truest beauty in our flowers, rather than for set rules and arbitrary 

 points of such extremely doubtful value. 



The loosely-folded inner petals of the loveliest Hollyhocks invite 

 a wonderful play and brilliancy of colour. Some of the colour is 

 transmitted through the half-transparency of the petal's structure, 

 some is reflected from the neighbouring folds ; the light striking back 

 and forth with infinitely beautiful trick and playful variation, so that 

 some inner regions of the heart of a rosy flower, obeying the mysterious 

 agencies of sunlight, texture and local colour, may tell upon the eye 

 as pure scarlet ; while the wide outer petal, in itself generally rather 

 lighter in colour, with its slightly waved surface and gently frilled edge, 

 plays the game of give and take with light and tint in quite other, but 

 always delightful, ways. 



Then see how well the groups have been placed ; the rosy group 

 leading to the fuller red, with a distant sulphur-coloured gathering at the 

 far end ; its tall spires of bloom shooting up and telling well against the 

 distant tree masses above the wall. And how pleasantly the colour of 

 the rosy group is repeated in the Phlox in the opposite border. And 

 what a capital group that is, near the Hollyhocks of that fine summer 

 flower, the double Crown Daisy {Chrysanthemum coronarium), with the 

 bright gUmpses of some more of it beyond. Then the Pansies and 

 Erigerons give a mellowing of grey-lilac that helps the brighter colours, 

 and is not overdone. 



The large fruit-tree has too spreading a shade to allow of much 

 actual bloom immediately beneath it, so that here is a patch of Butcher's 

 Broom, a shade-loving plant. Beyond, out in the sunlight again, is the 

 fine herbaceous Clematis {C. recta), whose excellent qualities entitle it 

 to a much more frequent use in gardens. 



The flower-borders are so full and luxuriant that they completely 

 hide the vegetable quarters within, for the garden is still a kitchen 

 garden as to its main inner spaces. These masses of good flowers are 

 the work of the Misses Freeling ; they are ardent gardeners, sparing 

 themselves no labour or trouble ; to their care and fine perception 

 of the best use of flowers the beauty and interest of these fine 

 borders are entirely due. Indeed, this garden is a striking instance 



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