SELECTION OF FLOWERING PLANTS. 33 



A flower garden that deserves the name, should re- 

 semble a rich picture, where the artist has all his colors 

 nicely contrasted and blended together ; rejecting almost 

 every kind that does not afford a continual display of 

 beautiful colors, and sweet odors, and have a neat and 

 agreeable habit of growth. I know that it is difficult to 

 restrain a passionate lover of flowers from having a great 

 variety of species, but the most beautiful flower gardens 

 that I have seen, and had the management of, were those 

 where but very few kinds were introduced, and those kinds 

 possessing the qualities I have already mentioned. And it 

 will, likewise, add very much to the effect of the selection, 

 to give up the 'old method of mixing and intermingling 

 the species and varieties in all the beds, and adopt the 

 modern style of grouping and massing the colors in sepa- 

 rate figures, selecting the most delicate and beautiful 

 shades of pink and white, light blues, and straw-colored 

 yellows, with the soft tones of crimson and vermillion. 

 These beautiful colors, when boldly brought into contrast, 

 so as to form a pleasing attraction to the eye, make a more 

 immediate and forcible impression than a confused mixture, 

 not distinct enough anywhere to give a decided effect to 

 the whole. The system of massing plants has another 

 great advantage, of preventing you from seeing any bare 

 surface of soil, or parts of figures not covered with foliage 

 and flowers, the parched appearance of such bare surface, 

 when seen, tends to impair the air of freshness and beauty 

 of the flowers, and when beds are planted with a large 

 mixture of different varieties, such as straggling and spread- 

 ing, tall and short, it is almost impossible to prevent large 

 portions of the soil from being seen. 



I would recommend, not to have the flower beds scat- 

 tered promiscuously over a lawn, without any connection 

 with each other, but a simple group of regular beds or 

 figures of various sizes, such as circles, or ovals neatly cut 

 2* 



