round has something to interest us at all seasons of the year.
Lilies have been planted amongst rhododendrons and azaleas for some time
past, and now the system has been extended. When once we have made up our
minds to have =no bare soil=, various schemes will present themselves to
us. Bulbs can be treated so, to the great improvement of the garden, as
when they grow out of some hardy herbaceous plant, their dying leaves
which present such an untidy appearance are nearly hidden. This double
system of planting is especially necessary in beds which are in full view
of the house, as these must never look empty.

=WANTED--AN EYE FOR COLOUR.= Borders are not so much trouble in this way,
as, if the wall or fence at the back is well covered with a succession of
flowering shrubs, this makes =a very good back-ground=, and, as every
artist knows, that is half the battle. The colours, however, must be
carefully chosen, so that the plants in front blend with the creepers on
the wall. The inconsistency of people in this matter is very noticeable,
for they will mix shades in their borders which they would not dream of
allowing on their dinner-tables. Who has not had his teeth set on edge by
the sight of a pinkish-mauve everlasting pea in juxtaposition with a
flaming red geranium! it is repeated every year in scores of gardens, to
the great offence of every artistic eye. =Colours that quarrel= so
violently with each other should never be visible from the same point of
view, but kept rigorously apart.

It is important that =the soil of the border= be of fairly good quality;
if the staple be poor and rocky, plenty of loam must be incorporated with
a small proportion of manure. On the other hand, if it is heavy, cold, and
clayey, sand must be added to make it porous, and thus improve the
drainage. Where the soil is not improved, some trouble should be taken to
choose only those plants which will do really well in the particular soil
the garden possesses.

CHAPTER III

On the Duty of Making Experiments

_Description of a small yet lovely garden--Colour schemes--The spring
dell--A novel way of growing flowers--Variety in flower-gardens._

="Be original!"= is a motto that every amateur gardener should adopt. Far
too few experiments are made by the average owner of a garden; he jogs
along on the same old lines, without a thought of the delightful
opportunities he misses. Each garden, however small, should possess an
=