250 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Maifoh  19,  1896. 
brilliancy  of  effect  of  bloom  in  some  of  the  later  introductions 
of  this  family.  There  is  also  much  diversity  of  colour  in  the 
foliage  of  the  various  forms  of  Beet,  Coleus,  Amaranthus,  Pcrilla, 
Iresine,  Centaureas,  Castor  Oils,  and  others  that  will  furnish  an 
assortment  almost  as  rich  and  gay  as  the  usual  run  of  flowering 
plants  are. 
From  about  1870  to  1885  carpet  bedding  was  in  the  zenith  of 
its  glory,  and  though  it  did  not  suit  all  tastes,  it  found,  and  still 
finds,  many  admirers.  I  therefore  hold  to  the  opinion  that  a 
few  beds  may  be  planted  without  incurring  much  adverse  criticism, 
if  the  plants  are  chosen  for  their  decided  colouring  and  lasting 
properties.  In  wet  summers  they  have  a  decided  advantage  over 
flowering  plants  by  the  contrast  in  the  brilliancy  of  their  foliage. 
That  it  is  an  extravagant  system  of  bedding  I  am  ready  to  admit ; 
but  most  of  the  plants  used  are  easily  propagated,  and  few  styles 
are  more  pleasing  and  effective  on  a  summer’s  evening,  while  it  has 
the  advantage  of  adding  a  little  more  variety  to  the  whole. 
Two  charming  and  effective  families  of  plants  have  during  the 
past  few  seasons  been  used  plentifully  in  most  gardens.  As  deco¬ 
rative  plants  they  are  indispensable,  and  when  properly  treated 
are  both  economical  as  well  as  pleasingly  useful.  I  allude  to  the 
Fuchsia  and  Begonia,  neither  of  which  takes  up  much  protective  space 
during  the  winter  months.  Both  are  easily  grown,  and  greatly 
admired  when  in  bloom,  possessing  charms  of  artistic  beauty  solely 
their  own.  Besides  the  various  colours  and  forms  of  the  tuberous 
Begonia  now  so  extensively  used,  there  are  several  varieties  of 
Begonia  semperflorens,  notably  B.  s.  rubra  and  B.  s.  rosea.  In 
localities  where  they  do  well  few  plants  are  more  attractive,  either 
displayed  in  small  beds  of  separate  colours  or  intermixed  with  some 
low-growing  plants  such  as  Yiolas.  The  prettiest  effect  I  have 
seen  with  these  was  at  Kew  last  season,  where  each  variety  of 
B.  semperflorens  was  made  to  fill  a  separate  small  bed. 
Ivy-leaf  Pelargoniums  of  recent  use  for  bedding  purposes  are 
extremely  beautiful,  especially  on  a  groundwork  of  Yiolas.  If 
strong  autumn-rooted  plants  are  grown  rapidly,  allowing  three  or 
four  shoots  to  run  up,  they  will  form  pyramids  during  the  summer, 
and  entwine  themselves  amongst  the  Yiola*.  The  rapid 
development  of  the  Viola  since  the  introduction  of  Viola  cornuta 
some  twenty-five  years  since  furnishes  us  with  an  unlimited 
number  of  magnificent  varieties  to  »elect  from,  and  if  planted  in 
well-manured  deeply  dug  soil  they  give  us  such  a  profusion  of 
colours  and  bloom  that  few  plants  (if  any)  can  equal.  Their 
hardiness  and  ease  of  cultivation  strongly  recommend  them  to  all 
gardens,  whether  large  or  small.  I  might  add  that  I  consider 
the  royal  road  to  success  here  lies  in  procuring  yonng  plants  each 
season  from  cuttings  every  autumn. 
Celosia  plumosa  and  Cockscombs  are  coming  into  prominence 
for  filling  flower  beds,  their  purple,  crimson,  golden  yellow,  and 
lemon  flowers  being  attractive  during  the  late  summer  months. 
Moderation  and  simplicity  are  the  essential  principles  that  should 
be  applied  in  the  arrangement  of  the  flower  garden. 
While  overcrowding  must  by  all  means  be  avoided  the  opposite 
extreme  should  by  no  means  be  resorted  to — in  fact  beds  that  are 
so  thinly  planted  that  the  occupants  scarcely  meet  by  the  end  of 
the  season  denotes  poverty  and  sadly  mars  the  effect  by  too  much 
exposure  of  the  soil. 
Another  pleasing  phase  of  garden  decoration  can  be  easily 
accomplished  by  a  free  distribution  of  early  spring  flowering  bulbs 
amongst  the  grass.  The  first  of  these  harbingers  of  spring  is  the 
Winter  Aconite  (Eranthis  hyemalis),  which  is  usually  ready  to 
produce  its  yellow  Buttercup-like  blooms  after  the  disappearance  of 
a  spell  of  frost  either  in  January  or  early  February.  This  season, 
from  its  mildness,  they  appeared  with  me  on  the  17th  January. 
These  are  soon  followed  by  the  pure  white  Snowdrop.  Then  every 
nook  and  cranny  may  be  made  gay  with  the  Crocus  in  its  many 
hues.  Blue  Scillas  and  Daffodils  may  be  planted  as  fit  associates  to 
follow.  While  all  the  above  are  brightening  our  homes  the  flower 
beds,  which  contain  the  more  majestic  Hyacinths  and  Tulips,  and 
amongst  which  have  been  interspersed  beds  and  edgings  of  Arabis, 
Aubrietias,  Myosotis,  Primroses,  Polyanthus,  Auriculas,  and  Wall¬ 
flowers,  are  boldly  expanding  their  various  forms  and  colours.  Red, 
white,  and  pink  Daisies,  planted  separately  or  in  mixture,  also  serve 
to  furnish  a  display  in  their  own  particular  way. 
