Mostly this effect will be achieved from the use of foliage rather than flowers - few flowering plants have blooms prolific enough to provide the desired consistent result, although they can often be used in combination with the ornamental foliage plants as a contrast and highlight.;
, The plants chosen should be healthy, strong-growers with a profusion of consistent color. Here is a selection of good plant varieties for creating a carpet bedding:



Coleus - in various shades of red, maroon, and scarlet, light and dark yellow, green and white, and other varieties.







Achyranthes - low-growing plants in mixtures of red, pink, yellow and green.







Centaurea gymnocarpa, "Dusty Miller," - with finely-cut foliage of a cool gray.







Alternatheras - similar to Achyranthes in habit, but with red as a predominating color. Both are excellent for working out the finer details of a design.







Pyrethrum, "Golden Feather" - with feathery foliage of a tawny yellow.







Geranium Madame Salleroi - with pale green and white foliage. This is an excellent plant for use in carpet-bedding because of its close, compact habit of growth, and its very symmetrical shape, which is retained throughout the entire season without shearing or pruning.
 There are many possible layout designs. This step provides some examples that you might like to follow. Some of them may seem rather complicated, but when you get down to the business of actually laying them out, any possible complications should vanish in the doing. In laying out all but the star-shaped and circular beds, begin with a square as the basis to work from. Decide on the size of bed you propose to have, and then stake out a square as shown by the dotted lines in design No. 1, and work inside this square in filling in the details. If this is done, creating the carpet bedding will be much easier to achieve. In designing your layout, here are some ideas to inspire you:



Layout design 1 - easy to make, with many possible combinations and modifications. It is best to arrange the colors to suit your individual taste.







Layout design 2 - a division showing different spaces; a plain center with a plain point as shown in (a), shows the bed in its simplest form. In g, c, and d, these points have three different arrangements and the dotted line in the central portion indicates a change that can be made that will add considerably to the effectiveness of the design.







Layout design 3







Layout design 4







Layout design 5







Layout design 6







Layout design 7 - the simplest possible form of bed. This is designed for plants to be set in rows. In a bed of this kind, flowering plants can be used more effectively than in any of the others. Pink, white, and pale yellow Phlox would be very pretty in such a combination.







Layout design 8 - another very simple design. This design would be quite effective if each of the five sections were of a different color of Coleus. Or, the whole star might be of a solid color, with a border of contrasting color. Red Coleus with Madame Salleroi Geranium as a border would look well. So would yellow Coleus edged with Centaurea.
 Before deciding on any color combinations, make a rough diagram of whatever bed layout you select and color this to correspond with the material you have to work with. Seeing these colors side by side on paper will give you a better idea of the general effect that will result from any of your proposed combinations than you can get in any other way, and will allow you to test them, helping to avoid making some serious mistakes. If you have a computer design program that you can use easily, this may be another helpful alternative. Here are some interesting combinations to consider:


Ageratum, with its delicate lavender-blue flowers, is very attractive in combination with yellow Coleus






A pink Geranium surrounded with gray Centaurea makes a harmonious combination






Scarlet Salvia is very effective with yellow Coleus






A Canna of rich, dark green makes a fine center plant for a bed in which red Coleus served as a background. One of the dark copper-colored varieties has a good effect if surrounded with either yellow Pyrethrum or gray Centaurea.
 In setting these plants in the bed, be governed by the habit of each plant. Achyranthes and Alternathera, being the smallest, should be put about four inches apart. Give the Coleus about six inches of leeway, also the Centaurea. Allow eight inches for Madame Salleroi Geranium and Pyrethrum. These will soon meet in the row and form a solid line or mass of foliage.
 Caring for the carpet bedding is a key element to its success.



Tend the bedding weekly - it is recommended to tend the bedding at least weekly to remove any straggling branches and leaves that are impacting the lines and colors of the design. Run your pruning shears along this line and ruthlessly cut away everything that is not where it belongs. If this is not done on a regular basis, your "pattern" will soon become blurred and indistinct. If any intermingling of colors "from across the line" is allowed, all sharpness of outline will be destroyed.







Keep plants clipped - clip frequently to keep the plants dwarf and compact. Make it a point to keep larger-growing plants, such as Coleus, Pyrethrum and Centaurea, under six inches in height rather than over it. Alternatheras and Achyranthes will need very little shearing, as to top, because of their habit of low growth.







Remove dead or dying leaves and branches - pick these up regularly to keep the design in good shape.
Bring out a pattern or design fully and clearly by using plants that are capable of providing a solid color effect.
Select good quality foliage plants for creating the carpet bedding.
Choose the layout design.
Choose the color combination.
Plant the plants.
Care for the carpet bedding.
{"src": "wikihow-all_validation", "title": "How to Create Carpet Bedding for the Garden"}