LAYING OUT AND PLANTING LAWNS. 



163 



Seneca Lake, has not admired the beautiful 

 terrace gardens at Geneva ? What splendid 

 opportunities they aflford for the display of 

 flowers and taste. In gardens like these, 

 many plants which, in other situations, would 

 be considered too tender to stand the winter, 

 would there flourish, protected as they would 

 be from piercing winds in their sheltered 

 situation, and from late and early frosts, by 

 being subject to the genial influence of the 

 lake. 



Or if the place intended to be laid out, 

 should happen to be situated on ground slightly 

 elevated, with perhaps a hill clothed with ver- 

 dure rising near, which frequently occurs in 

 our varied landscape, then the grounds can be 

 planted in such a manner as to make the hill 

 appear a part of the whole. Such an object 

 ought to be particularly kept in view, in the 

 formation of new grounds. This is applicable 

 to places of a few acres to several in extent. 

 In planting such a place, a belt of trees 

 ought to surround the grounds, or at least a 

 part of them, always planting in such a man- 

 ner as to bring every object of interest into 

 view. The outward, or boundary line, should 

 be planted with the larger growing trees ; 

 the smaller kinds and shrubs, in succession, 

 so as to make a perfect screen, except in 

 such places where it is desirable to obtain a 

 view of any object. The belt should be 

 planted in such a manner that a serpentine 

 walk may be carried around the inner boun- 

 dary, or between it and the lawn. Straight 

 walks in such places should be avoided as 

 much as possible, because, in traversing a 

 straight walk, the whole is taken in at a 

 glance ; whereas, by adopting the serpentine 

 walk, the scene is continually changing, and 

 the eye meets variety at every turn. 



And now for the greatest point of attrac- 

 tion — the lawn. What can be more beauti- 

 ful than a well kept lawn, with its drooping 



trees, and beds of flowers, and many otner 

 attractions ? No matter however beautiful a 

 place may appear, it is still incomplete with- 

 out its due proportion of grass ; in fact, a 

 well kept lawn lends a charm to all surround- 

 ing objects, and gives efi'ect to the whole. In 

 the formation of lawns, I would recommend 

 the laying down of turf, in preference to seed- 

 ing one. When a lawn is sown, it takes a 

 great length of time to get a good turf; 

 whereas, by laying one down, a fine even sur- 

 face is obtained at once, and a beautiful ver- 

 dure. Fancy figures may also be cut around 

 the edges, or in diflerent parts of the lawn, 

 for the planting of flowers in masses, such as 

 Verbenas, Petunias, Fuchsias, and the like. 

 Drooping trees should also be planted in dif- 

 ferent parts of the lawn singly ; the beauties 

 of which, I need not here descant upon, as it 

 has already been so ably done by Mr. Bar* 

 UY, in the last number of this journal. All 

 close fences, or any unsightly objects, should 

 be hid by trees, or covered with climbing 

 plants or creepers. A plant admirably adapt- 

 ed to this purpose, is the Virginian creeper, 

 Avipelopsis hederacea ; a plant indigenous to 

 the country, and which few people seem to 

 realise the full utility of. It is a very rapid 

 grower, and will attach itself to almost any- 

 thing. Close to the Genesee falls, is a mill, 

 one end of which is nearly covered with it. 

 I should say it had grown sixty feet in height 

 or more ; and clinging to the wall, or hanging 

 in graceful festoons, when viewed from the 

 opposite side of the river, the efi'ect is beauti- 

 ful ; and in the situation it occupies, it seems 

 to associate itself with some time honored 

 castle. 



Almost all our native forest trees may be 

 advantageously used in planting, and parti- 

 cularly evergreens ; and, as the artist must 

 use his own judgment in the selection of 

 trees, he could not do better than make them 



