118 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
may merely state that it is pinching off the ends of 
those shoots which are to remain, and is generally 
performed at one joint beyond the one hearing the 
bunch: that is to say, one joint and one leaf only 
beyond the bunch is left. In cases, however, where 
more walling or training surface has to be covered, 
as many joints should be left as may be necessary at 
the ensuing pruning season to cover such space. 
The ordinary period for stopping is about a week or 
so after the young bunch fairly shows what its cha¬ 
racter will be. 
We have now described all that is necessary up to 
the present period, and we will return to the vine 
culture out of doors in due time. 
R. Errington. 
THE FLOWER-GARDEN. 
Arrangement of Colours.— As the lovers of flow¬ 
ers are now all busy planting the almost numberless 
varieties of plants, to make the flower-garden during 
the summer and autumn months a blaze of floral 
beauty, it may not be amiss to consider briefly how 
to arrange them so that their colours may produce 
the best effect. This, when we remember the diversity 
of taste and opinion, is no easy task; and, therefore, 
we beg the indulgence of our readers to bear with us 
if our ideas do not exactly coincide with their own. 
Colours may be divided into two classes, the warm 
and the cold. Warm colours are scarlet, red, crimson, 
pink or rose, yellow, and orange; cold colours are 
blue, purple, lilac, and white. Now, if these colours 
are all mixed indiscriminately, without any regard to 
effect, though the garden will undoubtedly be varie¬ 
gated and mottled enough, yet the pattern will be 
confused, and, except by chance, there will be no 
breadth or depth of colour for the eye to rest upon. 
We shall much sooner be weary of looking upon such 
a scene, where every part presents the same discord¬ 
ant features. This was the great defect of the regu¬ 
larly mixed flower-border, now almost extinct in 
gardens having any pretension to floral taste. The 
eagerness with which the more modern fashion of 
grouping masses of colour has been taken up and 
followed by the owners of gardens, from the “ Castle ” 
to the “Cottage,” proves that the association of 
colours in harmonious arrangement is felt to be a 
good desirable to be attained; and yet how often is this 
desideratum left to chance! The gardener having 
plants, of colours various enough in all conscience, 
makes an arbitrary selection; his resolve goes no 
further than this—“I will have this bed, scarlet ver¬ 
benas; that bed, purple petunias; the other, yellow 
calceolarias; this little bed shall have blue dwarf 
lobelias; that large one, blue salvia patens; a third, 
scarlet salvia fulgens; a fourth, scarlet geraniums; 
yonder little one shall hold anthericum liliaceum, or 
some other white bell-flower;” and so on, till all the 
beds are filled with larger or smaller patches of 
colour; but the mixture is quite as bad and as ill 
associated as the old mixed flower-border. 
Now, the merest tyro amongst our readers, who 
thinks at all about the matter, will say, this random 
way of laying on the colours of our flower-gardens is 
anything but good taste. How is it to be corrected, 
is the question; how shall we learn to avoid such 
errors? Our answer is, by studying the affinities of 
colours, by having a ground plan of the garden, and 
arranging the colours on that plan previously to put¬ 
ting in a single plant. The brightest and warmest 
colour, scarlet, may be placed in the centre or centres; 
the next, red or crimson, surrounding it; with a bed 
June 
or two of the less glowing colours, yellow and orange, 
intermixed with rose or purple. Then follow these 
with the colder colours of blue or purple, bringing 
them down to lilac and white. If this plan is fol¬ 
lowed, with some modification or softening, the whole 
will have that pleasing harmonious effect so desirable 
in garden scenery. 
Contrasts may be allowed sometimes, but not too 
often. A small black patch on the face of a beautiful 
woman by contrast sets off the purity of her com¬ 
plexion ; but if three or four are applied, they dis¬ 
figure “ the human face divine.” The same princi¬ 
ple applies with equal force to contrasts amongst 
flowers. Never imagine that one flower sets off an¬ 
other unless there is an approach to affinity between 
them. To follow the simile, the natural rose on the 
cheek of “ the fairest of the fair” is more pleasing 
than the blackest patch, because it is more in har¬ 
mony with the natural colour of the rest of the face. 
Hence the fashion of wearing patches as contrasts 
has disappeared, we trust, for ever. Study, then, the 
affinities or relations of colours, and never act to any 
extent upon that saying—a black will set off a white. 
Mixed Borders. —Where there are no beds to 
group flowers in masses, the same principles ought 
to guide us in planting borders, or even shrubberies 
and rose-gardens; let the colours gradually, as it 
were, melt away into each other. What a wide field 
is here opened to us of pleasant labour and delight. 
To what a great extent the true principles of arrang¬ 
ing colours may be carried. These principles may be 
applied to the arrangement of a simple bouquet of 
four or five flowers, as w T ell as to the magnificent 
array of floral objects in the grand exhibitions at 
Chiswick and the Regent’s Park. They may be ap¬ 
plied quite as correctly in the flower-border or beds 
of the cottage as in the largest conservatories and 
flower-gardens of the royal or princely mansion. 
We might enlarge much on this fascinating subject, 
but other objects press upon us. Enough has been 
said, we trust, to induce both amateurs and cottagers 
to think on the effect of a better arrangement of 
colours, previous to tilling their beds and borders 
with flowers, either now, if they are not planted, or 
hereafter, should our remarks reach them too late for 
this year. 
Rustic Baskets and Vases. —In the last Number 
mention was made of these elegant and picturesque 
ornaments, more especially the former. This week 
we shall devote a few lines to the vases. Judiciously 
placed near to the dwelling-house, either on the 
pillars of a low w r all or on pedestals, on a terrace 
walk, or one on each side of the entrance to the house, 
they are quite proper and in good taste, if not too 
numerous or too large in proportion to the size of 
the garden or house. Vases to grow plants in can 
be had of almost any size and form of the different 
manufacturers of them. Perhaps the largest stock 
in the kingdom may be seen at the Messrs. Austin’s, 
New Road, Marylebone, London. Examples of 
various kinds and forms, from those in costly marble 
down to others in humble compo or cement, may be 
found there ready for use. 
Plants for Rustic Baskets and Vases. —Having 
now briefly hinted at these interesting objects, as 
ornaments to gardens of every grade, we proceed to 
give a list of suitable plants, premising that they 
require a rich light soil, such, for instance, as fresh 
loam, vegetable mould, and sandy peat, in equal 
parts. If the peat cannot be procured, add sufficient 
sand to make the whole open so as to let the water 
from heavy rains pass freely through the drainage 
