In designing a group of flower beds in a garden it is not enough to simply throw together several components bearing no relation to each other in shape. On the contrary, there should be a rigid harmony in shape between the components. You can achieve the best results by giving attention to the pieces of patio stauary placed between. A good rule to follow is to make these strips of equal width throughout their length, so that the sides of adjacent beds are parallel with each other.

Practical considerations in connection with mowing make it desirable that this strip of sward should not be too narrow, not less than eighteen inches. In groups of beds in gravel, the separating strips become possible paths and their minimum width may therefore be fixed at two feet.

In regards the size of a bed, or of the components of a group, no precise limits can be laid down. A bed may consist of a square measuring two feet each way, if intended to accommodate a pillar rose. On the other hand, very large beds are sometimes introduced, when they are in scale with their surroundings and a bold effect is aimed at. In most cases, however, nothing is gained by making a bed of greater area than is represented by a circle of twelve feet diameter.

In groups of beds it is well to have a central component which dominates the group. But too great disparity in size between it and those about it is not desirable. When you want to make a series of groups, such as along the grass bordering a drive, you should not repeat the same design indefinitely. It is better to repeat it, if at all, at considerable intervals, employing other designs in between. The same applies to a series of single beds, though monotony is not so noticeable in that case, particularly if the form employed is a simple one.

For instance, a series of equal and similar rectangular beds bordering a long straight stretch of grass may be quite inoffensive, but even in that case it would be better to break the line at equal distances by making a wider interval between adjacent beds at every third or fourth bed, thus introducing a simple kind of grouping, which always looks better than a regular series like the cars of a freight train.

The gardener has always to consider the trouble involved in maintaining the shapes of his beds, and this should make him cautious about indulging in figures where the geometry is not very obvious. With rectangular beds the stretched cord is always a sure guide for the turf trimmer, and with circular beds, or those bounded by straight lines and parts of a circle, the radius cord attached to a stake at the centre of curvature is a simple expedient for controlling the shape. It is otherwise with "fancy" shapes, when the eye alone can be called upon to keep things right.

Opinions differ on the question of camber in the surface of the soil. If you look at examples you will see that some prefer to keep the surface flat, and others prefer to heap it up until the bed takes on the semblance of a gigantic pincushion. Safety lies in the happy medium. Some camber is desirable as a means for throwing off the water during heavy showers, and it improves the appearance of the flowers, particularly when they are all of a height, as in bedding practice.

Excessive camber tends to drain off the moisture from the crown of the bed. Beds in gravel, if edged with box, should be kept nearly flat on the surface, otherwise the moisture that gravitates to their margins would tend to carry soil out upon the gravel surface.