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 



