8 THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
iSQ GAWLER 
Renowaed fo: his Watches. Jewellery. and J epairs. 
PLACE. 
November 1, 1907 
Phase SEW ba how ogden =P eID 
to which the bedding plants lend them- 
selves; there still remains another prob- 
Jem to solve, viz., “how to use them.” 
Here skill in arti-tic arrangement and 
harmony of colors is put to 2 severe test. 
Starting with the beginning of the season 
the yurious J'utch bulbs are the first 
ones to attrict our attention. They are 
easily cultivated and therefore most ap- 
_ propriate fur the amateur. Exquisite 
effects an«i color schemes can be carried 
out; although their duration of bloom 
barely reaches more than four weeks, I 
think they make the most striking dis- 
play of the season. Only the purest and 
clearest colers should be selected. Off 
rolors and the peculiar magenta shades 
are hard to match with pure colors and 
are best planted by themselves, or far 
enough distant so as not to detract from 
them. Mixed beds containing a number 
of varieties look very well, but beds of 
all one color show by far better taste. 
Where a number of beds are planted, 
greater attention must be given to work 
out a harmonious color scheme. Pink, 
white and light blue blend admirably ; 
next comes yellow, then red and yellow 
and the various reds. Jt isa great deal 
more pleasing to the eye to let the colors 
run into each other by degrees than to 
create too big a contrast. Colonies of 
crocuses, snowdrops and scillas, siugly 
and several together, irregularly scattered 
on the lawn, look very charming. 
Pansies, bellis and myosotis are also 
extensively used. Although the pansies 
come in a multitude of colors, they are 
mostly used mixed and often with Bellis 
perennis as a border, Little advantage 
has been taken of working out color 
schemes with pansies, and yet if we stop 
to study their rich tints, tints which I 
think cannot be found in any other 
plant, the possibilities are wonderful. 
Following these come the Summer 
plantings with cannas, geraniums, helio- 
trope, begonias, petunias, coleus, acaly- 
phas, abutilon, salvias, verbenas, and a 
great number of other plants too numerous 
to be mentioned. 
Almost all bedding plants thrive and 
flourish best in full sunlight except 
tuberous begonias and fuchsias, which do 
best in half shade, where there is plenty 
of indirect light: other plants, like some 
of our hardy palms—phcenixes, latanias 
chamzrops—the various fibrous rooted 
begonias, like semperflorens, Vernon, 
Schmitti, and fancy leaved caladiums do 
well under both conditions. 
The soil for cannas musas, ricinus and 
Caladium esculentum should be very 
rich, their growth will be so much more 
luxuriant; while the rest of the plants, 
like gerzninms, begonias, ve: benas, salvias, 
cuphiea, ageratum, etc.. also need enriched 
soil, Care must be taken not to use too 
much fertiliser: this will result rather 
disastrously and the plants will show an 
abundanee of foliage in place of flowers. 
Redding plants before set out in their 
Summer quarters suould be properly 
hardened off, they should ‘be exposed 
freely to the air and sunlight at least 
two weeks before the planting com- 
mences. Nothing serves this purpose 
better than the hotbed, no matter how 
much some of the growers are opposed 
to this sort of cultivation. It is true the 
cost of labor is somewhat higher, but the 
superior resuits obtained fully justify the 
expenditure made, and plants hardened 
off in this manner su‘fer but very little 
in transplanting. 
We have plants of every desirable 
height, from two inches up to eight feet, 
some with a wealth of. flowers, others 
again with richly colored foliage, some 
with coarser, others with more graceful 
foliage. 
CoNSIDER THE Sky LIne. 
In the arrangement of planting one 
great object, which is ono of the great 
principles in landscape gardening, is in 
many cases lost sight of. viz., the con- 
sideration of the sky line, Especially in 
large border plantations this should be 
applied: here we have tall plantings 
broken with lower ones, until they finally 
run ont to very low plants at the edge. 
In fact, every bed, as well asin larger 
displays, the relation of one bed to the 
other should be treated in this way 
While the beds are al! more or less 
formal, they should not appear stiff, every 
plant should have plenty of room for full 
development ard where a number of ver 
ieties are used in one bed, the tall ones 
‘should be massed, but here and there one 
should rise above the lower ones, su as to 
present a loose and pleasing arrangements 
in this manner every plrnt will show it, 
valuable points more advantagously. For 
‘example, a bed planted only with Wicus 
‘elastica would look ver7 stiff, but inte- 
mingled with the graceful Grevellea 
robusta and a border of ivy, it-would lose: 
this stiffness and present a very pleasing 
effect. This shows that by careful study 
we can improve the bad points cf ‘one 
plant with the good ones of another. 
Particulur stress should be given to the 
selection of the various tints, blendin 
richly colored foliage tastefully with the. 
more gorgeous tinted flowers, so as not 
to create too big a contrast. Beds of solid 
colors, alternating with some of less 
contrast, will harmoniously tie the entire 
display together and this will help greatly 
to achieve the desired plan. It is in the: 
designer’s power to present a very brill- 
iant or a very quiet picture according to 
the scheme that is required. 
Quiet and res-ful effects are worked out 
by using tints of various blues, white and 
grey, variegated, glaucous and bronze 
foliage with a little touch of red, and 
Anthericum vittatum var. punica, Grana- 
tium pumila, Abelia rupestris heliotrope, 
Plumbago capensis, coerulea and alba, 
Phyeglius capensis, santolina and Abu- 
tilon Savitzli lend themselves well for 
this purpose. 
Much more could be said'on the subject, 
but, in my opinion, one runs no risk of 
failures by adhering to the points laid out 
in my modest essay. 
of Ei 
Mertais ALN 
Sweer Scapious, LARGE-FLOWERING, 
DovuBLE. 
Showy free-flowering plants, sweet- 
scented, producing a fine effect in shrub 
beries and mixed ._rders 
