THE GARDEN 237 



In the formal design the different areas in the garden, the different Formal and 

 flower beds, walks, and so on, will have definite and recognizable 

 formal outlines. We shall use definitely clipped and edged sod, at 

 least, and perhaps stone or brick edgings, in order that these forms on 

 which the essence of the design depends shall be, as they must be, rec- 

 ognizable and definite. The objects which are most important in the 

 garden, to which the interest is led by the other features in the design, 

 must almost necessarily be more definite still, more obviously man- 

 made, still further wrought out in their forms. (See Plate 29.) And 

 we are likely to choose for these positions architectural or sculptural 

 objects, because it would be very rare indeed that so loose-textured a 

 thing as a tree or an evergreen shrub, even a clipped tree or shrub, 

 would be important enough, formal enough, to dominate the rest of 

 the design. 



In so-called informal design we have a less possibility of use of ar- 

 chitectural and sculptural objects. Naturally, we cannot arrange many 

 formal objects in the same informal design : their definiteness, if they 

 were formally related, would make the design formal ; if they were in- 

 formally related, it would make the design confused. Our informal 

 designs, therefore, will be, with some exceptions, made of informal 

 material, such as trees, shrubs, and flowering plants. We are still 

 obliged to get unity, as we have said, in repetition, sequence, and 

 balance, but we have intentionally put aside the possibility of getting 

 that repetition, or sequence, or balance in an obvious and symmetrical 

 way. It will be something more occult, something less easy to do, and 

 less easy to perceive, and as the organization of the design is less striking, 

 our attention will at first fall the more on the objects themselves which 

 make up the design ; the beauty of the individual plants will, at least 

 at first glance, tell for more as the beauty of arrangement of the area 

 made up of plants is less obvious. 



The choice of the main mode of organization of his garden, whether Ways ofGiv- 



it is to be formal or informal, will usually be made plain to the designer a . ty*** 



..,, i r 1 i i Distmctweness 



by the general organization of the whole property of which the garden 



forms only a part, and by the topography and the size and shape 



p. 268, which is in a sense a translation into informality of the formal garden of Draw- 

 ing XXX. 



