JOUSNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t July 23, 1870. 



of botanical species the names given wonld imply. I think 

 there is room for improvers of florists' flowers to tarn their 

 attention to this genus, and if they can give us a hardy, com- 

 pact-growing plant that flowers early, with blooms of a pretty 

 blue with a buff eye, I would not care how small the individual 

 flowers were, provided there were plenty of them to form a 

 compact corymb. The later-floweriDg species or varieties, as 

 Myosotis azurea, cce'.estina, and others, are pretty enough 

 when they succeed well, but I have never been able to do any- 

 thing with them. The season is generally too dry in this part of 

 England at the time of their flowering for them to flouri'b, 

 and, as there is no lack of blue flowers at the time, thty are not 

 so much wanted as earlier-flowering sorts. 



The poetic associations of the plant will always entitle it to 

 a place in gardens, but that place will be higher when im- 

 provement is carried a little further than it has yet been. The 

 Lily of the Valley is a name equally venerated, yet the im- 

 proved garden variety is quite as great a favourite as the wild 

 one ; and the interest taken in the Forget-me-not will not be 

 lost when it is made to conform more to the requirements of a 

 flower-garden plant, and if it can be induced to bloom some- 

 what earlier its value will be much increased. In colour it is 

 far behind Nemophila insignis and some other plants. I re- 

 member one season having a quantity of Forget-me-not occu- 

 pying two circular beds 10 or 12 feet in diameter, and in a line 

 with them in a certain direction were beds of Nemophila, and 

 further on some two-year-old edgings of the best variety of 

 Viola cornuta. In taking a view of all three from a distance 

 of 50 or 100 yards, most persons pronounced in favour of the 

 Nemophila, but as the latter is not to be depended en in severe 

 winters, I would prefer a good hardy Forget-me-not if it could 

 be obtained. From what I have seen here and elsewhere, 

 Myosotis dissitifiora falls short of meeting the requirements 

 needed in a spring- flowering plant. If others have been more 

 successful with it, I shall be pleased to hear the particulars ; 

 only, if a plant requires special treatment of an inconvenient 

 or labour-giving kind, it comes to me with B certain drawback ; 

 therefore, unless the propagation and culture of a Myosotis can 

 be made as speedy and as easy as that of a Primrose, the plant 

 loses much of its value, and something else must be substituted 

 for it. Let us see if a few years cannot make aB great an im- 

 provement on tie Myosotis as was done in the case of the Pe- 

 largonium ; certainly there is ample room. — J. Robson. 



FORMING A FLOWER GARDEN.— No. 3. 



ARRANGEMENT OP THE PLANTS. 



The arrangement of the plants in the flower garden is a 

 work full of interest, and a person to be successful should 

 possess a thorough knowledge of the laws of colours, as well 

 as skill, experience, and, above all, a natural taste and liking 

 for ths work. In a paper written by me on another sub- 

 ject, yet bearing somewhat on this, in stating the principles 

 which should guide us in the arrangement of the colours in a 

 flower garden, I considered "breadth of colouring without 

 heaviness, brightness, cheerfulness, distinctness without gaudi- 

 ness, variety without confusion, and the harmonious blending 

 of the whole design," to be the most important points to be 

 remembered. One colour should predominate just sufficiently 

 to impart its peculiar tone to the whole design. Great caution 

 must be exercised in deciding upon the number and position of 

 ths beds to be filled with this colour or its shades, for if there 

 be an overwhelming preponderance of it, heaviness or glare 

 will be the inevitable result. I have seen gardens in which 

 Borne of the beds were really we'll planted, and the arrangement 

 good and pleasing, but tbe effect was quite spoilt by some large 

 masses of scarlet and yellow, so glaring as at once to attract 

 the eye, and "kill" every other coiour in their immediate 

 neighbourhood. 



Taking the centre of the garden as our starting point, the 

 colouring here should be more massive in its character than at 

 any other part. A deep scarlet flower, as Stella Pelargoainm, 

 or a rich crimson leaf, as Coleus Verschaffelti, is best adapted 

 for such a position. A quantity of either of these sterling 

 bedding plants grouped together in correct proportion to the 

 size of the entire garden produces a rich, bold, and striking 

 tffect without any approach to vulgarity ; and while they im- 

 part the requisite importance to the centre of the design, they 

 form an excellent groundwork for other colours. An edging of 

 pale yellow or grey might b? formed around such a central 

 group, but much snbdivh-kn of this or of any of the beds is to 

 be avoided. 



