October  15,  1903. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Combination  Bedding. 
In  the  battle  of  the  bedding,  or,  rather,  those  quiet 
conflicts  ’twixt  architect  and  gardener,  in  which  the  former 
has  by  classic  design  imposed  the  penalty  of  formal  garden¬ 
ing  and  brought  a 
biennial  strain  upon 
the  latter  in  carrying 
all  out  “decently  and 
in  order,”  we  have  a 
contentious  question 
it  is  not  purposed  to 
thrash  out  now.  Suffi¬ 
cient  to  say  that  an 
expanding  wave, 
and  a  potent  one, 
too.  has  of  late  years 
swept  over  gardening 
England,  and  the  old 
order  of  garish  for¬ 
mality  gives  place  to 
the  new  one  of  grace¬ 
ful  freedom. 
However,  as  many 
cannot  shake  them¬ 
selves  entirely  free  of 
the  fetters  of  for¬ 
mality  without  some 
danger  of  running 
amuck  amongst  the 
classic  outlines  by 
which  they  may  be 
environed,  they 
would  fain  seek  relief 
from  the  laborious 
luxuriance  and  ultra 
extravagance  entailed 
by  constant  cropping  with  tender  plants  of  delicate  grace. 
Never  more  than  during  the  present  season,  perhaps,  has 
the  wisdom  of  employing  plants  better  suited  to  our  fickle 
climate  been  exemplified,  and  possibly,  too,  such  seasons 
may  breed  thoughts  in  the  minds  of  not  a  few  that  such  of 
our  stately  homes  as  are  planned  on  the  noble  Italian  style 
are  better  adapted  to  the  sunny  south  than  to  the  cloudy 
skies  of  Old  England.  However  that  may  be,  it  cannot  but 
be  admitted  that  the  informal,  many-gabled,  picturesque 
mansion  has  not  only 
a  charm  peculiarly  its 
owm,  but  readily 
lends  itself  to  the  new 
gospel — if  it  is  new— 
of  freedom  and  grace 
at  the  gardener’s 
hands,  besides  pro¬ 
viding  sunny  nooks 
and  sheltered  angles 
for  such  tender  sub¬ 
jects  as  he  may  still 
have  a  lingei’ing  re¬ 
gard  for. 
Happy  is  the  man 
so  situated,  and 
whose  artistic  soul 
breathes  in  the  deep 
beauty  of  such  scenes 
until  his  inspired 
hand  grasps  to  the 
full  its  many  oppor¬ 
tunities.  But  it  is  for 
less  fortunate  bro¬ 
thers  who  have  to 
wu’estle  with  Nature 
on  a  wind-sw'ept  ter¬ 
race  plateau  where  Sir 
Architect  has  dumped 
•down  his  massive  View  looking 
Italian  mansion,  and 
carried  far  out,  may 
be,  into  the  grounds  those  severely  geometrical  lines  to  har¬ 
monise  with  it,  which,  of  course,  they  do,  and  which  perforce 
nothing  else  does,  who  is  to  be  sympathised  with.  It  is  a  bad 
job,  some  may  say  (some  have  said),  but  it  cannot  be  altered. 
Yet,  probably,  the  labour  can  be  lessened,  and  the  burden  of 
Entrance  to  the  drive. 
“  that  blessed  bedding  ”  be  considerably  lightened  ;  and 
although  easement  cannot  be  made  to  go  the  whole  way,  it 
can  be  made  to  go  considerably  further  than  at  first  sight 
may  appear  to  be  either  prudent  or  possible.  e  cannot 
altogether  hope  to  have  Mr.  Itobinson’s  ideals  copied  every¬ 
where,  liteially,  though  that  might  save  labour.  But 
in  the  first  place, 
fortunately,  well  kept 
lawns,  so  inseparably 
interwoven  with  the 
characteristic  of  Eng¬ 
lish  gardening,  and 
English  climate,  too, 
are  not  only  promi¬ 
nently  pleasing  fea¬ 
tures,  but  sufficient  in 
themselves  to  soften 
and  tone  down  much 
that  would  otherwise 
be  past  redemption, 
so  far  as  artistic  gar¬ 
dening  is  concerned. 
By  the  way,  how  pre¬ 
eminently  the  pass¬ 
ing  season  has  suited 
the  greensward !  Too 
often  this  piece  de  re- 
sistance  suffered 
severely  in  the  ejaze 
for  cutting  and  carv¬ 
ing  out  a  multiplicity 
of  beds,  and  it  has 
been  noticed  that 
where,  during  the 
abatement  of  the  bed¬ 
ding  fever,  half  the 
beds  have  been  turfed 
over,  results  have 
been  distinctly  advantageous  so  far  as  appearance  is  con¬ 
cerned,  not  to  mention  the  relief  gained  by  a  fifty  per  cent, 
reduction  in  the  bedding  stock.  Not  only  on  the  grass,  but 
where  geometrical  designs  have  been  formed  by  Box- 
bordered  beds  on  gravel  nothing  has  suffered  by  turfing  over 
a  number  of  beds  and  leaving  designs  intact ;  in  fact,  in  this 
particular  case,  a  more  pleasing  effect  is  gained,  as  well  as 
relief  in  two  senses,  by  the  interpolation  of  grassy  greenery. 
On  the  score  of  economy,  men  who  are  at  their  wit’s  end  to 
make  both  ends  meet 
might  well  consider 
the  desirability  at 
this  timely  season  of 
calling  the  attention 
of  the  powers  that  be 
to  this  matter,  and  of 
pressing  the  point 
too. 
In  direct  relation 
to  our  text  is  the 
bedding  of  the  formal 
garden,  well  fur¬ 
nished  beds  being 
the  desideratum,  be 
they  many  or  few, 
aud  any  relaxatiou  of 
the  biennial  strain 
imposed  by  spring 
and  summer  bedding 
without  sacrificing 
effect  would  be  wel¬ 
comed  for  the  more 
economical  c  o  n  - 
siderations  ai'e  felt 
the  less  desire  there 
is  to  show  them. 
Tangly  growths  and 
many  mixtures  are 
from  the  lawn.  place  in  the 
lormal  garden,  rrmi- 
ness  and  trimness, 
however  much  they  may  be  abominated  by  the  disciples  of 
natural  freedom,  must  more  or  less  prevail,-  but  there  is  no 
reason  why  the  slavish  devices  of  carpet  bedders  should  l)e 
adhered  to.  At  the  season,  now  at  hand,  for  planting  the 
spring  display,  much  can  be  done  to  lighten  the  labour  of 
