April, 1910 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



159 



season. However, it is out of the frying- 

 pan into the fire for its a tougher job to 

 mingle colonies than to plant them with 

 definite outlines. 



I compromised by overlapping the out- 

 lines of various colonies, and taking one plant 

 right straight through the length of the bor- 

 der, then another and so on until I had as 

 many as could well occupy the space, using 

 species that would give a succession of bloom. 



The most successful experiment, so suc- 

 cessful, in fact, that I am altogether satis- 

 fied with it, I started with columbines, 

 (vulgaris, and the long-spurred hybrids). 

 They were planted straight down the centre, a 

 well-defined colony every now and then with 

 individual plants and groups of two or three 

 scattered about to give just a suspicion of an 

 entire bed. Then larskpurs went in. Fox- 

 gloves were the next to be added in clumps, 

 and individual plants. German iris on 

 account of its bulk and permanence was 

 used toward the front with stokesias in front 

 of the iris, and scattered in groups and ones 

 and twos. Japanese anemones and chimney 

 bellflowers found places to nestle all along 

 the length and gradually climb up as the 

 earlier flowers were failing. 



Occasionally there was a colony of some 

 plant that did not extend over the entire 

 scheme. This arrangement serves to break 

 monotony and emphasize the beauty of the 

 general scheme. I used last year the Drop- 

 more anchusa and two or three patches of 

 Platycodon Mariesi with one "picture" 

 group composed of Eryngium ametJiystinum, 

 Echinops Ritro and Achillea The Pearl. This 

 combination I imitated bodily from Miss 

 Jekyll, and it is of unusual beauty. 



In planting this border I left room for 

 groups of daffodils and tulips so that in early 

 spring it is a bulb garden. It has been the 

 one really worth while hardy border that I 

 ever grew. 



The prevailing colors are blue, pink and 

 yellow in the paler shades. After con- 

 siderable experimenting the columbine struck 

 me as a good basis upon which to figure 

 color schemes, for a perfect rainbow could be 

 devised from columbines alone. 



The pink and rose colors of the foxgloves, 

 and the blue peach-leaved bellflowers 

 formed a fine late May and early June com- 

 bination with the earlier columbines. The 

 long-spurred columbines in scores of colors 

 and combinations lasted well into July, while 



the German iris covered the transition period 

 and as the late columbines were disappear- 

 ing, the stokesias began to show flower with 

 a finale of pink and blue again, with chim- 

 ney bellflowers and Japanese anemones. 



Another border is given over to the deep 

 yellows and bright reds, and is still in pro- 

 cess of evolution. With a background of 

 hollyhocks and Miss Mellish and Wolley 

 Dod sunflowers, the main subjects are coreop- 

 sis, gaillardia, Shasta daisies, the new 

 "annual sweet Williams," and hardy pompon 

 chrysanthemums, with clumps of asclepias, 

 tritoma, hemerocallis and purple rudbcckia 

 hybrids, the so-called "red sunflowers." 



The third section of the border is devoted 

 to oriental poppies in variety and hardy 

 asters. It is planned for two distinct effects 

 without relation to each other. The edging 

 is of grass pinks and it has plantings of 

 Pentstemon barbatus, var. Torreyi, to give it 

 character during the latter part of June 

 before the earlier asters are in flower. 



A garden, it seems to me, should be sub- 

 jective rather than objective. What may 

 appear excellent to the owner of a garden 

 may not appear in the same light to others. 

 That makes for individuality of gardening. 



Fig 4. The lavender heads of Eug. Danzanvilliers phlox with blue sea-holly; white Fraulein G. Von Lassberg phlox to the left and Shasta daisy in front 



