EMBELLISHMENT OF SHRUBBET^Y BORDERS. 117 



place than Le tormented witli a liuiulred little "dots" of 

 tlowers — alpine, rock, wood, copse, or meadow plants — all 

 mixed up in that usually wretched soup called the "mixed 

 border " ! No plants that require staking ought to be used 

 in the way we are speaking of. Day lilies, for example, 

 are good plants. In some hold opening what a fine effect 

 we could get l)y having a spreading colony of these therein ; 

 scores of plants might be named, that want no sticking, for 

 such places. Each plant having a sufficient space and 

 forming its own colony, there is much less doubt in case 

 of alterations as to what should be done. In fact, in the 

 case of an intelligent cultivator, there should be no doubt. 

 Observe the advantage of this plan. Instead of seeing the 

 same plants everywhere, we should pass on from narcissi to 

 iris, from iris to bluebell, and thus meet with a different kind 

 of vegetation in each part of the park or garden, instead of the 

 eternal monotony of privet and long dreary line of " golden- 

 feather " everywhere. The same kind of variety, as suggested 

 for the flowers, should be seen among the shrubs. The 

 sad planter's mixture — privet, laurel, etc. — taking all the 

 colour and all the life and charm out of the shrubbery, should 

 be avoided ; so, too, the oppressive botanical Inisiness, with 

 everything labelled, and plants classified out of doors as they 

 are in an herbarium. They should be put where they would 

 look well and grow liest. Well carried out, such a system 

 would involve labour, and, above all things, taste at first ; but 

 it would eventually resolve itself into the judicious removal 

 of interloping weeds. The labour that is now given to dig 

 and mutilate once a year and keep clean at other times of the 

 vear would easily, on the plan proposed, suffice for a much 



