IN THE WRITER'S GARDEN, 1904 



" T AM coming to see how you have arranged your Summer Summer, 

 borders." So wrote a friend in June. I answered, Colour 

 " Come. But there has been no arrangement for 

 Summer, nor there never is ! " Since, I have thought, what 

 did we both mean ? Arrangement of a kind there has to be 

 surely, to begin with. Yet in this garden, I scarcely think 

 such necessary arrangements of plants as there must always be 

 to keep up a succession, Spring, Summer and Autumn, is 

 precisely the system supposed by my friend. 



Is it not rather tiring this idea of the planning of garden 

 effects, and so long before the time ? How many sorts of things 

 tire one ! So many books one reads : so many people one sees ! 

 So often also long descriptions of well arranged colours in a 

 garden, where all the colours come just right. I am afraid the 

 colours here come very often wrong. That does not pain me 

 much I merely feel " the flowers chose to do it, it is no fault 

 of mine." And if they are happy, what matter though pink 

 does at times mass unkindly against magenta, or if two different 

 lilacs clash, or even if scarlet and crimson come together ? Dear 

 flowers ! we know they can never look really wrong, or like a 

 mistake, as so often bad contrasts in women's gear. We only 

 say to ourselves or the gardener when flower colours come 

 very much amiss, " It is unfortunate ! " That is all. Crimson and 

 scarlet by choice would hardly mass together. Therefore there 

 was sorrow when a grand glow of scarlet oriental Poppy began 



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