THE HARDY FLOWER BORDER 55 



of grass allows this point of view, the whole border 

 can be seen as one picture, the cool colouring at the 

 ends enhancing the briUiant warmth of the middle. 

 Then, passing along the wide path next the border, the 

 value of the colour arrangement is still more strongly 

 felt. Each portion now becomes a picture in itself, 

 and every one is of such a colouring that it best prepares 

 the eye, in accordance with natural law, for what is to 

 foUow. Standing tor a few moments before the end- 

 most region of grey and blue, and saturating the eye 

 to its utmost capacity with these colours, it passes 

 with extraordinary avidity to the succeeding yellows. 

 These intermingle in a pleasant harmony with the reds 

 and scarlets, blood-reds and clarets, and then lead 

 again to yellows. Now the eye has again become satu- 

 rated, this time with the rich colouring, and has there- 

 fore, by the law of complementary colour, acquired 

 a strong appetite for the greys and purples. These 

 therefore assume an appearance of brilliancy that they 

 would not have had without the preparation provided 

 by their recently received complementary colour. 



There are well-known scientific toys illustrating this 

 law. A short word, printed in large red letters, is 

 looked at for half a minute. The eyes are shut and 

 an image of the same word appears, but the letter^g 

 is green. Many such experiments may be made in 

 the open garden. The brilliant orange African Mari- 

 gold has leaves of a rather dull green colour. But look 

 steadily at the flowers for thirty seconds in sunshine 

 and then look at the leaves. The leaves appear to be 

 bright blue ! 



