relief to the mind. Besides this, the parterre borders can be filled up for either winter or spring, without interfering with the herbaceous plants.

To prevent being misunderstood in the foregoing remarks on the arrangement of flowering plants of various colours in beds and borders, it may be well to state that so many fantastic beds, cut out geometrically or otherwise, on a space of grass or gravel, and filled with flowers, do not constitute my ideal of a flower-garden, not even though in outline they embrace all the standard 'lines of beauty.' My aim here is to assist the inexperienced in properly arranging various colours in beds and borders as one of the objects on which depends the beauty of a flower-garden, and one which lies more strictly within the province of the practical gardener than any other matter that belongs to flower-gardens in general. To give rules for the laying out of a flowergarden in its entirety does not range within the design of this work, although groups of beds and borders which are considered necessary to practically illustrate the principles which have here been laid down are given. After all, the disposition of flowering plants must be looked upon as the crowning touch of dress to a flowergarden; and the talent that can elaborate the flowery part of a garden may justly claim to rank side by side. with that which produces a garden where flowers can be disposed of to advantage, and which is yet beautiful when not tricked out in holiday attire. Some flowergardens are in themselves essentially paltry, and any amount of flowers will not make them pleasing, not even in combination with contortions of pounded bricks or glass. To decorate such malformations with flowers is much like placing jewellery on a corpse. They are

in such cases flowers in deep mourning, or degraded by being disassociated from their proper allies.

In large domains, where there are heavy boundary lines of graceful vegetation, I cannot join with those who object to heavier masses or even long level borders of flowering plants, provided such be relieved with plants of graceful forms and gentler hues, but not mixed up into one unmeaning jumble, which, whether viewed from an eminence or from a distant point, looks like a garden gone mad; or as if the genius of confusion had culminated in sowing broadcast, and in awful mixture, the whole world of alpine, herbaceous, and annual plants. Order, principle, and taste should make manifest that a flower-garden is emphatically a work of art.

CHAPTER XII.

ARRANGEMENT AND PLANTING OF BEDS AND GROUPS

OF BEDS.

HAVING entered with considerable minuteness into the consideration of the principles which I conceive should guide the flower-gardener in the arrangement or grouping of flowering plants in geometrical designs, it will be the less needed to enter very extensively into the practical details of the subject. In conjunction with what has already been advanced, a few practical illustrations of planting the groups of beds which have been prepared specially for this object for the various seasons of the year, will, we conceive, be quite sufficient to illustrate the principles already treated of. Besides the planting of these as distinct groups, each bed of which relatively bears upon its fellow, a good many ways will be shown for planting effectively single beds and borders.

It has already been stated that it is not a part of our present object to enter into the laying out of gardens and grounds in their entirety. The designs here furnished are principally intended to serve the purpose of showing how to plant geometrical gardens effectively. The designs are, however, submitted as indicative of what, to my mind, is well adapted for carrying out the style of flower-gardening, which has for its especial

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feature, combinations of flowering plants. The lines are, on the one hand, removed from the stiffness and formality of what may be termed the Chinese puzzle style; and, on the other, from the minute twirlings and contortions which, however well they may look to the inexperienced planter, have been appropriately termed gardening on tea-trays.' The fine intricacies of expert compass work, as every practical flower-gardener knows, are most difficult to deal with satisfactorily in the garden. Design No. 1. is the only one which I have furnished with surroundings; and I have done this, in order to show how a small piece of ground, which may be the sole area available for flower-gardening, may be disposed of as a united whole, affording scope for variety, while each part at the same time helps to enhance the beauty and interest of the others. It is alike suitable for having the centre group of nineteen beds in a sunk panel, while the surrounding circles are on a terrace above, and all surrounded with a shrubbery. The group is supposed to be suitable for either grass or gravel as a ground-work. Although exceedingly partial to the softening influence of the green, there is no question that colours and plants suitable for beds of this description are more telling and effective on gravel; and the harmony and contrasts existing between their various forms and colours are more largely neutralized on a verdant ground-work, than when separated by a quietcoloured gravel.

In first considering how such a cluster of beds as is represented by this design is to be planted, and in arriving at a tolerably accurate conclusion as to the effect certain colours will produce, I would strongly recommend a simple method that I adopt, and which

no brush-colouring, however cleverly executed, can approach for correctness. First, let the walks or groundwork be coloured, if it be gravel-as nearly as possible the same as it exists in the garden when in a high state of keeping, and then colour the beds of a verdant green colour throughout. On this green, which is designed to represent the foliage of the plants, strew a few petals. of the flowers, leaving green dots uncovered here and there. This will give an idea of what the plants look like when in bloom in the beds-much more correct and natural than can be given by water-colouring.

In planting such a design as this, which is strictly geometric, and constructed on the principle of concentric rings, the first thing that claims consideration is, whether it has mostly to be viewed, studied, and enjoyed from a somewhat distant point, or close to, or under the eye. This, in my opinion, ought to decide whether the planting should be executed on the principles of harmony or of contrast. If to be viewed close to the eye, to plant it in strong contrasts will undoubtedly make it striking. But it will crash and thunder upon the eye and mind much as a railway galop would upon the ear, when thundered out by a brass band and kettledrums in a room. The mind that does not long enjoy harshness would soon wish that the garden should be moved away to some extent, or wish to get sufficiently removed from it to have its harshness toned down by intervening space.

Those who have not trained their eye to grouping of this sort, nor studied the matter, would not unlikely be very much struck with strong contrasts, viewed even so near-much the same as the rustic's untrained ear would appreciate, notwithstanding the harshness which only distance could overcome, the thundering performance of