10 LANDSCAPE GARDEN SERIES 



usually confined to a featured landscape development of limited areas 

 not practical for burial purposes. 



Although it is possible to achieve very successful imitations of 

 Nature's compositions, the most optimistic enthusiast over this type of 

 planting can hardly assert that the best efforts of men do not lack in 

 some degree the spontaneity of Nature. The best way to achieve a 

 perfect naturalistic planting composition is to seek it in Nature, and, 

 having found it, acquire the land on which it stands and build a house 

 of suitable style where the cherished picture is in full view. 



Wild planting. It seems inconsistent to include this style in this 

 classification and then to intimate that such a planting is impossible. 

 Nevertheless, it is true that when we consider literally the term "wild", 

 human agency is not to be thought of as capable of achieving such a 

 thing- We can imitate a "wild planting", but only Nature can be 

 credited with original creations. Close observation of examples in 

 Nature, and faithful reproduction of these examples, with studious 

 attention to detail are necessary to produce a truly wild effect, and 

 even then Nature and time must be relied upon for perfection. 



Wild planting is done for the most part on large country estates 

 and in parks. The usual reason for it is a desire to restore wild 

 growth that has been destroyed, or to add to what may already exist, 

 or rather to accelerate the ordinary progress of nature by artificial 

 means. 



Cardenesque planting, as defined for the purposes of this book, is 

 becoming largely obsolete, due to the change of "fashion" or taste in 

 landscape work. It is really a style in which interest is centered upon 

 individual specimens of abnormally developed habit, strongly colored 

 foliage, intensely brilliant flowers or other qualities that impress the 

 observer mainly because they are not familiar to him. Such plants 

 are selc'om in harmony with their environment, being either tender 

 exotics from a far distant climate or else unnatural appearing products 

 of horticultural ingenuity. 



As may be surmised from its name, this type of planting involves 

 the use of plants which are best adapted to gardens of formal design. 

 The character of these plants makes them unsuitable for informal or 

 naturalistic planting. 



Up to the latter part of tSe nineteenth century this style of planting 

 was much practised, being known also as "picturesque planting ' 

 Specimen plants or "pattern beds" of flowers were scattered over lawn 

 areas, which, according to present day ideas, would be left open and 

 free from planting. 



