NOTES ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS 



There is evident, instead, all through these districts of England a very 

 frank and sincere respect for nature a respect, no doubt, which she 

 demands in a rather robustious and uncompromising fashion and to 

 it is due in large measure the peculiar charm of much of the garden- 

 making which in this part of the world appeals so strongly to students 

 of the art. The cleverness of the designer in using what he finds on 

 the spot where he has to work, and in handling it judiciously without 

 destroying its character or diminishing its interest is at least as 

 commendable as the capacity of the man who can turn a plain field 

 into a place of beauty by building up upon it something that is 

 entirely of his inventing. It is never difficult for the tactless person 

 to vulgarise even the most alluring piece of wild nature if he has not 

 the taste to see what will come appropriately into certain given 

 surroundings, but it takes an artist to deal with something that is 

 already beautiful and to add to it further beauties of his own devising 

 and it is only the great artist who can realise what subtle touches 

 are required to perfect a picture which has been drawn exquisitely 

 by a master hand. But of these northern gardens a proportion that 

 is, perhaps, surprisingly large does show that this high quality of 

 artistic appreciation has not been lacking and that the right degree 

 both of taste and power has been applied to the solution of the 

 problems which have been presented in rather alarming complexity. 

 That they have been solved is the best possible proof of the care with 

 which the designers of gardens have studied the principles of their 

 art and of the admirable spirit in which they have carried on its 

 practice. 



A. L. BALDRY 



xxxvii 



