12 The Landscape Gardening Book 



carried out upon it ; therefore the line of least resistance takes 

 us to the informal, rambling, quaint, and unexpected upon 

 such a site. 



On the other hand, an even, smooth slope seems to demand 

 the classic treatment; but the house in this case must conform 

 to classic standards as well, else the place is in danger of becoming 

 a ludicrous anomaly. This does not necessarily mean a dwell- 

 ing patterned after an Italian palace, however. The simple old 

 white houses of New England are classics quite as truly as any 

 Grecian temple — and in the midst of their prim, old, box-bor- 

 dered little gardens, they present far saner and safer models for 

 us generally, than those which many are too prone to follow. 



Where the environment of a place is that of the usual suburb, 

 and the house is not distinctly unusual, some adherence to 

 formal lines is better than utter disregard of them. Formal 

 lines afford a transition from the work of Nature to the work of 

 man which harmonizes the two; and they may be restricted to 

 the most limited area without loss to the design. Attempts at 

 broad, sweeping lines in the planning of a typical suburban 

 place are a great mistake, under any but exceptional circum- 

 stances. 



Park-like effects require acres where the suburban plot meas- 

 ures square yards. Efforts to secure such effects within such 

 limits only result in making a place seem smaller than it actually 

 is. Boundaries and corners may be somewhat thickly and 

 irregularly planted, but along the approaches to the house 

 regularity should rule, whether it be a turf edge, a row of flower- 

 ing shrubs, or a border of perennials. 



Not many places, perhaps, have the features that have been 

 here dwelt upon — features that are commonly held to be distinct 

 disadvantages, and which sometimes lead to the rejection of land 



