102 GARDENING FOR WOMEN 



was the height above the ground to which colour 

 had been raised, by planting shrubs in large orna- 

 mental terra-cotta pots. It will be seen upon the 

 plan, that these not only stand upon the paths and 

 walls, but are arranged at intervals, in the very 

 midst of the herbaceous borders. Large grey 

 stones, about a foot above the level of the flower 

 bed, are placed for the pots to stand upon. A 

 groove, in the form of a cross, is cut in the stone, 

 to allow the drainage from the pot to run off 

 easily. These stones and the lower portion of 

 the pots are partially hidden by groups of irises, 

 pseonies, aquilegias and roses, growing in the 

 border. Just a touch of the terra-cotta flower- 

 pot with its handsome ornamentation of wreaths, 

 is seen above the blue and white of the irises or the 

 many-coloured ranunculuses, and then, above, high 

 up, we get the foliage and colour of the shrub 

 which is planted in the pot. It is certainly a most 

 effective way of giving height and variety to a flat, 

 rather uninteresting piece of ground. 



Most of the pots had lemons or oranges growing 

 in them. In our country it is possible to have these 

 only in the more sheltered parts, but laurustinus, 

 box trees, bays, lilacs, hydrangeas or roses could 

 be used instead. Even should the pots occasionally 

 have to stand empty, they are so exceedingly hand- 

 some and decorative in themselves, that they only 



