Old-fashioned flower-gardens will again be either filled, or all but filled, with their summer or autumn occupants. Plants such as Geraniums, Lobelias, Ageratums, make the most satisfactory progress here when planted about the beginning of June, therefore we do not hurry to get our "bedding-out" over. Much of the lateness in getting beds filled with flowering-plants lies at the door of putting these out too early. In many situations it is not until the " turn of the day," at the end of June, that real fine continuous growing weather can be looked for. May is commonly a cold month, so far as nights are concerned; and with the exception of hardy plants, or those nearly so, we get as near to the fine weather as possible before we plant. During the past month much work that used to be overtaken in March and April has had to be done. We used to get all hardy plants into their places in these months, but had to wait till May this year, through pressure of other work. Planting up bare places amongst shrubs cut down, or damaged by frost, has entailed a good deal of labour, but we hope to be amply repaid for it all. Laurustinus, Sweet-Bay, and Arbutus bushes have been mostly all cut down, besides many other shrubs more or less damaged.

The spaces these have left bare have been thickly planted up with free-flowering and showy herbaceous plants and hardy florist-flowers. One large group of shrubs has had the ground entirely dotted over with Phloxes; another has Sweet-Williams, dotted with Foxgloves. One large space is planted thickly with double Pyrethrums, dotted with Verbascum nigrum. The double red Campion is dotted with the same plant; London Pride with Canterbury Bells; Doronicums with Aconitums, and other groups in the same style. We have left room for Dahlias, Sun-flowers, and other things to be planted this month. In the case of bulbs to flower on grass, we have tried a plan which is hoped will be successful with these. Dotting plants singly, or in groups of five or six, has always been a failure here. This year we have lifted the turf over as much space as wanted to make a group of Hyacinths, Tulips, or Narcissus, then dug and prepared the ground, planted out the occupants of the several groups, and then relaid the turf amongst them. There is nothing to compare with spring flowers on grass for simple quiet beauty - some plants lending themselves to it without any trouble, though others are more difficult to get to flower yearly, and to thrive.

Whilst writing this, there is a "garden on the grass" close by, of some 15 to 20 acres in extent, the greater portion of which is covered with Primroses in every possible shade of colour, from white to maroon. They are absolutely countless in number. When they first were planted no one seems to know; but the first few flowers have multiplied by seedlings to an enormous extent, and at the present day the result is one which only nature could give. I have been induced to note these matters whilst fresh in my mind, as many others may have it in their power to do a little to beautify odd corners at this season; but as a first step to make a successful end, I would strongly advise the lifting of turf, and cultivating the ground underneath before planting either bulbs or other hardy spring-flowering plants which are herbaceous in their habit of growth.

This is the month when herbaceous borders are at their best, and when work multiplies rapidly in keeping them tidy and attractive. Plants requiring stakes must have them without delay, as a thunderstorm may, without warning, do damage impossible to repair, where strong growing plants are unsecured. I think I have before pointed out how many plants may be efficiently supported without employing stakes the entire height of the various plants; but one important point in this plan is to have the plants staked before they have become " straggly." Lines of Gladioli or Asters are quite securely supported by placing a stout stake two feet out of the ground about every third yard, to which a strong string is attached; the spikes or flower-stems are tied by a single tie each to the string. I do not think as much is made out of Dahlias as might be, as they will now be ready for planting. Let me say that the difference a little rich compost makes to them, even when the ground has not been particularly well prepared, is simply wonderful.

The way to do is to mix an extra rich compost, and place a spadeful and a half of this where each plant is to be put; this is mixed with the natural soil before planting.