Neutral colours, such as soft grey or lavender, skilfully intro- 

 duced, serve to divide and act as foils to the brighter colours. 

 By way of example, I may mention a bed planted with Purple 

 King Verbena in the centre, with an edging of Manglesii Pelar- 

 gonium, the pink blossom of Manglesii being kept picked off, 

 and another containing a mixture of Perilla pegged closely, 

 and either Parfum de Madeleine or Mrs. Mole Verbena. The 

 latter was designed by a lady, and is one of the best neutral 

 mixtures I have ever seen. The position of snch beds is a 

 matter requiring much care, for wben present in the slightest 

 excess these colours impart an insipid tone quite as hurtful to 

 the general effect as a preponderance of any other colour. 

 The position of foil beds in gardens of large size is usually 

 about midway between the centre of the garden and its 

 boundaries, for as the rich colours cf the key bed are usually 

 repeated in smaller quantities in some of the outer beds, it is 

 quite obvious that these neutral tints will be most effective in 

 an intermediate position. Masses of bright colours in the out- 

 side beds serve to maintain an even balance in the colouring, 

 and by attracting the eye cause the whole design to appear 

 more expansive than colours of a quieter tone would do. 



Of the colours requiring particular care in their use, yellow 

 may be said to be the most important; a few masses of a 

 bright yellow, such as we have in Calceolaria Aurea floribunda, 

 judiciously introduced, light up and brighten a design with the 

 best possible effect. If the beds are Email, such masses are, I 

 think, best seen pure and simple, surrounded only by the turf ; 

 but if a border or edging be used, it should certainly be of some 

 complementary colour, such as a dark Heliotrope, or deep blue 

 Lobelia, or a crimson Iresine. It may be useful to repeat the 

 axiom here, that two colours placed in juxtaposition mutually 

 influence each other. But while 'we recognise the importance 

 of a knowledge of the laws of colours to render a person com- 

 petent for this work, it will, I think, be granted that in the 

 flower garden some modification of these laws may be allowed. 

 Many instances might be adduced in which they have been 

 broken with impunity. Green and blue are discordant, yet 

 how frequently do we see broad lines of Lobelia speciosa nest 

 turf. It must be owned that a row of Cerastium, however 

 narrow, outside the Lobelia is undoubtedly best, but then we 

 may not always use it, and while the Lobelia is intensely blue, 

 the turf more frequently approaches a brown, and I would 

 rather have blue next the turf than render the garden insipid 

 by planting too much grey. Again in purples, if we form a 

 mass of Purple King Verbena without any other colour inter- 

 vening between it and the turf, its effect is not weakened, 

 because we have masses of its complementariea of yellow, pink, 

 or white near it. 



Another important point is the introduction of shades of 

 the same colour ; this applies especially to the multitudinous 

 varieties of bedding Pelargoniums. If two of one colour are 

 planted Eide by side, the brighter is certain to spoil the effect 

 of its neighbour, and so it is best to select colours sufficiently 

 distinct from each other to be really effective. This caution 

 may also well be applied to novelties ; it is quite useless to 

 depend on the description given in the catalogues, and if the 

 purchaser has not seen them planted out, it is always the safer 

 plan to give them one season in the trial border before ventur- 

 ing to introduce them into the flower garden, where the plant- 

 ing should not be of a speculative character, but with varieties 

 the merits of which have been fully tested. 



ACCESSORIES AND SURROUNDING FEATURES. 



The manner in which the appearance of masses of bright 

 colour is affected by surrounding objects, does not appear to be 

 so fully recognised as it onght to be. 



The approach to the flowers should wind amongst the shrubs, 

 under the shade of trees, or past green lawns, so that the eye, 

 soothed and rested, may be prepared to enjoy the full beauty 

 of the flowers. The approach to the terrace garden at Surren- 

 den-Dering, designed by Mr. Nesfield, is veiy masterly. A 

 broad, winding, gravel walk, having a belt of shrubs on one 

 side, and a lawn on which are some fine old Cedars and other 

 trees of a large size on the other, leads to a flight of stone 

 steps, from the top of which there is seen on the one hand a 

 broad expanse of tmf, and on the other a glimpse of the flowers 

 is obtained. Ascending another flight of steps a broad terrace- 

 walk is gained, and from this elevated position, in a direct 

 line with tho centre of the design, the whole of the flower 

 garden is visible, and the beholder is not only in the beat 

 possible position to enjoy its full beauty, but from this fine 

 stand-point, if the colouring is good and the beds well filled. 



