THE USE OF GARDENS 



methods to be seen only in the completeness of its results has a 

 power to convince which is denied to the obvious mannerism of 

 the lover of display ; it leaves something to the imagination and it 

 pleases by its reticence the men of well-cultivated perceptions. 

 The garden, in fact, whether it is elaborate or simple, must reflect 

 in all the details of its design the largeness and dignity of nature. 

 It must have beauty of proportion, and there must be an abso- 

 lutely correct relation between its different parts. If it is over- 

 crowded with trivial things it will seem cramped and confined 

 no matter how large it may actually be in area, and in effect it 

 will be restless and incoherent. If its proportions are rightly 

 adjusted it will not be wanting in an air of spaciousness whether 

 the ground it covers be large or small, and it will have the qualities 

 which give distinction to the finer kinds of decoration. But this 

 perfection ot proportion is not to be attained without thorough 

 study of the way in which both the principles and the subtleties 

 of design can be applied to garden-making ; success is not to be 

 expected from haphazard methods or from the use of formal con- 

 ventions, it will come only when it has been led up to carefully 

 and sincerely by the exercise of a discreet judgment in all stages 

 of the work that has been undertaken. 



So it is evident that the ideal garden, which fulfils completely its 

 purpose as a resting place where the senses are gratified and the 

 eye is pleased, is within the reach of men of all ranks. No one is 

 too high or too low to possess that measure of taste by which 

 perfect achievement is made possible, and a discreet judgment is 

 not a characteristic of any particular class. Naturally, there are 

 certain technicalities in garden designing which have to be mastered 

 before even the best qualified worker can hope to arrive at the full 

 expression of his ideas, but these technicalities are by no means 

 abstruse and present no difficulties which cannot be overcome by 

 the use of common-sense. They certainly offer no insurmountable 

 barrier to the average man who has the energy and the intelligence 

 necessary for the development of a logical design a little practical 

 experience will soon teach him what he ought to know and will 

 save him from falling into any serious mistakes. 

 Yet, it must be admitted that the errors of some of the most active 

 of the older garden designers have been many and grievous. These 

 errors, however, have come rather from a lack of artistic judgment 

 than from deficiency in what may be called horticultural know- 

 ledge. Men who were skilled enough as gardeners, who knew 

 what to plant and where it should be planted, have attempted on 

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