The Mixed Garden 



gathered together from all quarters of the world, 

 varying in their time of flowering, but so arranged 

 that the border is never dull or empty, but can at 

 all times of the year show something that is 

 interesting not only to myself or to a botanist, 

 but also to unbotanical friends and visitors. 



To such borders two objections are commonly 

 made. They are said to be untidy ; but they 

 need not be so ; and one-tenth of the care re- 

 quired for a large bed of geraniums would be 

 sufficient for a much larger mixed border. They 

 are said, too, to be lacking in colour, or to have 

 their colours mixed together without harmony. 

 The lack of colour depends on the plants selected ; 

 there are plenty of bright flowers to be found. 

 The want of harmony in colour I deny. Plants 

 whose flowers will not (theoretically) harmonise 

 may be planted in close contact, if only they are 

 allowed to grow naturally. The colours of the 

 flowers in a field or wood or hedgerow or Swiss 

 pasture are mixed together without any respect 

 to the laws of colour-harmony yet there is no 

 discord ; the green leaves and the green grass 

 sufficiently guard against that the herbescens 

 viriditas (Cicero's happy phrase) harmonises all. 



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