I89I. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



125 



the old design, and all helpful in locating a 

 larger assortment of kinds and sizes of 

 growths. Assuming on our intelligent cor- 

 respondent's ability to readily arrange such 

 a garden with taste and discretion, depend- 

 ing largely on her present stock of plants, 

 we will not enter upon details in this part 

 of the work. It may be suggested, however, 

 that the plan of arranging the various 

 classes of growths in masses, each some- 

 what by themselves, should always be 

 looked upon as more satisfactory than any 

 other method. 

 In the hope that many other readers of this 



of town gardens in their relation to each 

 other, and to the public highways. It is to 

 the tasteful platting of a part of a suburban 

 village to which we invite attention, refer- 

 ing to the large accompanying design. 



This plan pertains to a tract embracing 44 

 acres of land, and lying within the corpora- 

 tive limits of a small village about 1.5 miles 

 from a large and growing city in New York 

 State. That the owners of the land should 

 have desired to lay it out handsomely, with 

 a view to attract city people to the country 

 for homes, seemed to us so commendable 

 that we were most happy in giving some 



Second, that the main drive in the part 

 towards the railroad stations is in the nature 

 of a 120 feet wide garden way. This hand- 

 some road will be occupied through the 

 center with several grass plats each 40 feet 

 wide by about 250 feet long, with some 

 circles about 60 feet across, all tastefully 

 embellished with shade trees, evergreens, 

 flowering shrubs and hardy plants, mainly 

 placed in irregular masses. On each side 

 of the two 28 feet drives, shade trees will be 

 irregularly arranged along the sidewalks, 

 and to some extent into the fronts of the 

 lots. In the third section this garden-way 



TASTEFUL PLATTING OF THE RESIDENCE PART OF A SUBURBAN VILLAGE. 



journal may adopt a similar plan in similar 

 places, we leave this subject by urging all 

 to consider the obvious advantages of the 

 more natural principle of arranging even 

 small gardens. A garden should be a most 

 delightful spot, entirely apart from the kinds 

 and character of its embellishments; it 

 should be a place were the mind, tired with 

 household or other occupations, will find 

 rest and refreshment. Can it for a moment 

 be doubted that the right-hand plan with 

 the large variety that is afforded in the form 

 of the borders, the interior beds, the bays 

 and recesses, the vineries and the ample 

 grass area, would afford these to a degree 

 impos.sible to the more artificial form? 

 Study the plan carefully as though on the 

 ground, proceeding from plant to plant, 

 from bed to bed, from part to part, and we 

 think all can at once conclude as to the 

 merits of the latter plan. 



From considering the improving of a town 

 garden of a subscriber, we proceed to touch 

 briefly upon the arrangement of a collection 



assistance on designing the present plan. 

 We likewise take pleasure in presenting 

 some of its merits to the consideration of 

 all who may be interested in improving 

 suburban districts ornamentally. Not only 

 would this journal be glad to hasten the day 

 when all land owners shall seek to lay out 

 and plant their possessions tastefully, but it 

 fully realizes that no more important step 

 in this direction can be taken than for home 

 owners in our villages and towns to jointly 

 engage in introducing iimprovements in the 

 form of pleasingj garden and tree-embel- 

 lished highways, squares, school grounds, 

 parks and burial places, all in accordance 

 with correct landscape principles. 



What it is desired here especially to note 

 in the design is: 



First, that the highways, instead of being 

 laid out after the usual plan (and here at 

 first contemplated) are made to embody 

 various gentle curves, and in most places 

 rounded comers for the several village 

 blocks of this portion of the village. 



j is varied to have but a single roadway, and 



I this .50 feet in width. 



Third. Of the other highways, all being 



I four rods in width, three are to have the 



' street trees arranged irregularly, and three 

 in regular lines as shown, there being in 

 some Instances well-developed trees now. 



Fourth. A feature peculiar to this locality 

 is the water frontage on the inlet, a 

 beautiful sheet of water about five rods wide; 

 the banks are clothed with trees and shrubs. 

 While the presence of the water alluded 

 to adds a picturesque charm to the vicinity, 

 yet were it lacking, the reasons for introduc- 

 ing the other garden featiu'es named would 

 be all the more potent. It is seldom the 

 case that in suburban districts to be thus or 

 otherwise improved, there are not some 

 natural features peculiar to the locality 

 which may be included in the general scope 

 of the plan. It might be in the nature of a 

 creek, river, lake, pond, rill, grove, hills or 

 mountains, but whatever the character, the 

 most should by all means be made of such. 



