Perennials for a Thought-out Garden 211 



a catch-all for hardy plants. Favourites are set out side by side 

 with little reference to their effect in the composition as a whole. 

 Miscellaneous mixtures suggesting a crazy-quilt are the models 

 that everywhere greet the eye. A woman with such dazzling 

 daubs of colour in her parlour would go distracted. Proportion, 

 form and colour need to be as carefully considered as in painting 

 a picture on canvas when one plants for permanence. 



The intricacies of planting perennials so as to get the most 

 lovely effects from them require exhaustive study for each place; 

 but there are certain self-evident propositions which perhaps 

 may be helpful to the inexperienced amateur: 



When perennials only are used to border a path or to frame 

 a little lawn, set the tallest ones at the back in an undulating 

 line, and let the height of the plants gradually diminish toward 

 the front until the fringed pinks, creeping phlox, candytuft, arabis, 

 saxifrage, Russian violets and other low growers form the irregular 

 flowing edge. Occasionally let a phalanx of irises or other taller 

 plants run out to the edge of the border to relieve its flatness. 



Use billowy masses of one kind of plant or colour to give 

 dignity to the planting, but be careful not to have them so large 

 as to be wearisome. However, the tendency is just the reverse, 

 and the effect of many small groups is scarcely as reposeful as 

 a garden should be. When a long border along a path or drive 

 is most often seen from end to end, the foreshortening of the 

 masses requires that they be given an extra breadth. In any 

 case, longish drifts of planting are preferable to roundish spots. 

 Happily, perennials soon spread into irregular, flowing groups 

 preferable to any that the hand of man can form. Groups with 

 harmonious flowers may have foliage that necessitates their separa 

 tion. For example, Japanese eulalia and similar tall grasses 



