The Livable House 



and to save all the others for a secret garden, or a cutting garden. 

 It is hard to rule out one's favorites and consign them to a general 

 mixture, but it becomes necessary when they clash with other 

 favorites, and when there is not unlimited space in the main 

 garden. 



In arranging flowers with respect lO form, the main thing to re- 

 member is that a general uniformity in character and size of plants 

 is undesirable. Low things need to be broken occasionally by 

 taller plants, large leaves contrasted with small, and fine lacey 

 foliage solidified by coarser-leaved plants. 



The general rule that tall things should be kept to the back of 

 the border with lower growing plants in front, ought not to be 

 enforced to the point of giving the plants an appearance of tier 

 arrangement. The hollvhocks and boltonia and fo.xgloves should 

 run forward here and there into the phlox and sweet William, in 

 order to break up their too even line, and the blue bells and for- 

 get-me-nots would suffer no harm from an intrusion of the phlox 

 and sweet William. 



An occasional shrub or bush rose, if the border be very wide 

 or over long, is pleasing among the flowers, and used at the corners 

 of flower beds it acts as an accent and contributes strength, where 

 strength is desirable. 



Some regard f(n- appropriateness in character should be exer- 

 cised in flower planting even in the formal garden. For example, 

 plants which recall something of the feeling which belongs to 

 watersides should grow near a pool. Iris and grasses are 

 reminders of streams; so are blue forget-me-nots, the brilliant 



[lOO] 



