One of the most natural and reasonable places to plant flowers^is in a border edging the house or along a path 
The Part Flowers Play in Garden and Landscape 
WHERE FLOWER BEDS MAY BE EFFECTIVELY USED AND WHERE THEY BECOME 
EYESORES—SUGGESTIONS FOR FLOWER BORDERS AND FOR COLOR ARRANGEMENT 
by Grace Tabor 
Photographs by Nathan R. Graves and others 
[The eighth of a series of articles by Miss Tabor on the subject of landscape gardening as applied to the American home of moderate size. Preceding 
articles in the series have appeared under the titles : “ Utilizing Natural Features in Garden Making” {Oct., 1909); “ Getting Into a Place ” {Nov.); 
“ Formal or Informal Gardens” {Dec.); “ Screening, Revealing and Emphasizing Objects or Views” {Jan., 1910); “ Boundary Lines and Boundary 
Plantings ” {Feb.); “Planting Trees for Air, Light and Shade” {Mar.); “Planting Shrubs for Mass Effects” {Apr.). Questions relating to further 
details and planting information will be gladly answered .— Editor] 
I T is decidedly contrary to our American ideas, but it is never¬ 
theless a fact that a garden may be absolutely flowerless — 
and yet be lovely. And on the other hand, one may have quan¬ 
tities of flowers and yet have no garden in the true sense. In 
other words flowers do not make the garden, revolutionary though 
the thought seems at first glance. The conception of them which 
immediately establishes their real place holds them to be the 
garden’s jewels — the bright gems with which its design is embel¬ 
lished and “picked out” as a 
jeweler would say. They may 
be used in quite as lavish 
abundance with this idea pre¬ 
vailing as any enthusiast can 
wish — but they will be used 
quite differently from the cus¬ 
tomary fashion of planting 
wherever fancy strikes and the 
space presents itself. 
However beautiful the 
ruby, the opal, the sapphire 
may be, lying unset within 
one’s hand, none will deny 
that their loveliness is brought 
out and shines to far greater 
advantage when the crafts¬ 
man has worked them into 
proper relation with each other, and with the metal that forms 
a clearly thought out and purposeful pattern around them, as it 
supports and binds them into place. And, to carry the analogy 
still farther, the designer gives the eye intervals of rest from the 
dazzle of precious stones in a piece of jewelry, which correspond 
exactly to the relief from color and brilliance which should be 
provided for it in the garden. 
The rule of contrast that came in for attention when light and 
shade were under considera¬ 
tion, here presents itself again. 
Applied to the question in 
hand, it shows us at once that 
there must be places where 
no flowers bloom, in order to 
accent and emphasize the 
flowery spots — and it more 
than hints that the secret of 
brilliancy and a spirited liveli¬ 
ness in the garden lies in the 
liberal use of white flowers— 
because, of course, white fur¬ 
nishes a much more vivid con¬ 
trast with many colors than 
green, and contrasts more 
vividly with green itself. In¬ 
deed, white blossoms are, in 
(185) 
