20 BOOK OF THE COTTAGE GARDEN 



Tea Roses, Spring bulbs and dwarf carpeting plants — 

 Hepaticas, Saxifrages, Stonecrops, and Double Prim- 

 roses — permanent borders may be filled to overflowing. 

 Instead of aimless " dotting," we may have fine masses 

 of individual flowers which will increase in strength and 

 beauty yearly. It is a common mistake to suppose that 

 small gardens demand a microscopic and detailed arrange- 

 ment of their contents, or that bold grouping is out of 

 place unless the surroundings are wide and open. The 

 contrary is the case ; nothing tends to further restrict 

 the apparent size of a small garden than the adoption 

 of petty, irritating systems of planting. Strange though 

 it may seem, boldly massed plants of fine colour and 

 form actually convey a greater impression of space than 

 do a corresponding number of less showy kinds chosen 

 with a view to proportion. Lack of courage is fatal to 

 any form of art, and this especially where gardens are 

 concerned. Designers and planters alike show this 

 spirit of timidity. New features are planned, but lest 

 they should prove unsatisfactory — in other words, un- 

 conventional — they are planned inconspicuously ; " at 

 any rate," says the designer, " I shall be safe, as 

 supposing the effect is bad, it will never be noticed." 

 And so he adopts the policy of " hedging " — copies 

 other men's ideas, arranges " safe " combinations of 

 colour, and all the time forgets that every garden, 

 no matter how small, calls for individual expression 

 and an original style of treatment. 



The preparation of borders for permanent planting 

 demands exceptional thoroughness. Seeing that they 

 will remain practically untouched for years, everything 

 depends upon the manner in which they have been 

 treated at the outset. Good drainage is the first con- 

 sideration, and without it there will be little chance of 

 securing healthy bloom during the winter months. To 

 lightly dig and manure a piece of ground, plant it with 



