THE PLANNING AND PLANTING 

 OF LITTLE GARDENS 



CHAPTER I 



INTRODUCTION SOME REMARKS ON THE 

 AIMS AND OBJECTS OF GARDEN DESIGN- 

 OBJECTS OF THE "LITTLE GARDEN PLAN- 

 NING COMPETITION" 



ascribe beauty to that which is simple ; which 

 has no superfluous parts ; which exactly answers its 

 end ; which stands related to all things ; which is the 

 mean of many extremes." So wrote Emerson, with 

 perhaps no dream of gardens in his philosophy. Never- 

 theless, in these words he gives expression to one of 

 the most important principles governing successful 

 garden design Simplicity. 



It might be argue3Trom this premise that the less 

 there is of design in a garden the more nearly it attains 

 the ideal. That is to say, that a rectangular plot of 

 ground with a house placed on it is satisfactory when 

 surrounded by the usual severe narrow borders and 

 gravel paths that conform exactly to the lines and 

 angles formed by the fences enclosing it. 



That this is what many people, notably suburban 



builders, really think is evidenced by the type of gar- 



den effort (or, rather, no effort) prevailing throughout 



the length and breadth of the land. And are they 



B 



