1 8 THE BOOK OF GARDEN DESIGN 



realised in the majority of cases ! Dull, gloomy ever- 

 greens are used almost exclusively in the orthodox small 

 garden, and never a thought is given to the host of fine 

 deciduous trees, many of which are supremely lovely. 

 The nurseryman has learnt by experience the few stereo- 

 typed evergreens which are most in demand, and he 

 stocks these, and these only, so that the casual purchaser 

 is led to believe that the list of trees and shrubs suitable 

 for English gardens is very limited. For screening off 

 unsightly corners evergreens are of the highest value, 

 but on the margins of lawns, and for lending interest to 

 mixed plantations, the designer would do well to intro- 

 duce the flowering shrubs, of which a list is given later 

 in the book. 



Anything approaching eccentricity is to be avoided in 

 the designing of gardens, as is also any scheme which 

 partakes of the nature of a sham. We all know with 

 what eagerness the Bank-holiday crowd approaches 

 counterfeit ruins, trees which squirt water from their 

 branches, or figures of men and animals cut out of 

 living box and yew, but such follies are beneath the 

 consideration of the true garden lover. After all, the 

 pleasure grounds are primarily intended for the owner 

 and his family, and nothing becomes more stupid and 

 pointless on closer acquaintance than these inane pranks, 

 of which there are hundreds of examples throughout 

 the country. For the same reason, the making of sur- 

 prises, as the sudden revealing of unsuspected features 

 in the garden scene must always be considered as 

 evidences of debased taste, the prostituting of a beautiful 

 art, for the sake of securing a momentary exclamation of 

 astonishment on the part of an ignorant visitor. A cer- 

 tain amount of mystery is sometimes justifiable, and 

 there should always be afforded ample inducement for 

 closer inspection of Nature's beauties, but when it is 

 evident that the designer's sole idea in creating a certain 



