OCTOBER 197 



looks better than a row of plants all the same, or nearly 

 the same, height. There are the line of the wall and the 

 line of the path. Your object must be, not to repeat these, 

 but to work into your border that which makes either 

 beautiful form or beautiful colour, or both at the same 

 time. Do not repeat your clumps over and over again. 

 For instance, if you have a good number of German Irises 

 (many of which grow admirably in London), put them into 

 two large groups one facing east or south (which is the 

 best) and the other facing north or west. In this way 

 you may hope for a succession, an object that anyone 

 who plants for flowering reasons ought never to have out 

 of their mind. Spanish Irises would, I believe, do very 

 well in a London garden if planted every year in a sunny 

 corner in October. They are not expensive (see cata- 

 logues). Buy no double or even single Dutch Hyacinths ; 

 they are not worth it. They last a very short time, are 

 often injured by the weather, and can be seen in the 

 Parks in mournful and irritating regularity and perfection. 

 Buy Snowdrops, Crocuses, Scillas (see ' English Flower 

 Garden '), especially S. hispanica, blue, white and pink 

 (though the pink one is rather the least pretty), S. bifolia, 

 S. sibirica, S. italica, and our own common Blue-bells 

 (Wood Hyacinths), S. nutans. I think the only real 

 Hyacinth worth trying would be the early Eoman. The 

 only seed I would recommend sowing in place is 

 Mignonette, and that would want watering. For all other 

 annuals, and many other things that are not annuals, I 

 would pocket my gardening pride and act in the follow- 

 ing manner : In April, and again in May, make out from 

 the books a short or long list of plants, those common 

 things that you would like to have, which flower early. 

 Send or go to Covent Garden, taking a basket with you, 

 and buy the seedlings there two or three inches high; 

 bring them back, plant them at once, and water them 



