PREFACE 



THE wealth of garden books given us during the last 

 years might make it seem unnecessary to add to their 

 number. But it is hoped that these writings on Garden 

 Colour may prove useful to the inexperienced, or to those who, 

 newly in possession of a garden, suddenly awake to its possible 

 delights, and desire to attain the ideal so well expressed by Lord 

 Bacon that, " in the Royal ordering of gardens, there ought to 

 be gardens for all months of the year in which severally things 

 of beauty may be in season." Another early writer, who speaks 

 of " painting a field with beautiful objects like colours upon a 

 canvas," well describes the further object of this book, which is 

 to illustrate the value of artistic massing of colour and skilful 

 grouping of one variety of plant, and to suggest an ideal for the 

 garden lover of to-day pictures in flowers changing from day 

 to day and month to month. 



Various modern garden writers have, with much knowledge 

 and skill, already laid stress on the importance of colour-effect 

 in our gardens suggestions which many have been able to 

 adopt ; but there are those to whom these word pictures 

 convey but little help owing to their limited knowledge of 

 flowers and the effect produced by them. To them this book is 

 offered with the hope that the addition of sketches in colour to the 



writings of the well-known authorities who have kindly helped 



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