42 THE JOY OF GARDENS 



In thinking of other worlds beyond, we should have 

 vast comfort in this if we were certain that we could en- 

 joy our garnered experience, which we have bought so 

 dearly. Last season there was the memory of a tangled 

 flower garden where each sweet thing went its willful 

 way and surely flowers ought to know what is best and 

 grow in grace if given their way. We know advocates of 

 natural gardens for children as well as for flowers every- 

 where, and it is probable that the outcome is marked with 

 the same astonishing results, since foxes of mischief and 

 vagrant weeds of. ne'er-do- well tendencies creep through 

 the palings left unwatched. 



"Plant things sure to grow and leave the rest to na- 

 ture," said a wiseacre disciple of the natural garden, pre- 

 senting the seeds. Later he walked by on the other side 

 of the street as scarlet zinnias touched elbows with purple 

 phlox and blue larkspur and tall sunflowers looked dis- 

 consolate among weigelas amabilis. 



The disciple of the natural garden groaned inwardly 

 while confessing that he had not dreamed a color scheme 

 and invited his soul before seed buying. "All chance, 

 direction which we cannot see," he murmured. "Even 

 nature plans her color schemes, groups her plants, and 

 harmonizes with ribbons of white and green." The 

 superb scarlet zinnias massed by themselves with the 

 green grass all around or a fringe of dainty feverfews, 

 the purple phlox associated with their white kindred in a 



