THE WELL-CONSIDERED GARDEN 



with plenty of rich shadow to give its tones va- 

 riety, it should not be monotonous. The procession 

 of white flowers is so remarkable, beginning, say, 

 with the snowdrop, bloodroot, sweet white violet, 

 and the arabis in its single and double forms, followed 

 quickly by Iberis Gibraltarica and Phlox subulata, 

 white violas — all these for the low early flowers 

 — and followed by larger, taller, and more mas- 

 sive blooms, from peonies on to Canterbury bells, 

 thence to lihes, white hollyhocks, gypsophilas. Pearl 

 achillea, and white phloxes. Dozens of flower 

 names occur at the mere thought. It seems as 

 though every flower must have its white repre- 

 sentative. Whether an all-white garden would 

 be truly agreeable or no, I cannot say, but I do 

 hold that sufficient white is not used in our gar- 

 dens — that a certain brilliancy in sunHght is lost 

 by the absence of masses of white flowers, succes- 

 sion crops of which it is so easy to obtain and 

 maintain. With the free use of white flowers, 

 there is sure to be a fresh proclamation of beauty, 

 too, at twilight and under the moon — arguments 

 which must appeal to the amateur gardener of 

 poetic taste. 



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