58 THE STORY OF MY ROCK GARDEN 



that the greatest blaze of colour occurs in our gardens 

 early in the year, and unless some pains are taken to 

 prevent it, there is liable to be a sudden collapse after 

 about June. To remedy this, as far as may be, I have 

 found it advisable to so distribute the early and late 

 flowering plants, as to avoid any serious blank spaces. 

 Naturally this treatment modifies the extreme 

 brilliancy of any one part of the garden in May and 

 June, but as a little colour can be easily spared at that 

 glorious time, it is, on the whole, at least to my mind, 

 an advantage. 



The method consists roughly of planting near the 

 earliest flowering plants, groups or specimens of rather 

 later blooming ones, and for this purpose many of the 

 Campanulas are extremely useful, owing to their 

 coming into flower later than many, and also having 

 a very long period of flower. Then again, as I have 

 already mentioned, with certain accommodating plants, 

 we can put them in several aspects, which again 

 prolongs the flowering-time. Such plants as the 

 following are very helpful in extending our season, 

 since their normal time of blossoming is summer and 

 autumn: Onosma, Acantholimon, Veronica, Poly- 

 gonum, Lithospermum, Aquilegia alpina, (Enothera, 

 Oxalis, Saxifraga Fortunei, Symphyandra, Violas, 

 Spiraea, Campanulas, Primula Poissoni, and P. 

 capitata. Before these * plants are over, the tale is 



