THE FLOEAL WOKLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 123 



arranged, would result from the combination of the several tints ; and, in 

 like manner, the grouping of various shades of purple, slate, and blue, or 

 of any of the modifications of pure colours, would only be satisfactory as 

 they might lead the eye forward to the predominating tint, by the obser- 

 vance of a just proportion between them — indeed, proportion of colour in 

 gardening effects is as important as contrast, and unless colours are well 

 balanced, some one of them will take the lead and mar the effect 

 intended. 



The whole philosophy of this matter of colour has lately undergone a 

 very full investigation by M. E. Chevreul, the director of the French 

 Dye Works of the Gobelins, and his work, published by Messrs. Koutledge,* 

 is one that should be attentively studied by every gardener, professional 

 and amateur, for the principles laid down and illustrated, apply equally to 

 the planting of a park, a shrubbery, or a flower garden, and, indeed, to 

 the simple making up of a boquet, as they do, also, to the art of painting 

 and decorating generally, in all of which a proper disposition of colours is 

 a matter of the first importance. The applications most concern us here, 

 seeing that it woidd consume too much space to investigate the funda- 

 mental laws. " Red and green," says M. Chevreul, " are, of all comple- 

 mentary colours, the most equal in depth ; for red, as regards its 

 brilliancy, is midway between yellow and blue, and in green these two ex- 

 tremes are united." Who can doubt that this natural fact is the cause of 

 the universal love for scarlet flowers, which, with their own foliage, or the 

 green turf out of which they spring, when bedded on grass plots, present 

 the boldest and most pleasing of all the contrasts possible in nature. 

 Blue and orange are more opposed to each other than red and green, 

 because the least brilliant colour, blue, is separated, while the most 

 brilliant is combined in orange. Violate the rule, and plant purple 

 verbenas or petunias beside the lovely lobelia inmosoides, and the flowers, 

 however abundant and good in themselves, are almost wasted, because 

 placed in unhappy juxtaposition. " Yellow and violet form an arrange- 

 ment, which," says Chevreul, " as regards depth of tone, is most distinct, 

 since the least intense, or lightest colour, the yellow, is separated from the 

 others." Hence, calceolarias, banded with purple verbenas, or blue 

 lobelias, have a rich effect ; but place red and orange together, and you 

 have discordance, because the orange contains red, and the red a small 

 portion of yellow. If you look round the gardens just now, you will see 

 many examples of geraniums and calceolarias in juxtaposition. Even at 

 the Crystal Palace the heresy is adopted, but the effect is a vulgar glare of 

 colour, which tires the eye, and gives no pleasure to a cultivated taste. 

 We particularly noticed this last summer, when making notes, at 

 Sydenham, of the various bedding effects. Under the flag-staff in the 

 Rosary, were some beds of geranium and calceolaria, which were tolerable, 

 because one is used to them ; but, on turning to the sunk panels, and 

 comparing them with another set of beds, composed of scarlet geraniums 

 and purple verbenas, the luminous and splendid beauty of the latter made 



* The Laws of the Contrast of Colour,' and their application to the Arts of Painting, 

 Decoration, Dress, Landscape, and Flower Gardening, &c, &c. By M. E. Chevreul. 

 Translated by John Spanton. Second Edition, Illustrated. London: G. Koutledge 

 and Co. 



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