes of waxy, cream 
flowers, is useful where the garden, is of fair size; in a small 
garden it may look out of proportion. The numerous varieties- 
of Phlox decussafa., such a,s Coquelicot, Champignol, Etna, 
Berra,nger, etc., are useful when massed in separate beds', or 
in very large beds two colours! could be used. Sylphide is 
the best white. They could have an edging of some dwarf 
perennial which would flower in early summer, such as Phlox 
canadensis, i hi ox ovajfca, I be nils, Little Gem, or Iberis gibral- 
tarica, Lychnis Viscaria, fl. pi., Clieiiranthus alpinns or Cheir- 
antlius Marshalli, Polemonium himalayanum, or Polemonium 
himaiayanum album, each *of which varieties mentioned can 
be used in numerous combinations in the design, varying with 
the size, of the garden and the time when it is desired to have 
the display at itsi best. 
Campanulas provide numerous subjects, C. Moerheimi is 
a, lovely double white of recent introduction. 0. pyramidal is, C. 
per.sii'cifolia and its varieties are useful and well known., but 
not so often used in the flower garden a® their merits deserve. 
C. pumila and C. pumila, alba, and C'. glomerata. dahurica, are 
dwarf in, Ira,bit, very free-flowering’, and indispensable for this 
class of work. The la,sit named is a, purple of a,n exquisite 
shade which always reminds me of the colour an some old 
cathedral window. It'isa,colour much admired, and, this being 
so, it should be placed in a conspicuous position. Oenothera 
Youngii and Oe. Fraseri and Oe. specie,sa are three Evening 
Primroses very useful for this purpose. They belie their name, 
as they have their flowers open nearly all day. Veronica sub, 
sessilis, V. spicata and Y. .spicata alba are all useful, and their 
flowers are most persistent. 
Good showy yellows, although rather -straggling in, habit, are 
Coreopsis and Gaillardia®. The untidy appearance can be 
obviated by allowing plenty of room between the plants and 
the verge; them, instead of a, 'crowded mass, we get, a, graceful 
pendulous -habit and well-developed flowers. A few stakes 
ma,y be necessary, but I do, not advise tbe'se, only as a last 
resource. Bupthalnium salioifolium, 2 ft. in. height, July and 
August flowering, is very free and neat. Rudbeckia New- l 
manni is an old favourite, being yellow with a dark centre. 
Chrysanthemum maximum James Cocker or W. H. Gab-b are 1 
two of the best varieties, and a good bed of either of them is ] 
a, feature of -the garden for a lengthy period. 
Michaelmas Daisies- are splendidly adapted for this purpose, 
and especially the A-mellus and the acris group, and some of 
Mr. Beckett’s new varieties. The great secret again is plenty 
of room, and I advise planting single growths in the spring 
in preference to clumps, except with ac-ris', which is not a very 
strong grower. Give at least 2 ft. between -the plants, ana 
-then each growth will be seen in perfect form. Delight and 
Enchantress are two of the best- of the small lavender colour 
flowered -type. 
The early flowering Chrysanthemum is next in vogue, and 
owing to the many good varieties it is difficult to pick out 
only one or two good ones. Lucky -is the man who ha® room 
to, employ dozens instead of units of varieties. To be of most 
advantage I consider the earliest date for this class to flower 
is the first week -in, September ; if earlier, they only clash with 
. the many other good things in bloom at that time, and they 
are also over too early, thu-s tending to, -shorten tbe length of 
the display of the season. The Marie Masse family are all 
of them indispensable. Goacher’s Crimson, Polly, Carrie, 
Maggie, Jimmie, Market White, are the cream -of the whole 
lot, and provide sufficient variety for ordinary purposes. 
There are many other good varieties which are almost equal 
and c-ould be used with advantage in large, gardens. Mrs. 
Selby, Mrs. E. Stac-ey, J. B. Duvo-ir, Mign-on and Orange Pet 
are the -pick of the Pompons-. In. planting Chrysanthemums 
t wo great, points to, be considered are, first that they make very 
large and rapid growth just immediately before flowering, and 
also that, to, crowd them is 'to ruin their beauty entirely. I 
should advise an average distance of 2 \ ft. each way between 
the plant® ait the least. 
With) Chrysanthemums we terminate our season’s display, 
which I think most critics will admit is of a much longer 
duration than that of the usual bedding' plant. A bed that 
is devoted to Chrysanthemums could have bulbs planted for 
a spring display. Put them 'in deeply, say 12 in., and they 
will be out, of the way of the trowel when planting the young 
Chrysanthemums. I should advise young plants each year for 
this work. 
Chionodoxas, Snowdrops, Narcissus of the Paxvicoronati and 
Medio,coronati types are most in keeping in my opinion, 
although we must in this, ,a,s- in all that appertains to such dis¬ 
plays be guided by the tastes of the proprietor. These bulbs 
could also be interspersed inf many of the beds -of herbaceous 
perennials, choosing for preference the La,ter flowering things, 
so that the season of bloom, is lengthened and the bloo-m dis¬ 
tributed evenly over the garden a,s far as possible. 
A nice effect is got from a bed of Iberis gibraltarica, with 
its lovely pale lilac flowers-, with Tulips growing -through it. 
There -is much variety of colour to select, but, I should advise 
a, good pink or Due Van Thol Tulip. Such a garden as I 
advocate would require a little special knowledge, but gar¬ 
deners must educate themselves up to it, as t-herei can be no 
gainsaying the fact that this system is rapidly and surely 
predominating over the older style, just as surely as the sub¬ 
tropical bedding ousted the carpet system from our garden. I 
Jo not mean to suggest 'that we ssho-uld do away with the sub¬ 
tropical style, with it® many graceful effects', but rather to, com¬ 
bine the hardy perennial with the sub-tropical, where the 
glass is at hand -to shelter -the sub-tropical plants. 
Where -this is nob the case, the hardy perennial bedding 
is the ideal style, as what, little glass' -there is at disposal car. 
be then put, to much better use, when -there is- no necessitv 
-o-f crowding it with the winter stock of Pelargoniums-, etc. 
The -special knowledge required would be chiefly this: How 
and when to plant and propagate the various plants used, so 
as to get. the maximum of -display with the minimum o-f labour. 
The gardener must know the various heights and colours 
which are most, essential to enable bun to, plant with any hope 
•of success. Japonica. 
