THE MIXED BORDER 
95 
of Golden Rod, helianthus, and rudbeckia 
are easy to manage. A lovely combination 
(accidental) was arrived at by Helenium superbus , 
with its clear, lemon-coloured flowers set off 
by the low-growing vivid blue of Aster Amellus 
at its feet. Bring the aster into the house and 
it looks a violet or blue mauve, but against the 
helenium it had a brilliant blue effect. 
The phloxes in pink, cerise, and purple, and 
the fiery Coquelicot, Etna, and Strohlein need 
to be kept rather to themselves in a group, 
and if possible on the shady side. They can 
have as neighbours Artemisia lactijiora , cream- 
coloured, feathery, and tall Japanese anemones 
in white and pink, Gypsophila paniculata or 
gauze flower, and echinops with greyish foliage, 
lined with white and soft blue, thistle-like 
heads. 
The summer chrysanthemums need all the 
sun they can get, and should be planted in the 
first row, as they hide any vacant space left by 
some earlier-flowering plant such as campanula 
or foxglove. 
Oriental poppies must always be planted 
behind something that will flower later, such 
as bergamot, aster, lily, lychnis, or achillea. 
It is always best to plant an early-flowering 
plant behind a later one, and not in front of it. 
