2658 



PLANTING 



PLANTING 



destroying the arrangement. Open areas should not 

 be considered as waste space. 



A landscape design may be either formal or natural. 

 The character of the planting of formal gardens and 

 terraces and the embellishment of buildings by plant- 

 ing should be in harmony with the type of architec- 

 ture and with the nature 

 of the site of the garden 

 and its relation to the 

 house. In the design of 

 a natural landscape, the 

 three general classes of 

 planting material 

 woods, shrubbery, and 

 lawns or meadow s 

 should intermingle to a 

 certain extent, and yet 

 be so arranged as to pre- 

 sent in general an open 

 central feature of lawn 

 or meadow, with the 

 masses of foliage sur- 

 rounding. This provides 

 unity, and the broad 

 masses of light and shade 

 produce a pleasing com- 

 position. 



The outlines of the 

 lawn or meadow should 

 be irregular, and their 

 limits somewhat ob- 

 scured. Now and then 

 trees or groups should 

 be introduced, especially 



2993. Planting plan for a busi- n , ear , the ^underies f 

 ness street in town. the lawn > to add diver- 



sity and interest; the 

 shadows will relieve the monotonous expanse of light. 



To design effective plantations, a knowledge of 

 planting material, a conception of composition, and 

 imagination and taste are requisite. 



In planting, the landscape architect is more concerned 

 with the color, texture, form, and size of flowers and 

 foliage than with botanical families or with cultural 

 requirements of plants; still, in order to design places 

 and parks that will be in harmony with the general sur- 

 roundings and to use material that will thrive, he must 

 be familiar with the indigenous plant material, and 

 know what soil conditions and locations are suitable for 

 their peculiar needs. However, it must not be assumed 

 that only those trees, shrubs, and plants that grow in the 

 immediate vicinity may be used; but, in the creation of 

 the natural landscape, the native plants and trees 

 should predominate. 



The most important planting material used by the 

 landscape architect is "grass seed." Ordinarily grass is 

 not considered in the general conception of planting, but 

 most landscape architects and many laymen realize that 

 grass in the form of lawns and meadows is the most 

 significant feature of our naturalistic landscapes. Its 

 value when used within formal lines, the tapis vert and 

 terrace, are generally recognized. It is not far-fetched 

 to say that grass is the most important planting material 

 used in the creation of landscape in this climate. 



Lawns and meadows provide color, texture, motion of 

 the waving meadows, the play of light and the shadows 

 of clouds and trees. The covering of grass over earth 

 enhances the beauty of the contours and the modeling 

 of the earth's surfaces knolls, valleys, glades, and 

 plains. The effects of space, breadth, dignity, and dis- 

 tant views are dependent upon the proper framing of 

 open spaces with foliage. Indeed, open spaces, whether 

 in the form of sea, lakes, or streams, lawns or meadows, 

 sand-dunes or even paved spaces, are one of the most 

 important elements in landscape design. 



C. F. PILAT. 



Village improvement in relation to planting. 



Village improvement is a branch of civic art. Civic 

 art in turn may be defined as the conservation, im- 

 provement, and utilization of public property. Vil- 

 lage improvement thus takes its place alongside of 

 town-planning, country-planning, the development 

 of garden cities, and other work of a similar nature. 

 The public-property test may be rather strictly 

 applied to all branches of civic improvement, includ- 

 ing village improvement, for while village improve- 

 ment does in fact undertake extensive work upon 

 private grounds, this is undertaken solely in the public 

 interest. 



In village improvement it is rather important to fix 

 attention upon the village or small town as a permanent 

 unit. For the most part, the small towns of America 

 have had notable ambitions for growth. Each one has 

 intended to grow up into a state capital or a large manu- 

 facturing center. On this account it has been impracti- 

 cable to make intelligent plans for the actual circum- 

 stances, that is for an indefinite period of existence 

 without further expansion. The growth problem, while 

 it is largely a psychological factor, is a very important 

 one in connection with village life and development. It 

 is a problem which should be seriously faced. Each 

 community should understand its actual circumstances 

 and its ambitions, if it is to make any real improvement 

 in its condition. 



Inasmuch as civic improvement is based upon public 

 property, the scope of its work may be outlined rather 

 strictly by the extent and character of property owned 

 in any community. The more important types of 

 public property, with some discussion of the problems 

 attached to their improvement, are taken up herewith. 

 The illustrations and plans (Figs. 2991-2996) suggest 

 some of the important phases, particularly as related 

 to planting. 



Streets. Streets and public roads constitute perhaps 

 the most important mass of public property in each com- 

 munity. They are ab- 

 solutely indispensable 

 and have a very high 

 monetary value judged 

 by any scale whatever. 

 Road and street im- 

 provement is always 

 looked upon as a practi- 

 cal benefit to the com- 

 munity and may, there- 

 fore, naturally and 

 properly become the 

 starting-point of general 

 village improvement . 

 Street improvement 

 should be studied with 

 reference to (a) location, 

 (6) design, (c) construc- 

 tion, (d) furnishings, (e) 

 maintenance, (a) The 

 location of streets and 

 roads is generally looked 

 upon as an inviolable ac- 

 complishment, yet many 

 roads and streets can be, 

 and should be relocated, 

 or altogether abandoned. 

 In other places new 

 streets should be pro- 

 vided. (6) Some streets ought to be straight, some 

 ought to be curved, some ought to be wide, some 

 should be narrow. Some should be provided with wide 

 grass verges, with rows of trees and with parkings. 

 In other parts of the village, streets should have no 

 such furnishings. In fact, each street should be made 

 a study by itself, and should be properly designed 



2994. Plan for main residential 

 village street. 



