April, 1914 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
269 
At first I put all my large plants at the back, shorter ones in the 
middle and the smallest in front; the result can be imagined. I 
began to realize the importance of form and proportion. 
After many transplantings 
a be 11 e r effect was ob¬ 
tained. Most gardens de¬ 
pend entirely on color, and 
when photographed look 
uninteresting. A well de¬ 
signed and planted garden 
should make a beautiful 
picture. 
To have a hardy border 
that is always gay with col¬ 
ors which blend and never 
clash is a difficult task, but 
most fascinating. Mistakes 
only suggest new ideas and 
add to the longing for 
“next year.” 
Another hard task is 
correct staking. To hide 
the stakes and yet give the 
plant a natural appearance 
takes long experience. 
Even Miss Jekyll admits 
that dahlia stakes must 
show before the plant grows, but her suggestions for general 
staking are most helpful. 
The first flowers to bloom in my border are tulips and pansies. 
When the tulips are brown and can be cut off, the pansies are 
pulled up and annuals planted in their places. A long row of 
yellow primroses ( Polyan¬ 
thus) is soon in bloom, and 
the dainty bleeding heart 
(Dielytra spectabilis ) fol¬ 
lows. This plant has a 
beautiful foliage, but by 
July turns brown and has 
to be cut down, so I plant 
mallows with it, and they 
fill the space with their ef¬ 
fective blossoms in Sep¬ 
tember. By the end of 
May the border is full of 
color, with plenty of white 
flowers, which I like better 
every year. White lupins, 
f raxinella ( Dictamnusalba ) 
and astilbe japonica flower 
with the pink and white 
pyrethrums and lavender 
and yellow German iris. 
These are succeeded by 
Oriental poppies—the deep 
scarlet Pekennanii , not the 
orange—forget-me-nots (Myosotis palustris), quantities of small 
purple English iris and great clumps of purple and white colum- 
By the path leading to the formal garden is a hidden fountain where ferns and rock plants 
grow 
From the hardy border steps lead into the formal garden. The approach is made 
attractive by large foliage plants 
The main hardy border is shaded at one end, and here such plants as foxgloves and 
Canterbury bells lend their color for most of the season 
