March 28, 1908. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
215 
-SOME COMBINATIONS IN — 
flower Beds. 
Most gardeners at this season are busy 
n.king their plans for the coming sum- 
nr's display in the flower garden, and 
Inn sure an exchange of ideas on the 
jjiject would be highly appreciated by 
riders of The Gardening World. I 
b 1 give an outline of some of our beds 
i'ich were generally admired last year, 
ad hope some other reader may follow 
r example. 
3ne bed which called forth general ad- 
rration was Pentstemon Newbury Gem, 
pnted alternately with Stachys lanata. 
].e silvery grey flower head of Stachys 
ade a fine set-off to the Pentstemon. 
Another bed filled with Antirrhinum 
(imson King and planted alternately 
v:h Salvia Horminum, made a grand 
cnbination, as did two beds o 
[tens, with double pink Ivy-leaved Ger- 
aums dotted through the beds. The 
Lraniums tvere first of all tied to 18 in. 
tikes and afterwards allowed to ramble 
d will. This is a delightful combina- 
tn, and other two beds having some- 
l.ng of the same colour effect w^ere 
1 anted with Petunia Lord Courtenay, 
1 th Lupinus nanus (blue) as a dot 
jant; this was also a very,happy com- 
hation, as was also a very large bed 
f.ed with Montbretia crocosmaeflora and 
31 via Horminum. 
One large bed or border, being about 
8 ft. long by 20 ft. wide, has Clematis 
ckmanni planted at 8 ft. apart along the 
mitre, the Clematis being trained up 
j les and from the top of the poles on to 
ires, which hang between the poles in 
tE same manner as hanging chains for 
loses are used. t Then 5 ft. along the 
1 ddle of the beef, and immediately under 
te Clematis, is planted with Chrysanthe- 
um frutescens, which makes a very 
jetty effect against the ClematTs. The 
mainder of the bed is filled wdth Aster 
(inensis (mauve and pink mixed). Beet, 
geratum Imperial Dwarf Blue, with an 
<ging of Cerastium tomentosum, the dif- 
i’ent kinds following each other as 
ove. I may mention that there are 
ree lines of the Aster on each side of 
te bed. 
The last one, but not by any means the 
] orest one, is a bed, circular in shape, 
'th a purple Clematis planted in the 
iddle and trained low over the bed on 
'res about 1 ft. apart and 15 in. from the 
$ound, all, of course, radiating from the 
<ptre. The bed can be filled with dif- 
Lent subjects, but Gladioli do grandly, 
(her Gandavensis, or better still, the 
■ w pink Gladiolus Hollandia; these 
; owing up through the purple Clematis 
< the wires, have a charming effect. 
D. Chapman. 
-- 
1 rubidium Sanderi superbum. 
The sepals and petals of this handsome 
'rietv are lined and shaded with a lively 
He on a white ground. The lip is white 
'th crimson spots in lines, while the side 
1 oes are striped with that hue. First- 
<iss Certificate by the R.H.S. when 
‘own by Messrs. F. Sander and Sons, St. 
< bans. 
Nephrolepis exaltata Piersoni. 
j^ephroiepis exaltata Piersoni. 
Growing from Both Ends of a Pot. 
A correspondent, Mr. Henry Shimeld, 
Long Street. - Atherstone, • sends us a 
photograph showing the peculiar habit of 
the above Fern. Several of the species 
of Nephrolepis have the peculiar habit of 
throwing out long slender stems by which 
they can reproduce themselves around the 
mother plant after the manner of a Straw¬ 
berry. Our correspondent does not say 
whether these rhizomes or runners have 
grown through the bottom of the pot, but 
we presume this is what has happened. 
Some of the rhizomes, no doubt, find 
it as easy to make their exit by the hole 
in the bottom of the pot as at the top. 
This is more likely to hapnen when the 
pot is suspended,, and evidently it had 
been susnended for some time previous to 
the development of those fronds. 
Mr. Shimeld had it in the autumn of 
iqo6 when in full growth, and later on 
cut it down like several other of his Ferns. 
During the spring of 1907 it commenced 
to grow from both ends of the pot until 
it had the appearance represented. 
Whether the cutting down had anything 
to do wdth this is also a moot question, 
but we think the previous supposition to 
be the most likely cause of this peculiar 
growth. It is the variety Piersoni, but 
has not kept altogether true to character, 
some of the fronds having sported more 
or less back to the variety N. exaltata 
bostoniensis, from which the sport .origi¬ 
nated. 
-4-M- 
Sophrolaelia Felicia. 
The sepals and petals of this hybrid 
are dark purple with a violet tinge. The 
lip is maroon-purple, but pale at the base. 
A'vard of Merit by the R.H.S. when 
shown bv Messrs. Charlesw'orth and Co., 
Bradford. 
