Carpet bedding

Not exactly a plant of the month, the latest carpet bedding - in the Victorian Garden below the cafe and the beds in front of the Pavilions - has been beautifully executed and is well worth a visit. The fashion for carpet bedding, so called because the patterns created from tight planting in shaped beds resemble the design of an eastern carpet, had its heyday in the mid-nineteenth century. This was when the Victorian plant hunters were introducing a huge range of plants, many of them annuals or tender perennials. Coincidentally the repeal of the glass, or window, tax in 1851 triggered much construction of conservatories and glasshouses, enabling gardeners to grow these plants.

The scheme this summer makes use of harmonious colours and the gardeners' theme is 'the balance of nature and the urban environment', recognising the importance of this historical style of gardening to Sheffielders.