PAVED GARDENS 167 



in between, because, this being the main access to the 

 garden, they would only suffer and be crushed under foot ; 

 but the pattern the stones are set in makes a little incident 

 which is interesting in a garden. 



A whole book has been written upon " Stone Gardens" 

 by Rose Haig Thomas (1905). Yet, in spite of this, the 

 subject has not been sufficiently studied. In the book it 

 is suggested that flower-beds should be made in a good 

 and decided pattern, and surrounded by paving. Flowers 

 thus look as if they rose out of the soft grey colour of 

 York slab stones, and all sorts of lovely designs can be 

 planned out for these gardens, which preferably should be 

 looked down upon from a height. This shows off the 

 scheme best. A Tudor rose bed, with pink flowers in it, 

 looks lovely arranged in this way. Here and there in the 

 paved part that surrounds it a pretty effect is attained 

 by leaving chinks for an occasional small plant to find a 

 home, for it breaks the monotony of too much grey colour. 

 Gentians and Lithospernum prostratum are two blue plants 

 for such a position. The annual Phacelia campanularia 

 is charming, and so also is eutoca. Occasionally in the 

 corners or remote from the pathway, a tulip, a pink 

 pentstemon, or even a tall, stately campanula, looks well, 

 whereas small alpines come to no harm in the footway. 

 Amongst dwarf plants are saxifrages, dianthus, tufts of 

 Lychnis alpina, Erinus alpinus, and myosotis. In the 

 smallest chinks of all, a solitary bulb of Scilla siberica, 

 chionodoxa, or Iris reticulata will come as a delightful 

 surprise. 



Other suitable plants are Sedum casruleum, which goes 

 well with white or blue campanulas and alpine phloxes. 

 Some of these do best, and their growth is more rapid, if 

 a little sand is mixed with soil in the chinks. 



It will be great amusement to note the little natural 

 colour touches which sometimes put themselves happily 



