172 The Flower Garden. 



the mind by the harmony or concord which is found to 

 exist, precisely as in the case of chords in music. It has 

 been satisfactorily demonstrated, especially by Chevreul, that 

 it is the opposite or complementary colors, which, when 

 placed together, produce harmony, and thus we have at once 

 a principle for our guidance ; and I as believe it will be ad- 

 mitted that in flower gardening it is to the greatest brilliancy 

 that we ought to aim, it follows that we should bring only 

 those colors together which afford the greatest contrast with 

 each other, and not as some have recommended, those that 

 will subdue each other's brightness ; for however necessary 

 this may be in dress or interior decorations, I cannot imagine 

 a case in flower gardening where the slightest necessity exists 

 for its practice. 



The following is a simple method of finding the opposite 

 color of any other we may wish to employ : — Form any 

 number of concentric circles, divide the first into three parts, 

 the second into six, the third into twelve, and so on indefi- 

 nitely ; then in the first, place the three primary colors, red, 

 blue and yellow, and the same in the adjoining spaces in the 

 second circle ; in the alternate spaces of the second, place 

 the mixtures as above mentioned, which will then contain 

 red, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, and it will be found 

 that red is opposite to green, purple to yellow, and blue tD 

 orange ; by continuing the same process through another 

 circle, we shall have twelve diflerent shades of color, and so 

 on indefinitely. 



It may here be mentioned that, in gardening, white is sub- 

 stituted for green, for which it answers the purpose even 

 better, for white being merely the absence of color, it may 

 be used to separate any two discordant colors. 



In applying these principles to the grouping of colors in 

 flower gardens, we first attend to the ground upon which 

 they are to be laid down ; that is, whether on turf or on 

 gravel, and if on the former, which is what is called a cold 

 color ; the warm tints, reds and yellows, ought to prevail, in 

 order to be more effective by the contrast ; but if on gravel, 

 which is itself of a warm color, blues and greens should 

 predominate. 



