78 JOTTINGS OF A GENTLEMAN GARDENER 



border is to look natural it must be full of bewitching 

 irregularities, but without being a " muddle " border. 



I have written much on originality, and have been much 

 criticized. But one day I ran across an amateur who did not 

 know me. We got chatting about gardening, and he said 

 he had planted a border in accordance with the new summer 

 bedding. " A chap wrote an article for one of the garden- 

 ing papers some weeks back," he said, " on the subject." 



" And what did you think of it? " I asked casually. 



" Well," he replied, " until I tried it I was doubtful. 

 But I got Antirrhinums, Brachycome, Calliopsis, Chrysan- 

 themum segetum, Dimorphotheca, Helichrysum, Mimulus, 

 Nemesia, Phlox Drummondii, Petunia, Verbena, and 

 Zinnia, and of hardy annuals which the fellow recommended 

 I chose Calendula, Godetia, Saponaria, Silene, and Sun- 

 flower. I took the article into my garden with me, and set 

 the plants in rough irregular patches just as the man had 

 said. I avoided clashing colours, and put colours of a 

 similar shade side by side. The tall plants such as Antir- 

 rhinums, Helichrysums, and Petunias were generally put 

 towards the back and so were Godetias, Calendulas, and 

 Sunflowers. But as I was told that there was no need to 

 be over particular about the height I set some of them near 

 the front. That border was a sight when I left it a day or 

 two ago to come down here on business. I shall never go 

 back to the old now that I've tried the new." 



It was evident that he had seen my article and acted on 

 it although I did not tell him so. And if he sees this, as he 

 probably may, I hope he will accept my grateful thanks for 

 his kind appreciation. 



To sum up the main points. The argument has been to 

 avoid the old-fashioned geraniums, stocks, asters, lobelia, 

 etc. ; and to avoid the old-fashioned arrangement of plants 

 in straight lines, circles, triangles, or other geometrical 

 figures. What I would encourage is the planting of newer 

 and more beautiful plants in a natural and irregular manner, 

 so that the colours of the flowers and the plants themselves 

 how off to the best possible advantage. 



