GARDEN DESIGN AND RECENT WRITINGS UPON IT. 17 



is a straight line. If anyone for any reason persists in the attempt the 

 result is ugliness, and, in the case of drives, danger. Ages before 

 Brown was born the roads of England often followed beautiful lines, 

 and it would be just as true to attribute to " Brownites " the invention 

 of the forms of trees, hills, or clouds themselves as to say that they 

 invented the waved line for path or drive. The statement is of a piece 

 with the other, that the natural and picturesque view of garden design 

 and planting is the mischievous invention of certain men, and not the 

 outcome of the most precious of all gifts, of Nature herself, and of the 

 actual facts of tree and landscape beauty. All who have seen the 

 pictures by the roadsides of many parts of Britain and the paths over 

 the hills, and, still more so, those who have to form roads or walks in 

 diversified country, will best know how absurd such statements are. 



The very statement that there is but one way of making a 



garden is its own refutation ; as with this formula before us what 



becomes of the wondrous variety of the earth and 



Variety the true ^^^ forms, and of the advantages and needs of 



source of beauty change that soil, site, climate, air, and view give 



in gardens. us — plains, river valleys, old beach levels, moun- 



tains and gentle hills, chalk downs and rich loamy 

 fields, forest and open country? 



What is the use of Essex going into Dorset merely to see the 

 same thing done in the home-landscape or the garden ? But if Essex 

 were to study his own ground and do the best he could from his own 

 knowledge of the spot, his neighbour might be glad to see his garden. 

 We have too much of the stereotyped style already ; in nine cases out 

 of ten we can tell beforehand what we are going to see in a country 

 place in the way of conventional garden design and planting ; and 

 clearly that is not art in any right sense of the word and never 

 can be. 



As we go about our country the most depressing sign for all 

 garden lovers (and this often in districts of great natural beauty) is 

 the stereotyped gardens, probably made by the " young man in the 

 office " from a book of plans. There is a harmful belief in the virtue 

 of paper plans which is misleading and only suits the wants of 

 professionalism in its worst form, and prevents the study of the 

 ground itself, which is the only right way to get the best result. 



Some of the new writers have no heart for the many beautiful 

 things in the shape of trees and shrubs which we have known during 

 the past generation or two. 



A very few varieties of English trees are sufficient for all purposes, and we have 

 yew for hedges, fine turf for a carpet, and quite enough flowers of briHiant hue 

 that have always had a place in our gardens without importing curiosities from 

 abroad. 



