IN FLORIDA 55 



do well here. It may be constructed either in shade or sunshine. 



Sundials are neat ornaments and are more or less useful. They 

 must, of course, be set where the sun will fall on them all day 

 but they should never be put out in the middle of a lawn. A 

 spot along a path with trees or shrubs to the north and open 

 space in other directions is good. 



Statuary should never be introduced into small grounds, in 

 fact it would be better to leave it out of the ordinary garden 

 altogether. The most of the statuary that we see in grounds is 

 entirely lacking in artistic qualities or is even hideous. As a 

 general thing it is most appropriate in formal gardens and it 

 ought to be placed near dwellings or in the most artificial part 

 of the grounds. The same thing may be said about fountains, 

 for the most part. They are highly artificial and generally do 

 not look well in any natural scheme of landscape gardening. I 

 cannot understand the motive which leads so many designers of 

 fountains to construct figures of animals and humans who throw 

 water from their mouths. One sees such things everywhere in 

 this country and in Europe, and they seem to me to be in the 

 worst of taste. Fountains are all right in formal gardens where 

 they harmonize well with the regular designs and architectural 

 surroundings. 



Rustic seats are an attractive feature in a natural garden if 

 properly built and placed. They should be set in rather secluded 

 places; if convenient, in shaded nooks where a side path leads 

 to them. It should be remembered that they are built for 

 comfort, to lounge and rest or read in, therefore the seat itself 

 should be made low; it should tip back somewhat, and the back 

 should have a good slope. It is well to keep the rocking chair 

 idea in mind when one of these is being constructed. 



Bridges should only be built where they are really needed, never 

 for mere ornament, and this remark may well be applied to all 

 kinds of structures used in making an ornamental garden. A 

 bridge is allowable where it is necessary to cross a body of water 

 and it should be, in a natural garden, of some simple and quiet 

 design. In Florida, owing to the warm climate and abundant 

 rainfall, wood is a poor material to use in rustic work, as it 

 ordinarily decays rapidly. In the southeast part of the state 



