48 



GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 



feeling of satiation at one period and a void at another. 



The effect of Time upon landscape development should 

 have full consideration, although some people appear to 

 forget this altogether, and they fail to understand that 

 each year will see produced many new, delightful and 

 surprising impressions. It is true that one may have 

 moved on to their place trees of ten, twenty or more 

 vears old, and so produce at once effects which would 

 require such number of years to develop if a start were 

 made by planting young ones. Many people, however, 

 find it intensely interesting to watch things grow, and 

 by the use of young stock not only is this pleasure ob- 

 tained, but there is a vast saving in the initial expense. 



In studying how we may render our grounds beautiful, 

 not only for a few months only, but for years, it will be 

 necessary to have recourse to means adapted to the end. 

 Some things endure but for a season, while others last 

 for whole hundreds of years. Three points re(iuire our 

 closest attention in respect to planting — permanency of 

 effects, future effects, and present effects. In all our 

 operations the various so-termed permanent plants must 

 prove the basis. Ever-bounteous Nature has provided 

 these in sufficiency for every display, the flowers taking 

 precedence in Summer, rich colored foliage and Iruit in 

 the Autumn, and the continuance of fruit with evergreen 

 foliage through the Winter. 



It is not possible for any one to form a correct opmion 

 upon a landscape planting unles they are thoroughly 

 ac(iuainted with the characters and habits of the material 

 of which it is composed, and are also capable of visualiz- 

 ing the possibilities of its ultimate development. Many, 

 in" fact all, of the best in the way of trees do not show 

 their fullest beauty until touched up by the hand of Time. 

 In arranging all long-lived subjects the after effects must 

 have full room to develop. Too often what may be 

 termed future or prospective effects are not held in suffi- 

 cient account. Sometimes in order to satisfy the owner's 

 impatience for immediate effects landscape men, against 

 their better judgment, plant too closely. Perhaps there 

 would not be so much harm in this were thinning-out 

 done at the proper time, but unfortunately this thinning 

 is deferred until it is too late to prevent the harm being 

 done. Were such matters seen to when reqiiired this 

 might be obviated and quick-growing, short-lived sub- 

 jects would not then be allowed to injure plants of a 

 more permanent description, nor would good plants be 

 allowed to destroy the beauty of each other by having 

 to struggle amongst themselves for life. The duration 

 of plants, to whatever class they happen to belong, holds 

 an imjx'rtant place in our arrangements, for i)lants of the 

 longest endurance are invariably the most worthy of the 

 highest rank in our esteem. 



is^ot only during time measured 1)_\- years do we jiass 

 from one beautiful effect to another, but each succeeding 

 month throughout the whole course of every year should 

 have some special feature of beauty connected with it. 



Some people are able to always live under conditions 

 of more or less perjietual Summer ; they may have a resi- 

 dence at Palm I'.each. and another in Maine, with ])er- 

 haps one in lietween these places, but they cannot, how- 

 ever, be said to have a home in its real sense and they 

 kncAV little or nothing of the continuously Ixautiful 

 landscape effects which it is possible to create at one siX)t. 

 With the majority the home landscape is always present 

 and it .should always be attractive. If it is not so, and 

 if at any season there is lack of something interesting it 

 shows lack of forethought in its planning and develo])- 

 ment. As John Burroughs said: "'ibe l!ook of Nature 

 is always open Winter and Summer, and it is always 

 within reach and the pri::! legible to tho.se with eyes to 

 read it." 



We have emphasized the necessity for having the 

 house harmonize with the country, and the more pro- 

 nounced the discord between the house and its surround- 

 ings the less artistic will be the home. Naturalness is 

 also always lost to a greater or lesser degree by drives 

 and walks. These must be looked upon as necessary evils, 

 and our object should be to minimize as much as possible 

 their effect by reducing their area, and by constructing 

 them of such material as will render the inevitable dis- 

 cord as little pronounced as possible. 



Naturally the distance of the residence from the pul.ilic 

 highway and the extent of the ornamental surroundings, 

 aft'ect the length and number of the walks and drives. 

 Sometimes the contour of the grounds enables the main 

 entrance drive to run more or less below the natural 

 grade. \\ hen this is so it is advantageous, inasmuch as 

 the drive is to that extent invisible excepting when one is 

 actually upon it. It is of considerable importance that a 

 drive, which practically amounts to a lifeless line of 

 gravel, should not intersect the grounds in front of the 

 house, as it Ihen becomes a disagreeable object, and it 

 should not interfere witli the general artisticness of the 

 landscape plan. 



As a good aproach doe.- more than anything else to 

 create a favorable first impression, the entrance, which is 

 the first point seen, should be in accordance with the style 

 and size of tl-.e place, and it should be so adequately dealt 

 with as to not only prejudice one in favor of it, but it 

 should also be so arranged as to give a fair index of 

 the general character of what may be expected of the 

 grounds themselves. If the entrance is recessed from the 

 street, the area of such recess must depend somewhat 

 upon the size of the place and the distance to be traversed 

 before the residence is reached. Obviously it would be 

 nut of harmony to have a very impcfsing entrance, deeply 

 recessed, in coiuiection with a small place with the house 

 only a hundred or so feet from it. 



The amount of, if ah}', architectural work in the form 

 of brick, stone, or iron, connected with the entrance 

 depends entirely upon the conditions. When gates are 

 considered necessary, obviously they nuist have some kind 

 of pillars to support them, hut when such are not required 

 and the entrance is in purely natural surroundings, the 

 less of architectural eff'ects the better. 



.Again alluding to the above mentioned point that an 

 (.ntrance should be some index to the character of the 

 interior, it is very important to avoid violating what may 

 he termed a fundamental principle of good taste, by anv 

 undue ostcntatiousncss in its treatment, especially if this 

 is combined with a pica\une treatment of the grounds in- 

 side. Cases of this kind become on a par with the 

 biblical whitcd se[)ulchcr, or as one writer ])uts it, like 

 the elaborate, gaudy entrance to a ten cent show. 



Whatever the subsequent direction taken by it, it is 

 invariably best for the first portion of the drive to be at a 

 right angle to the public highway, although it may some- 

 times happen tliat some niodificalinn of this rule may be 

 advisable. 



.\s a (lri\c is for the purpose of reaching the house it 

 should proceed there as directly as possible, at the same 

 time graceful curves may be introduced when such are 

 l)crmitted by the conditions. Its course and direction will 

 be chielly modified by the contours of the ground and it 

 should avoid passing through deep depressions or over 

 liigh clevaiions. In principle, no curve in a drive or walk 

 should \)v permitted unless there is an obvious reason for 

 it, and meaningless snake-like turning and twisting are in 

 worst possible taste. .Ml curves should be gentle, and 

 liiey should onl\ be used to avoid something. \\'hen a 



(Coiil'niucd I'll l^a!;c 55) 



