80 
THE AMATEUR’S FLOWER GARDEN. 
and creamy-grey, a subordinate colour being tbe cerise blos¬ 
soms of tbe geranium. Tbe effect of tbis style of planting 
is enhanced by the rich foliage of tbe evergreen shrubs in tbe 
adjoining borders, and its intense brightness is relieved by 
tbe pleasant view of a large and rich green garden beyond. 
Space need not be occupied with ribbons and scrolls, be¬ 
cause of their simplicity in tbe first place ; and because, in 
tbe second place, the larger schemes include all tbe smaller 
ones, so far as principles and details are concerned. It may 
be remarked, however, for general guidance, that scrolls and 
ribbons must always be decisive in colouring, sharp and bright, 
and either strictly linear in arrangement, or so arranged that 
tbe Vandykes, crescents, and waving lines adopted are sub¬ 
ordinate to tbe primary linear arrangement, so as to sustain 
tbe idea of a scroll or a ribbon as tbe case may be. Plants 
of small growth are especially valuable for tbis work, which 
should be dense in planting of tbe very best materials avail¬ 
able for tbe purpose. 
A curious and eminently pleasing style of massing has 
lately been adopted by Mr. Mason, tbe superintendent of 
Princes Park, Liverpool. Tbis is known as Tessellated 
colouring, tbe colours being repeated in small blotches, with 
sharp dividing lines to separate tbe groups, like a series of 
dotted ribbons placed side by side to form a connected piece. 
In tbis system, foliage plants are freely employed side by side 
with flowering plants, and tbe result is a rich mosaic or tessel¬ 
lated pattern extremely pleasing and interesting to look down 
upon, but wanting in decidedness when viewed from a dis¬ 
tance. Tbe examples figured occur on large breadths of green 
turf, which greatly aids tbe general effect; in fact, gravels of 
any kind would be unsuitable for a groundwork, by tbe too 
near approximation of their colours to some of tbe oft-repeated 
neutral tints in tbe planting. It is of great importance to 
select for tbe purpose plants that are likely to continue good 
throughout tbe season, for a failure anywhere would be par¬ 
ticularly disastrous on account of its repetition in tbe form of 
a broad sprinkling of blank spaces amongst tbe flowers. It 
is not less important either to select plants of tbe same height, 
or that admit of being pinched back should any of them over¬ 
top their neighbours. Tbe schemes are explained in tbe 
enumeration of subjects employed in producing them. Tbe 
blank lines are planted tbe same as those they correspond with. 
