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HORTICULTURE 



April 24, 1909 



true artistic feeling is brought to bear, each garden has 

 a character of its own and every garden its own special 

 features. The landscape architect must make liis design 

 thorouglily to fit the situation, and, regardless of fleet- ■ 

 ing fashion, should use the same pure taste in arranging 

 the living elements of the picture he wishes to produce 

 as an artist does in crcaiing with his brush and colors. 

 The banefulness of fashion is in nothing more appar- 

 ent than in the matter of terraces. Allowing architects 

 of houses to interfere with the laying out of gardens is 

 very often the cause of too much terrace, and the ordi- 

 nary landscape gardener, following mere custom, will 

 even make a terrace on level ground and induce the own- 

 er to spend large sums on excavating and walls which 

 have no oilier effect than to absolutely spoil the place. 

 There are of course situations in which terraces are more 

 or less admissible, as where the ground slopes rapidly 

 from the house and in positions where a level piece of 

 lawn cannot be obtained without, but many country 

 seats have had what might have been fine lawns spoilt by 

 terraces. 



AVOID TERRACES 



The idea of a terrace was first brought from Italy. 

 At one time an Italian garden was considered the proper 

 thing, but the results of introducing a style — which 

 owing to local circumstances is quite correct in the place 

 where it originated — into a totally different environ- 

 ment, has been in most cases only productive of hideous- 

 ness. Terraces are necessary on the hillsides in Italy, 

 and were first formed in a rough way by the peasants, 

 otherwise the ground could not have been put to any use, 

 as it is the only means whereby the soil can be kept on 

 the steep slopes. Also on these Italian terraces the 

 beautiful olive is planted which has a double value; it 

 gives a natural and therefore artistic effect, and is at 

 the same time a source of profit to the planter. 



Even in those situations where terraces may be con- 

 sidered indispensable, the walls can only be looked upon 

 as necessary evils. Much might be done, although rare- 

 ly attempted, to soften the bad effect of walls in an orna- 

 mental garden by covering them with life in the shape 

 of creepers and other plants. 



PLANTING FOR WINTER EFFECT. 



In designing a garden the wdnter half of the year is 

 too often forgotten or ignored, due, perhaps, to the fact 

 that there are many even among lovers of the country 

 who fail to appreciate the charms that may be found in 

 the garden in the depth of winter, and who therefore 

 cannot realize the possibilities in this direction. In this 

 connection we see another point against the inartistic 

 bedding system, for the beds in winter are nothing but 

 mounds of brown earth and the reverse of pleasing even 

 to the inartistic eye. It is a great mistake to .suppose 

 there is only bleakness and desolation in the winter. The 

 many evergreens of all shades and shapes capable of en- 

 during winters with a temperature below zero, and the 

 still larger number for the more temperate climates, 

 must, to everyone with any knowledge of plants, forbid 

 such a supposition. Then there are amongst the decid- 

 uous species many having their bark of bright pleasing 

 hues, harmonizing well with the dark evergreens anl 

 thereby adding additional charm to the winter picture. 



A KNOWLEDGE OF PLANTS ESSENTIAL 



Bearing this brief outline of the general principles of 

 our subject in mind, it must be apparent that to be suc- 

 cessful a landscape artist must not only be capable of 

 designing the framework, as it were, of a garden, but 

 he must have a thorou?h knowledge of plants. Without 

 the latter it is impossible for anyone to achieve a result 

 whicli will be trulv a work of art.^ 



Every plant has its own peculiar character. Shape, 

 color of leaves and bark at the different seasons, height 

 and habit of growth, evergreen or deciduous; these and 

 otlier traits all go to make up character. The characters 

 of plants must bo known and studied before any one can 

 compose them into a harmonious whole. To expect suc- 

 cess without this knowledge is like expecting a person 

 without any knowledge of the tones of music to compose 

 an opera. But, as it is true that even with a knowledge 

 of music one may be unable to compose, so likewise the 

 possession of a tliorough knowledge of plants does not 

 necessarily include the gift of designing artistic land- 

 scape effects. 



The wide range of plants which in the present day 

 can be used in landscape architecture, the equally numer- 

 ous varieties of situations which the designer can be 

 called upon to deal witli preclude the, what may be 

 termed, practical side of this question being touched 

 upon in this paper. Nor, as previously mentioned, is it 

 possible to lay down any fixed rules. Every situation 

 has its own distinctive natural features, with which the 

 artist must harmonize his garden. The fundamental 

 point is to study nature, and it will be found that 

 "Xature never did betray the heart that loved her." 



^Cu&y{, 



Davallias 



The genus davallia contains some of the most useful 

 forms that are known to commerce. D. Mariesii trained 

 over peat to form junks, monkeys, elephants, etc., dem- 

 onstrate to what useful purposes many davallias can be 

 put to. A native of Borneo is D. parvula, the fronds of 

 which never exceed one inch in length, and being situ- 

 ated on the rhizome rather closer than in many davallias 

 lends itself readily to treatment when allowed to grow 

 over an old peat stump ; in this form it is useful when 

 employed in table decoration, a miniature pyramid of 

 living fern being at once novel and distinct. Perhaps 

 one of the best known varieties is D. canariensis (hare's 

 foot fern), its prostrate stems creeping downwards over 

 the side of the pot. It is a good subject for the dwelling, 

 room. 



Another meritorious dwarf variety is D. Tyermanni, 

 fronds dark, of leathery texture, silver rhizome, and of 

 great durability for crit purposes. D. dissecta is a rapid 

 grower, excellent when raised from spores in its small 

 state, and D. bullata makes a charming subject for bas- 

 ketwork. Among the larger varieties one of the best 

 known possibly is D. fijensis plumosa, the rhizomes of 

 which are usually horizontal, in this respect differing 

 from D. canariensis, although both varieties are identi- 

 cal in regard to the brown scales and thickness. D. 

 plumosa is an excellent exhibition plant and so also is 

 D. hirta cristata, usually known is Microlepia hirta cris- 

 tafa, the pale green color of its heavily tasseled fronds 

 making it remarkably di-stinct. It will thrive in a night 

 temperature of 50 degrees, therefore is suitable for 

 house decoration. This variety does not readily pro- 

 duce spores but is easily divided with success. D. tenui- 

 folia Yeitchiana is one of the most graceful varieties in 

 cultivation, an excellent subject for basket work and 

 does not dislike the sun : it grows erect from the centre 

 from two to three feet high and its light feathery fronds 

 bend gracefully over and around the basket. ' 



In regard to cultivation very little loam should be 

 used. They delight in compost chiefly consisting of 



