444 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



which materializes it. Thus architecture is supplemented by carpentry and 

 other arts, music by the art or practice of rendering it, sculpture by the chisel 

 and the marble. Landscape gardening, the fine art, deals with ideals of the 

 mind. It sees the beauty in natural objects and landscapes as the painter 

 sees it. To materialize these ideals, to make them a part of our homes, requires 

 the spade and the hoe, the road maker and the tree planter. This mechanical 

 part of ornamental gardening is a part of horticulture. Thus it happens that 

 the professed treatises upon landscape gardening often fall into a mere treat- 

 ment of horticulture. This branch of horticulture is a peculiar one, however, 

 and deserves a j^articular designation. It may properly pass under the title 

 of landscape horticulture. 



The minor ornamentation of cities falls mostly to landscape horticulture 

 which has borrowed rules, lorecepts, from landscape gardening. A few 

 remarks concerning landscape horticulture for cities may stimulate thought. 

 In ornamenting small grounds, three general features include most of the 

 details : Surface, walks and drives, planting. 



Surface. — Avoid a verfectly flat surface. A gentle slope in one direction 

 or another, a slight hollow or a raised border at one side will relieve the 

 monotony which would come invariably from a level surface. The slope or 

 hollow may not be marked and yet produce a good effect. In fact, in small 

 yards, slopes or other changes of surface direction which are very conspicu- 

 ous usually detract from the beauty of the grounds. Some of the pleasantest 

 surfaces are those whose grades are so slight that the casual observer does not 

 notice them. If possible, the surface should slope away from the house. On 

 the other hand, avoid little irregularities. Avoid mounds and piles of stones, 

 and abrupt hollows. Such objects break the continuity of the place and dis- 

 tract the eye, calling attention to details rather than to the grounds as a 

 whole. Raised borders, if used, should not be very bold and should be kept 

 well towards the rear sides and well planted with flowers or shrubbery. 



There are some cases in which the lay of the original surface is so peculiar 

 or so rough that unusual methods must be employed to render the place 

 attractive. Some of the most intractable instances are those where the resi- 

 dence is near the street and either much above it or much below it. 



In general it is best to dispense with terraces, even though the slope be 

 great. A steep yard may be graded to a gentle slope and the front, against 

 the street, be held by a retaining wall. This wall should never be more than 

 thirty inches high, however. If higher than this it becomes very offensive to 

 passers by. If a fence or wall of this height will not correct the slope of the 

 yard, it is better to dispense with it and make a sodded bank next the street. 

 This bank should be as near the street as possible without appearing too 

 abrupt, unless in the case of very deep lots, for by this position a long stretch 

 of sward is left in front of the residence. We should plan for views from 

 the house rather than from the street in such cases. Tliis bank should now 

 be planted with small and graceful shrubs in an irregular manner. The crest 

 especially, and a small area back of it if the grounds are large enough to per- 

 mit, should be planted to hide any appearance of an abrupt break in the 

 surface from the direction of the residence. With judicious planting such 

 banks lose much of their obtrusive character. Do not terrace the bank, nor 

 make it very steep. 



If the site is much lower than the highway greater difficulties are presented. 

 In no case should the surface be graded continuously towards the residence. 



