House and Garden 
for another sort of gar¬ 
den in addition to the 
parterre, into which 
this last might easily 
lead — a garden sug¬ 
gested by the form of 
the land, with little 
distant nooks where 
one flower grows, or 
some rare shrub; a 
garden with shaded 
walks, with places to 
linger in on a hot day, 
nooks for retreat and 
meditation, a garden 
loved by birds, not all 
of flowers, but of 
branching trees, and 
shadowy shrubberies, 
and points of interest 
a little remote and 
mysterious. 
Flowers and shade are thought to be in¬ 
compatible; but one can have shade to lead 
to flowers, and dowers that illuminate shade 
in sudden openings. In the bright hot 
glowing parterre it is impossible for the 
owner to labor except on dull days, or very 
early or late; and who does not know the 
charm of the garden stroll at any moment, 
with its sudden pauses to pull a weed, which 
lead to perhaps an hour or two of hard work. 
To this a shady garden constantly beguiles 
one, for even if the work is in the sun, the 
shade close by affords a refuge to the weary. 
To those who would plant a perennial 
garden I have a few suggestions to make. 
Let the soil be deep and richly manured 
to begin with ; give the roots plenty of 
room, and allow for spreading. Mass the 
plants as much as possible, and do what can 
be done to avoid a clash of color. This last 
sounds simple, but, in a limited space, if one 
wants a variety of bloom, it is very difficult 
to guard against conflicting tones. If there 
is much room, of course each kind of plant 
can have its appropriate sphere, but in our 
own little plot I am tormented every spring 
by the fact that the peonies will come be¬ 
fore the scarlet oriental poppies get through 
blooming, and for a brief space there is war 
among the angels. Peonies really ought to 
have about a quarter of an acre to them¬ 
selves, to get the full effect of their magnifi¬ 
cent shades and shapes, and in a little garden 
how can this be done? We have one border 
along a driveway in which whites and reds 
are alone permitted, with now and then a 
touch of blue or yellow. Of course the varia¬ 
tion from red to white gives a fine sliding 
scale of pinks, if only the red-pinks are al¬ 
lowed,—such pinks as harmonize so perfectly 
in the Shirley poppies, which, no matter how 
various, never swear at each other. Once 
admit, however, a purple-pink petunia, or a 
common double poppy, with that touch of 
magenta which Nature seems especially to de¬ 
light in, and the whole scheme goes to pieces. 
H ere a splendid summer staple is the bee- 
balm, with its fine cardinal tones, which, if 
kept closely cut after flowering, will keep in 
bloom for months, and spread everywhere. 
Then come the red gladiolus, a few clumps 
of deep red cannas, tuberous begonias and 
salvias, and any other red thing that leans 
towards cardinal color, with Shirley poppies 
wherever they want to come up. There is 
an old-fashioned early red-lily which roams 
about and is very prolific, that is effective 
in masses, and the captivating little mont- 
bretia, with its red and yellow surprises, is a 
most welcome occupant, while a cluster of 
marigolds, in the shelter of an evergreen, 
keeps a dash of perpetual sunshine in its corner. 
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