282 THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



not by nature the gift of perceiving it. Let them learn it by observing 

 some natural examples of happily related colouring, taking separate 

 families of plants whose members are variously coloured. Some 

 of the best to study would be American Azaleas, Wallflowers, German 

 and Spanish Iris, Alpine Auriculas, Polyanthus, and Alstrcemerias. 



"BREADTH OF MASS AND INTERGROUPING. It is important to 

 notice that the mass of each colour should be large enough to have 

 a certain dignity, but never so large as to be wearisome ; a certain 

 breadth in the masses is also wanted to counteract the effect of fore- 

 shortening when the border is seen from end to end. When a definite 

 plan of colouring is decided on, it will save trouble if the plants 

 whose flowers are approximately the same in colour are grouped 

 together to follow each other in season of blooming. Thus, in a part 

 of the border assigned to red, Oriental Poppies might be planted 

 among or next to Tritomas, with scarlet Gladioli between both, so 

 that there should be a succession of scarlet flowers, the places occupied 

 by the Gladioli being filled previously with red Wallflowers. 



" WARM COLOURS are not difficult to place : scarlet, crimson, 

 pink, orange, yellow, and warm white are easily arranged so as to 

 pass agreeably from one to the other. 



" PURPLE and LILAC group well together, but are best kept well 

 away from red and pink ; they do well with the colder whites, and are 

 seen at their best when surrounded and carpeted with gray-white 

 foliage, like that of Cerastium tomentosum or Cineraria maritima ; but 

 if it be desired to pass from a group of warm colour to purple and 

 lilac, a good breadth of pale yellow or warm white may be interposed. 



"WHITE FLOWERS. Care must be taken in placing very cold 

 white flowers such as Iberis corresefolia, which are best used as quite 

 a high light, led up to by whites of a softer character. Frequent 

 repetitions of white patches catch the eye unpleasantly ; it will 

 generally be found that one mass or group of white will be enough 

 in any piece of border or garden arrangement that can be seen from 

 any one point of view. 



" BLUE requires rather special treatment, and is best approached 

 by delicate contrasts of warm whites and pale yellows, such as the 

 colours of double Meadow Sweet, and QEnothera Lamarckiana, but 

 rather avoiding the direct opposition of strong blue and full yellow. 

 Blue flowers are also very beautiful when completely isolated and seen 

 alone among rich dark foliage. 



" A PROGRESSION OF COLOUR in a mixed border might begin 

 with strong blues, light and dark, grouped with white and pale yellow, 

 passing on to pink ; then to rose colour, crimson, and the strongest 

 scarlet, leading to orange and bright yellow. A paler yellow followed 

 by white would distantly connect the warm colours with the lilacs and 



