This is because of the tremendous amount of her perfect background of
green, and the limitlessness of her space, while we are confined at the
best to relatively small areas. So we should endeavour not to blind
people's eyes with clashes of colours which do not at close range blend
well. In order to break up extremes of colours you can always use masses
of white flowers, or something like mignonette, which is in effect
green.

"The old-fashioned flowers are lovely--sweet William, phlox,
old-fashioned pinks, petunia, verbena, zinnia, marigold, mignonette, and
poppy are always dear and sweet. Hollyhocks are charming. They represent
a kind of guard for the garden. Stand this hollyhock phalanx up against
a wall like naughty boys, close to the house, or by an old fence. They
are so tall that they must be in the background. They grace it.
Otherwise they would overtop and shadow the other garden plants. If
there is an old ash pile, an old dump or anything else unsightly, plant
something tall before it. Hollyhocks would not do for this, since their
foliage is too scanty. Castor beans are just the thing, however; and
sunflowers, the old giant ones, are good, too. A screen is for
screening, so that the foliage is of first consideration.

"A wild-flower garden is a good scheme, too. What is lovelier? Bank in a
north corner full of these. Hepatica, columbines, anenome, bellflower,
butterfly weed, turtle head and aster represent wild flowers which bloom
from March through October. I can see that north corner now. Miriam has
planned to have one, and has really done the work this fall.

"The water garden is another good thing to try with just the right
setting. A place at the end of a slope of land, near some drooping
trees, a bit shaded would be right. The garden Philip made is a pattern