3 ° 
A FEW FLOWERS 
FUNKIAS—SHOWING THE ADVANTAGE OK GROUPING AS COMPARED WITH THE DOTTING SYSTEM OK PLANTING. 
on it in summer. When a plant is old and has got rather too thick never hesitate to move it on a wet day in the middle 
of August or July as well as in the middle of the winter. Take it up and put a fresh, bold group in fresh ground ; 
the young plants will have plenty of roots by the winter, and will flower much stronger the following spring than if 
they had been transplanted in spring or in winter. Do not pay over much attention to labeling ; if a plant is not worth 
knowing it is not worth growing ; let each good thing be so boldly and so well grown and placed that it impresses its 
individuality upon all who see it. 
Natural Grouping. —1 he mixed border, in which plants are placed in rows, each kept to a small, neat specimen, the 
tall-growing ones having their flower-stems tied to neat stakes, rigidly upright, is among the worst arrangements possible 
for hardy flowers ; but not so the mixed border, in which spreading plants are allowed to form great patches a yard or 
two across. I ake a mixed lot of Primroses and plant them in a row, and the effect is poor compared with that of the 
same plants arranged in one irregular clump; the same with Auriculas, Polyanthuses, Daffodils, and most other dwarf¬ 
growing things. All hardy plants will be found to have the best effect 
planted in some informal manner, as if in a state of nature. This does 
not mean that the plants are to be planted in any higgledy-piggledy 
fashion ; this is the very reverse of Nature’s arrangements. Plants, when 
they seed themselves, come up all around the parent plant, forming 
clumps and masses; but occasional seeds get blown away, or carried by 
birds, so that approach to a colony of any particular plant is generally 
signaled by the appearance of stragglers or outliers away from the principal 
groups. L.et one thing be a feature in the several parts of the garden at 
one season and all the rest be subordinate. At a particular time, for 
instance, a corner of the garden might be conspicuous for its Phloxes, 
at another for its Roses, at another for its Dahlias, again for its Gladioli, 
for its Japanese Anemones, and so on, always choosing for the conspicuous 
plants those which remain in bloom for a considerable time, and keeping 
those subordinate whose blooming period is short. One advantage of 
the picturesque style of gardening is the great use that can be made 
of climbing and twining plants. Honeysuckles, Everlasting Peas, 
Clematises, Passion Flowers, and annual climbers can all be placed almost 
anywhere— running up poles, over trees and fences, trailing over sunny 
banks, or trained in rustic arches over the walks. Many beautiful climbing 
Roses are almost lost to our gardens because with bedding arrangements 
there was no place for them. 
Bulbs in Large Beds. —Not only in beds in the reserve or special 
culture garden may we have bulbs produce a very fine effect ; they are 
admirable for the lawn, and also for the quiet corners of the pleasure ground. tall DELPHINIUMS. 
