24 COLOUR SCHEMES 



by Oaks, Hollies and Cob-nuts. The plan shows its 

 disposition. It is of no design ; the space was accepted 

 with its own conditions, arranged in the simplest way 

 as to paths, and treated very carefully for colour. It 

 really makes as pretty a picture of spring flowers as 

 one could wish to see. 



The chief mass of colour is in the main border. The 

 circles marked V and M are strong plants of Veratrum 

 and Mjnrrhis. Gardens of spring flowers generally have 

 a thin, poor effect for want of plants of important 

 foliage. The greater number of them look what they 

 are — temporary makeshifts. It seemed important 

 that in this little space, which is given almost entirely 

 to spring flowers, this weakness should not be allowed. 

 But herbaceous plants of rather large growth with fine 

 foliage in April and May are not many. The best I 

 could think of are Veratrum nigrum, Myrrhis odorata 

 and the newer Euphorbia Wulfenii. The Myrrhis is 

 the Sweet Cicely of old EngUsh gardens. It is an um- 

 belliferous plant with large fern-like foliage, that makes 

 early growth and flowers in the beginning of May. At 

 three years old a well-grown plant is a yard high and 

 across. After that, if the plants are not replaced by 

 young ones, they grow too large, though they can be 

 kept in check by a careful removal of the outer leaves 

 and by cutting out some whole crowns when the plant 

 is making its first growth. The Veratrum, with its 

 large, deeply plaited, undivided leaves, is in striking 

 contrast, but the two kinds of plants, in groups as the 

 plan shows, with running patches of the large form of 

 Megasea cordifolia, the great Euphorbia Wulfenii and 