Almost  every  variety  of  Saxifraga  would  be  found  useful,  even 
to  the  common  London  Pride,  each  in  its  way  adding  lustre  to  the 
combination  of  floral  wealth  at  our  disposal.  Some  of  the  hardy 
herbaceous  plants,  suitably  prepared,  will  be  found  useful  to 
follow,  such  as  Doronicums,  Pyrethrums,  Canterbury  Bells,  and 
Pansies.  East  Lothian,  Ten-week,  and  Brompton  Stocks,  which 
have  been  protected  during  the  winter,  will,  if  planted  in  blocks, 
add  much  to  the  splendour,  and  in  many  cases  they  will  boldly 
display  their  brilliancy  and  diffuse  their  fragrance  throughout  the 
long  summer  months.  So  many  are  the  good  things  provided  for 
our  use  during  the  summer  that  in  a  short  paper  of  this  kind  I 
could  not  attempt  to  enumerate  them,  but  to  still  extend  the 
flowering  period  should  be  our  aim  ;  therefore  large  plantations  of 
early  flowering  Chrysanthemums,  Michaelmas  Daisies,  and  other 
autumn  gems  should  be  secured  to  prolong  our  garden  beauty. 
To  avoid  blots  and  blanks  in  the  flower  garden,  culture  and 
manure  are  both  needed,  the  plants  have  to  be  duly  prepared  for 
their  places,  and  the  places  duly  prepared  and  enriched  for  the 
plants,  which  must  be  the  subject  of  future  papers  as  opportunities 
occur. — J.  W.  Moorman,  Victoria  Park ,  E. 
TRANSPLANTING  SEEDLINGS. 
The  term,  “  pricking  out,”  would  doubtless  appear  somewhat 
of  a  poser  to  the  few  inhabitants  of  these  islands  who  know 
nothing  of  gardening  or  the  phrases  used  to  distinguish  the 
various  operations  connected  with  the  “  gentle  art.”  I  say 
advisedly  the  “  few  ”  who  are  ignorant  of  these  matters,  because 
in  these  days  of  universal  knowledge  the  grand  old  calling  of 
Adam  is  practised  by  or  taught  to  the  inmates  of  well  nigh  every 
British  home,  and  by  no  means  the  least  among  the  many  pleasures 
to  be  derived  from  gardening  is  that  of  watching  the  recently  sown 
seeds  send  forth  their  tiny  sprouts  and  gradually  develop  into  leaves, 
a  stage  at  which  the  seedlings  are  often  ready  for  transplanting  or 
pricking  out.  In  large  gardens  hundreds  of  thousands  of  young 
plants  of  various  descriptions  undergo  this  operation  annually,  and 
those  engaged  in  the  work  frequently  find  it  an  exceedingly  plea¬ 
sant  task.  Many  a  young  gardener  looks  forward  to  the  beginning 
of  his  day’s  work  with  an  eagerness  not  understood  by  those  who 
practise  some  more  exhausting  craft.  I  doubt  not  that  many  who, 
like  myself,  have  travelled  too  far  upon  life’s  journey  to  be  still 
termed  “  young  gardeners,”  look  back  with  satisfaction  upon  the 
really  happy  hours  spent  in  pricking  out. 
In  the  cultivation  of  all  plants,  whether  they  be  propagated  by 
seeds  or  cuttings,  a  cardinal  point  to  be  observed  is  to  insure  a 
sturdy  habit  of  growth  from  start  to  finish.  With  this  object  in 
view  seeds  ought  to  be  sown  thinly,  and  the  young  plants  resulting 
therefrom  transplanted  before  becoming  drawn  by  overcrowding. 
It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  exact  stage  at  which  the  young 
seedlings  should  be  thinned  must  to  a  great  extent  be  regulated  by 
the  room  they  have  for  development.  Seedlings  which  spring  up 
quite  closely  together  must  be  pricked  off  as  soon  as  large  enough 
to  handle  ;  but  when  thinly  disposed  it  is  often  an  advantage  to 
leave  them  till  they  have  become  strong  and  well  rooted.  Little 
balls  of  earth  can  then  be  lifted  with  them,  and  they  scarcely 
experience  any  check  from  the  operation. 
Yery  fine  dust-like  seeds,  such  as  those  of  the  Tuberous 
Begonia,  should  always  be  sown  thinly,  as  the  operation  of  trans¬ 
planting  them  is  a  very  delicate  one.  It  often  has  to  be  performed 
with  the  point  of  a  penknife,  and  merely  consists  of  lifting  and 
laying  them  upon  pans  of  prepared  soil,  already  well  moistened. 
By  placing  these  under  bell-glasses  and  keeping  them  shaded  it  is 
seldom  that  water  is  required  till  the  young  roots  have  fastened 
themselves  in  the  new  soil.  Lobelias,  Pyrethrums,  Calceolarias, 
Petunias,  and  many  others  of  like  nature  give  infinitely  less 
trouble  when  the  seeds  have  been  sown  thinly,  as  they  are  most 
difficult  to  handle  in  a  young  state — in  fact,  if  sown  thickly,  drawn 
and  attenuated  young  plants  must  be  the  result  before  they  can  be 
pricked  out.  Primulas,  on  the  other  hand,  I  find  make  much 
better  progress  if  pricked  out  as  soon  as  the  first  pair  of  leaves  have 
been  formed.  This  is  so  even  if  the  seeds  were  sown  thinly.  The 
