THE COTTAGE GARDENER 
March 21.] 
inside a regular figure, as those in the garden ot 
X Y Z ; the lines of such beds must correspond with 
the lines which bound the figure; these triangles are 
bounded by straight walks, therefore all the sides ot 
the four beds which come next to the walks must be 
straight also. You cannot deviate one inch in the 
line of the flower-bed from that ot the walk which 
passes by it without a breach of the fundamental 
principle of lines and forms, or, it you like it better, 
without producing an error which is self-evident to 
the senses, for if two contiguous lines do not agreo 
in every respect, they must disagree. 
For every flower-garden I have yet seen laid out 
according to these rules, I have seen ten planned 
without any reference to them at all; I need hardly 
say, therefore, how much pleased I was with the plan 
sent by X. Y. Z., which is nearly a perfect model of 
artistic skill. I may be wrong in saying nearly, 
because the plan is only a rough sketch and not 
drawn to a scale. What I object to is the turn 
given to one end of the bed next the fountain in 
each division; the ends farthest trom the fountain 
are round, and if this round end comes as near to 
the walk as is shewn on the plan, it is a departure 
from the strict rule which the artist has shewn in 
the rest of the composition. It is not necessary to 
speak of the outlines ot these beds in those paits 
which do not immediately join the walks, because 10 
artists might fill in the beds in 10 different ways, and 
all be true enough in principle. The flower-beds in 
question are not more than two feet wide in most 
parts, and two of them are much larger than the 
other two in each compartment or triangle, and 
X. Y. Z. says, “our plan has been to fill the two 
largest beds in each compartment with mixed flowers, 
and the two smaller each with a separate flower, the 
difficulty is to arrange what to fill the latter with in 
order to look well.” . 
To be able to know how best to advise X. Y. 1 
ought to know what convenience he has for winter¬ 
ing half-hardy things for this garden ; what plants, 
therefore, I shall name as suitable for such a garden 
will be as useful to any other subscriber, whose 
flower-beds are not much larger than from two to 
three feet across in the widest parts, the auange- 
meut of the colours must be left to the planters, tor 
reasons already insisted on, but—-for a regular ligme 
like this, whether a square or a circle—I may remark, 
that the effect of the whole would be much height¬ 
ened if the figure was divided across the middle, it 
only with an imaginary line, and all the beds on one 
side to have corresponding colours in the beds oppo¬ 
site to them; and where the ground is level, or nearly 
so, all the beds thus corresponding ought to ha\e 
the plants of the same height as well as of the same 
colour; and, still farther, if the ground is lower on 
one side, the plants on the lower side ought to be 
taller sorts, but still keeping to the same colours as 
lC, To those who look to masses of colours only, with¬ 
out reference or knowledge of the plants which 
produce them, a regular garden like tins should have 
all the plants on one side of the figure repeated in 
the corresponding beds on the opposite side, and oi 
effect only ; that is the best way. But when one has 
a knowledge of plants individually, he will think lus 
garden more rich the more kinds of plants lie can 
shew off in the arrangement ; and here comes the 
difficulty of flower gardening, aud the difficulty is 
increased when the beds are small, for then you aie 
confined to the use of dwarf plants only, there are 
many plants, however, which can be trained down to 
333 
a given height to suit the size of a bed. A white¬ 
flowering plant is the best to use in a bed to divide 
two colours which might otherwise neutralise each 
other; or, say you have three rows alongside of a 
walk, or three beds in a line, one row or bed is to be 
a scarlet, and one a pink, it rarely happens that 
these tints can be met with in flowers so as to accord 
with each other—the one would kill or neutralise the 
other; blit place a white between them and the effect 
ot both is improved, or, at least, not diminished. 
The heliotrope, and some verbenas with gray flowers 
like those of the heliotrope, are the next best after the 
white for the same purpose. 
One more remark, and I have done. All that 
has been said about the effect of the contrasts ’ 
and harmony of colours in a flower-garden, as far 
as I can understand, is on the assumption, that 
the real tints specified are at command — as a 
painter would shew them by his colours,—without 
taking the various tints of the foliage and flowers 
into consideration at all; and if the reality was so 
indeed, the arrangement of flowers in a garden would 
be as simple as laying on the different colours with 
a painter’s brush; but so far from such being the 
case, that I shall safely venture the assertion, that 
not one of those painters or masters whose arrange¬ 
ment of colours have been published, ever planted, 
or saw a flower-garden planted, after their models 
for two seasons in succession that would bloom, or 
could be kept in bloom, from the middle of May to 
the end of September. Nevertheless, their rules are 
still very useful to guard the inexperienced planter 
against committing glaring faults in the distribution 
of his colours. Next week I shall give a list of 
plants to suit such a garden and management; and 
I shall endeavour to make the whole as clear and 
useful as to suit many besides X. Y. Z. 
D. Beaton. 
GREENHOUSE AND WINDOW 
GARDENING. 
Little Matters. —There is an old adage which 
some of us are apt to forget—“ take care of the pence, 
and the pounds will take care of themselves.” The 
aphorism inculcates neither close-fisted parsimony 
nor mean stinginess, but prudent thrift, and un¬ 
tiring attention to what are generally styled, little 
matters. When, however, consequences are traced to 
their cause, the connection will be seen between the 
minute and the splendid on the one hand, and the 
disheartening and destructive on the other. Hence, 
many of our failures in gardening arise from thinking 
about the pounds, and neglecting the pence: scheming 
and expecting great results, but not attending to the 
minutiae of means. I once attempted something great 
in the way of Frencli-beans, which were wanted at 
Christmas. The seeds were sown in large pots, and 
in a compost of equal proportions of rather fresh turfy 
sods, chopped up, and decomposed hotbed dung. I lie 
position in which the plants were to be placed, and 
the small amount of sun-light they could be expected 
to obtain, if ever thought about, would have saved 
me mortification and trouble; and shown the im¬ 
portance in such circumstances of using small pots 
I and light soil. An amateur attended to a little early 
peach-house as carefully as il Mr. Errington had 
been at his elbow; and well did the prospect repay 
| him for his labours; but a keen frosty night succeeds 
a period of dull warm weather, aud, that all may be 
