106 THE BLOSSOM CIRCLE OF THE YEAR 



blossoms until December. It Is fine in the garden and gorgeous 

 in the living-room of the dwelling. 



Annuals, such as Asters, Zinnias and Salvias, must be placed 

 in their permanent positions this month. The more carefully 

 the colors are grouped the more satisfactory and attractive the 

 garden composition will be. Scarlet Zinnias planted back of 

 the Violets, always with rich green foliage, against a background 

 of white Phlox, or white Asters against scarlet Salvias, make 

 charming combinations. 



Salvia, used sparingly, with groups of shrubbery to break 

 the color line, is beautiful and satisfactory. With the soft greens 

 of the lawn in front, the dark evergreen shrubbery in the back- 

 ground, with only white flowers against its vivid masses of glowing 

 red, the picture is all that could be desired. When planted along 

 the lines of the house or framing the porch, in the porch boxes, 

 massed against dark green of the English or Algerian Ivy that 

 is so often used to cover the foundation stones of buildings or 

 walls, the efl^ect is charming — the trouble is that it is used in this 

 way by so many. But Salvia and Cannas are our most abused 

 plants. How often we see beds, cut round or square, or star- 

 shape, or even in a Maltese cross, filled with these two plants in 

 the midst of a beautiful stretch of lawn ? No matter how beauti- 

 ful the blossoms of this or any other flowers are individually, it 

 is never good taste to use them in this way. They attract atten- 

 tion surely, but do they not make a high light that is too strong 

 for the rest of the garden picture ? Keep to the borders and not 

 only will the effects be more pleasing, but you can also have the 

 satisfaction of knowing that it is more artistic and according to 

 all the canons of good taste in planting. The composition of 

 the garden should be as carefully thought out as the composition of 

 any artist's canvas, with true regard for light and shadow, color 

 and line, background and foreground, and while there must be 

 high lights as well as deep tones, the whole must be at the final 

 judging a picture that never jars. 



