"PASSING-THROUGH" PARKS 



by the lines of the park design, and as large as the spaces may permit — 

 although, of course, not of such size as to appear heroic. The form 

 and extent of flower beds should be controlled by design and scale, not 

 by precedent or instruction. A large number of insignificant, unrelated 

 flower beds are a detriment rather than a decoration to a park. The 

 floral displays should be composed of strong-growing plants: the sort 

 that do not need constant pampering but are able to withstand the 

 buffets of the city, the varieties that represent the survival of the fittest. 

 Also plants which give both striking and elementary colour display 

 when in bloom are preferable. There need not be fear of garishness or 

 crudeness in this aspect, for the constantly settling dust of the city soon 

 tones down what at first might appear untoward brightness. No 

 objection is ever heard in the spring because of the clear sap-green 

 brilliancy of the new leaves of trees in such parks, and the fall days are 

 doubly melancholy because by the time of their arrival the leaves of the 

 trees have become so thickly coated with grime that the festive fall 

 colourings are indiscernible, even if the trees have sufficient vitality to 

 retain their leaves until the coming of frost. Great beds of purple- 

 leaved cannas with edging of pennisetum, bright displays of coleus 

 or sturdy red geraniums with edging of centaurea, seem best fitted for 

 occupying positions of this sort. 



Choice combinations of finer blooming things appear out of place 

 in these parks, and unequal to the position assigned them. Delicate 

 shades in flower blooms appear gardenesque rather than civic in colour, 

 and for that reason should not be used in parks of this type. The spring 

 display of pale hyacinths and English daisies in some of the down-town 

 parks in New York City could well be supplanted by the darker, more 

 intense coloured hyacinths known as King of the Blues, accompanied if 

 desired by crocus of the same name. The double-flowering pink and 

 white tulip, Murillo variety, beautiful in itself for both mass display 

 and cutting, was found to be inadequate and out of character when 