R. P. B.

The Flower-Garden #1

Last month the value of hardy Florist flowers in mixed borders was brought before the readers of the 'Gardener.' I have now to ask that their usefulness for cultivation in formal beds should be examined. We have all read what has been said about the absurdity, the want of taste, the unnaturalness of planting out masses of plants in beds and borders cut out of lawns, and have no doubt been considerably affected by all such remarks. Yet, after all that has been said, we have not had a method of growing plants placed before us which can compete with the above system of garden decoration for the summer and autumn months. Not as doing away with Geraniums and other continuous flowering-plants would we therefore advocate the admittance of hardy florists' flowers into the flower garden proper, but as valuable helps to these, and as forming a feature in the garden of a style of beauty which can stand on its own merits. As a matter of necessity, the number of kinds of flowers which can thus be employed is restricted to those which flower freely and continuously through the late summer and autumn months; all kinds which cannot be depended on to fulfil that condition being inadmissible in arrangements whose richest term of beauty is seen in autumn.

I should like to see all these improved forms of hardy flowers removed from their position in beds marked off in corners of kitchen-gardens, and made the most of in the best decorative position that can be found for them. All of them can be admitted to the mixed hardy border, to the enhancement of their individual charms, and the increased beauty of these borders; but we ought not to stop there, in the case of plants which are fitted to add to the attractiveness of gardens laid out on grass. Some plants, as the Dahlia and the Phlox, have been made use of as decorative garden plants; but, and especially in the case of the Dahlia, only dwarf-growing varieties have, as a rule, been considered admissible for this purpose. Now I think this is a mistake; some of the tallest sorts are the best decorative plants. In Phloxes, for instance, I don't know any better kinds than such tall sorts as Lothair, Bryan Wynne, or Charlotte Saison; and the same rule will generally be found to apply to other kinds of flowers.

In arranging the plants, I would not so much plant them in a mass, as dot them thickly over the beds. We have, for instance, a bed which has been bright with Roses, planted with an undergrowth of "Sir Walter Scott" Viola, and dotted with Hollyhocks, the edging being Campanula pumila alba. Unfortunately the disease which is so destructive to Hollyhocks has attacked these, and we have had to destroy the whole of them, in order to save, if possible, a lot of clean plants half a mile off. A light-coloured Gladiolus, such as Shakespeare, may be dotted amongst scarlet Geraniums, or Brenchleyensis amongst a mixture of Bijou Geranium and light-blue Violas; and so with other shades. Beds of one colour of Pentstemons may be planted with an undergrowth of such dwarf-growing plants as Koniga variegata, mixtures of Polemonium variegatum and Blue Lobelia, or many other plants. The best Pentstemons for this purpose will be found in any or all of the undernoted sorts : Mrs Sutherland Walker, and Mr R. Dean, both red, may be used together; Junius, Brutus, Lady Boswell, Miss C. Taylor, and Champion, are all purplish crimson in hue, and may be used together; Egerton Hubbard and Abbot's Meadows are dark purple, and do together; Eclipse, light rose; James Harknell, deep rose; Candidate, crimson; Inimitable, purplish crimson, and Master Fox Tarbet, - are all well adapted for the above purpose.

All are dark sorts, as Pentstemons which are light in colours are not effective as decorative subjects. We shall have our stock rooted by the time this appears, but there is yet plenty of time to strike plants before winter sets in. I find that weakly plants never make up ground sufficiently to be of any value, even when the cultivation is good. To get really fine plants, with six to a dozen strong spikes to each, it is advisable to pot them up in spring. Their value is not nearly sufficiently recognised.

The dot style of planting all these will be found, on the whole, more attractive in most gardens than that of massing them closely together. If the garden is very large, it is, of course, possible to take liberties and make capital hits, which in ordinary-sized gardens prove a blunder not to be repeated. And we northern gardeners have within our reach a class of plants which in the south cannot be used with anything like the same effect. We fail with many subtropical plants, such as Cannas, Castor-oil plants, and others of massive leafage. But these hardy plants, are better adapted to our northern climate than they are to that of the south, and give to our flower-gardens a feature which, with the aid of such massive plants as Tritomas, Sun-flowers, herbaceous and annual Salvias, and other hardy late-flowering plants, relieve the dumpiness which has been too much the order of the day for many years. R. P. B.