GARDEN COLOUR 65 



into bloom to take the place of those which have 

 finished. 



White flowers are always difficult to group satisfac- 

 torily, and at best they must be used sparingly. Here 

 again, however, one bold group is better than half-a- 

 dozen small patches, which, if seen simultaneously, pro- 

 duce a distractingly spotty effect. Very cold whites, 

 such as those provided by Iberis and Phlox, should be 

 toned down by close association with creamy shades, 

 these bridging the distance between them and the 

 yellows, or whatever colour is placed next in order. 

 After the yellows we may group plants with blue 

 flowers, and at this point a fine contrast may be secured 

 by associating Delphiniums with golden CEnothera, or 

 in the spring border, Gentians with yellow Violas. If 

 such bold contrasts are not desired, it is easy to soften 

 the colour scheme by separating the deepest blues and 

 yellows by pale azures, bluish whites, creams and 

 sulphur tones. 



Again progressing, the blues may be followed by a 

 breadth of foliage plants, those with deep bronze leaves 

 being massed near the darker blues, whilst the fresh sap 

 greens are suitable for association with azure shades like 

 the Forget-me-Not and Scillas. The value of foliage 

 plants in the mixed border is often overlooked, and yet 

 there is great beauty in the mingled tones of green 

 when sparingly used. The warmest colours, purple, 

 crimson, rose, carmine and vermilion, pass easily and 

 naturally into one another, and all that is necessary here 

 is to restrict the size of this particular section, so as to 

 keep it proportionate to the rest. Most colour designers 

 prefer to separate purple and crimson, placing the 

 former among the cold shades of mauve and lilac. It 

 may be a matter of taste, but I always think crimson and 

 purple form a glorious contrast ; the purple, however, 

 must not be cold, rather that known to artists as purple 



