326 GARDEN PLANNING 



The flowering trees afford us abundant op- 

 portunity for constructing colour masses in 

 the vertical plane, but their colour must be 

 seen against a solid background of green foliage 

 to yield its best effects. This applies particu- 

 larly to trees with loose, open foliage like the 

 thorn, almond, and laburnum. Subjects like 

 the horse chestnut are sufficiently dense in 

 foliage to constitute their own background. 



I have already referred to the planting of 

 bulbs in grass. Some surpassingly beautiful 

 effects may be contrived in the less formal 

 parts of the garden by the judicious use of 

 bulbs in this way. The daffodil, crocus, scilla, 

 and snowflake are suitable for the purpose. 

 They should be arranged in large groups of 

 one colour, not commingled as is so often done. 



In a half-shady corner, particularly where 

 there are banks, the polyanthus or lily-of-the- 

 valley, may be naturalized, and will prove a 

 delightful feature in spring. 



Though subtropical gardening is a costly 

 and troublesome hobby, a semi-tropical effect 

 may be secured on a small scale by selecting 

 suitable plants. Given a position not too 

 closely related with formal surroundings, it 



