The True Beauty of~the Garden 



the purpose shall in itself create that atmosphere of 

 beauty that " swims on the light of forms." 



There are also some people who seem to think that 

 to leave things as they are is to leave them natural, 

 and even carry this idea to the length of allowing 

 weeds to grow in paths, encouraging an air of general 

 neglect throughout the garden. To leave things as they 

 are in the woods and fields, on the hills, and by the 

 riversides, may be to leave them natural, and seeing 

 that Nature makes a perpetual effort to attain the 

 beautiful, such neglect there may be justifiable. In the 

 small garden it is merely absurd. The garden is an 

 artificial creation for a specific purpose. It is the 

 room of the house that is out of doors. As man's 

 handiwork it should bear the indelible stamp of man's 

 art and craft. ' If a man can build can take such 

 advantage of Nature that all her powers serve him 

 this is still the legitimate domain of beauty." 



But because the garden to be beautiful must be the 

 deliberate outcome of studied design it must not end 

 with design, nor must it depend on it alone for its 

 attractions. The outcome of effort, it must appear to 

 be as effortless as may be. No one in visiting a gar- 

 den for the first time should be conscious that the 

 design is good, but merely that it is a good garden. 

 The garden does not exist for its design, but because 

 of, sometimes in spite of, it. The garden is a place 

 wherein to paint those pictures we love with the forms 

 and colours that Nature provides, and these are living, 

 growing things that must be allowed to live and grow 

 freely and happily if they are to fulfil their objects. 

 They are the true beauty of the garden, the design 



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