"You should have in mind some notion of the blending of colour. Nature appears not to consider this at all, and still gets wondrous effects. 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 for you all to follow.
"Finally, let us sum up our landscape lesson. The grounds are a setting for the house or buildings. Open, free lawn spaces, a tree or a proper group well placed, flowers which do not clutter up the front yard, groups of shrubbery—these are points to be remembered. The paths should lead somewhere, and be either straight or well curved. If one starts with a formal garden, one should not mix the informal with it before the work is done.
"At one time we said a little about poor taste in garden furnishings. Painted kettles, old drain pipes, whitewashed bricks, and edgings of shells seemed to us then a bit fussy and crude. So, too, is a summer house stuck out on the front lawn, a rustic seat all by itself in an open spot, an archway which forms an arch over nothing. The summer house should be placed in the side yard, or in the rear in a spot where trees lend it a background. If its use is that of a resting spot for your mother, she certainly would not wish it right out on the front lawn. If the house is for children to play in, then again it is not for the front of the house. An appropriate place is near the garden where it makes a cool place to rest after labour, a spot from which to view the beauties of the garden, and a charming place to serve afternoon tea.
"A good general plan to follow in this landscape work is to see what natural charms your place has, and then try to increase and help these. 'Help Nature' is a good watchword. Even though the garden plan is to be a formal one, the natural resources and setting of your place should be kept in mind. The little we did last year on the school grounds was a bit of landscape garden work. I did not call it that to you then, for if I had you would have been scared off. Philip's work in his backyard was of the same nature. The girls' flower garden was a bit of formal work. I guess, too, the outdoor bulb planting which Albert scorned might come under the same head. So you see you have been landscape gardeners without knowing it. To continue to be, all we have to do is to go on somewhat along the general lines I have spoken of to-night. Different committees have prepared a number of tables which should help you much in matters of selection."
GARDEN OF CONSTANT BLOOM BY MONTHS
| NAME | COLOUR | HEIGHT | SPECIAL POINTS |
| March | |||
| Columbine | Red | 1 ft. | Grows on rocky places. Graceful flower. |
| Hepatica | White Blue Pink | 6 in. | Early spring flower. Ready to blossom under the snow. Last year's leaves shelter flower. |
| Saxifrage | White | 8 in. | Grows in rocky, sandy places. |
| April | |||
| Bluebell | Blue | 16 in. | Likes rock soil and sun. |
| Dwarf Iris | Blue | 1 ft. | A good border plant. Does not require any special soil. Spreads. |
| Moss Pink | Pink | 6 in. | Likes full sun. Spreads rapidly. |
| Violet | Blue | 6 in. | Good soil. Plant in either sun or shade. |
| May | |||
| Lily-of-the-Valley | White | 9 in. | Grows under trees, spreads rapidly. Flowers fragrant. Cut flower effect. |
| German Iris | Different | 2 ft. | The best of flags for general planting purposes. |
| Forget-me-not | Blue | low | Thrives on moist soil. Planted with tulips follows them in bloom. |
| Chinese Peony | Different | 4 ft. | The earliest of peonies. Good in borders. |
| Myrtle | Blue | low | Grows even in shade and poorly drained soils. Spreads rapidly. |
| June | |||
| Bleeding Heart | Pink | 2 ft. | A hardy plant. Needs moist, good soil. Good border plant. |
| Foxglove | Purple | 4 ft. | Perennial which self sows. Effective in backgrounds. Likes shade. |
| Garden Peony | Crimson | 3 ft. | The real old-fashioned peony. Good border plant. Large blossoms. |
| Larkspur | Blue | 4 ft. | Good for borders and backgrounds. The finest of blue flowers. |
| Sweet William | Different | 2 ft. | A self sewing perennial. Bright colours. Good for massing. Sweet and constant bloomer. |
| July | |||
| Baby's Breath | White | 3 ft. | Grows in rocky soil. Use for formal bouquets. |
| Butterfly Weed | Orange | 2 ft. | Likes full sunlight and dry soil. Fine colour effect. |
| Perennial Phlox | Different | 2-5 ft. | Good for borders and cut flowers. |
| Spiked Loosestrife | Pink | 3 ft. | Belongs in wet swamp lands. Will grow in borders. |
| Hollyhock | Different | 6 ft. | Use for backgrounds and borders. |
| August | |||
| Aster, New England | Blue | 4 ft. | Grows in any soil. The best of tall asters. |
| Golden Glow | Yellow | 6 ft. | Grows in any soil and spreads rapidly. Good background. |
| Japanese Clematis | White | Climber | Rapid flowering vine. Use on trellis. Sweet flowers. |
| Sunflower | Yellow | 6 ft. | Fine for backgrounds and screens. Any dry soil. |
| Turtle Head | Rose Purple | 2 ft. | Flowers on spikes. Any soil, but wet preferred. |
| September | |||
| Hardy Hydrangea | White | 6 ft. | Blooms till frost. Blossom heads effective. |
| Japanese Anemone | Carmine | 3 ft. | Good border plant. Blossoms last till frost. |