The Livable House 



paths. At the same time the very crowdedness of things in the 

 picture of Mr. Aymar Embury's garden is not without its charm. 



The paths of either type of garden, however, must have a pur- 

 pose, must lead somewhere — around the garden and in and out— 

 for a path with a blind end, a path along which one walks only 

 to turn about and retrace one's steps, always contains disappoint- 

 ment. 



Next in importance, after the location and design of the garden, 

 comes the arrangement of flowers. I am sorry to say that al- 

 most every one is prone to look upon the flowers as of paramount 

 importance. It is true that sheets of bloom will conceal a great 

 many defects in design; but the flowers are passing, and may be 

 changed at any time, whereas a garden once laid out is often im- 

 possible to alter. 



Color and season are the two factors in flower arrangement 

 which must be considered simultaneously. If one has planned to 

 have no red in the garden at the same time pink flowers are in 

 bloom, it is disconcerting to have the scarlet of oriental poppies 

 flaunt itself in the face of a rose pink peony. Red is, in any event, 

 the greatest trouble maker in the garden, and when one has made 

 up one's mind to have the warmth of this color everything else 

 must be planned around it; moreover, no two reds are alike, and a 

 red garden must consist almost wholly of one flower or at least 

 of the one which happens to be in bloom at the moment. Con- 

 sternation is in store for the jumbler of reds — one has only to 

 think of the cardinal of lobelia, and the good honest turkey red of 

 scarlet sage ablaze at once to realize this. 



[92! 



