LANDSCAPE GARDENING 



LANDSCAPE GARDENING 1811 



Ix'autiful park, a real picture, we might rail it, for a 

 sleeping-place, it seems strange to put into this picture 

 obelisk after obeUsk, stone posts and slabs of all shapes 

 and sizes, and stone tombs within whose walls their 

 owners hope to have their tlea<l bodies preserved for- 

 ever. The history of sepulture shows the futility of 

 trying to preserve one's body or one's name with the 

 help of stone. A man can hand his name down to ])os- 

 terity only by his own work, and even if his bo<ly should 

 be iireserved as long as wore those uf the ancient 

 Egyptians, it might finally be used oidy for fuel. These 

 facts should be recognized in the modern cemetery. 

 The ground should assist in changing the body back 

 into inorganic forms or to receive the ashes, if the 

 quicker process of cremation is adopted. The sce- 

 nery should solace those that are bereft. 



It is re])ugnant to our best feelings to use the same 

 land over and over again, as is done in many cities in 

 Eurojie and, to some extent, in the United States. A 

 cemetery is frequently spoken of as the last resting- 

 place, ami it serves mankind best when it is so in fact, 

 since in that case, after it has served its purpose of 

 purification, it becomes a park, a breathing-i)lace for 

 the people of the city, whose growth is likely to crowd 

 the vicinity with houses. The memory of past genera^ 

 tions will certainly be sweeter if it is ;issociated with 

 trees than if it is connected with tombs, catacombs 

 and pyramids. The problem presented to cemetery 

 associations is, therefore, how to secure the most 

 pleasing combinations of growing plants, including 

 trees, shrubs, flowers and grass; the most satisfactory 

 views; the most harmonious and restful park, for the 

 cemetery is really a memorial park. 



Those seeking infonnation on this subject will find 

 it in the reports and histories of the various cemeteries 

 and in encyclopedias. The development of the landscape 

 idea in connection with cemeteries is given in some of 

 the reports of those institutions, that of Spring Grove, 

 for the year 1869 being especially valuable. The 

 reports of the Association of American Suiierintendents 

 contain many papers of interest. The volumes of the 

 "Modern Cemetery," afterward the "Park and Ceme- 

 tery," the leading periodical devoted to the interests of 

 burial-places, contain articles relating to all phases of 

 the subject. .\11 books relating in any way to landscape 

 gardening are of value in cemetery work, since they 

 treat of all its natural features. q q Simonds. 



Horticultural phases of civic art. 



It is the plan of this work to discuss horticultural 

 phases of landscape gardening without entering upon 

 questions of design. It must be said, however, that 

 problems of structural design and orderly arrangement 

 are much more fundamental and important to all 

 phases of civic art than the mere ornamental horticul- 

 tural treatment. This statement having been distinctly 

 understood, we may proceed to discuss the horticul- 

 tural phases of this subject which are indeed extensive 

 and important. 



Civic art may be somewhat accurately defined as 

 the conserv-ation, improveifient, and utilization of 

 public property. With negligible exceptions, civic 

 improvement deals exclusively with public property or 

 with i>roperty owned by quasi-public corporations; or, 

 at farthest, with private property administered in the 

 public interest. 



The f(jrms of public property in most common use 

 are roads, town commons, parks, "squares," play- 

 grounds, school grounds, church grounds, cemeteries, 

 railroad station groimds, historic and scenic reserva- 

 tions, and forest reser\'ations. Some horticultural 

 treatment is requisite for the develoimient of practi- 

 cally every one of these; several tyjjcs of public proj)- 

 erty. This means chiefly the use of trees, shrubs and 

 grass. 



Streets. 



In all except the crowded business streets in mercan- 

 tile and manufacturing sections of cities, street trees 

 are considered desirable. Indeed some of the finest and 

 most important business streets in the world are beau- 

 tifully parked with trees and shrubbery; e. g., Unter 

 den Linden, Berlin; and the Ringstrasse, Vienna. 



The usual method of treatment is to plant a double 

 row of trees, one on either side of the street, carefully 

 alined with the street and regularly spaced. These 

 trees in any certain section should be all of one species 

 and of one age. As a rule the.se trees wUl be placed 

 between the curbing and the sidewalk, though other 

 an'angements are made in special cases. Wide boule- 

 vards and pretentious residence streets are sometimes 

 planted with four rows of trees. In this case it is gen- 

 erally desirable for all of the trees to be of the same 

 kind and age, though good effects are occasionally 

 produced by having the two intermediate rows of an 

 entirely different and contrasting species. Occasionally 

 a narrow parking in the middle of a wide street may 

 be planted with a single row of contrasting ornamental 

 trees such as palms, magnolias, hawthorns or apples. 



In many narrow streets it is desirable to plant a 

 single row of trees which would usually be of some small- 

 growing and very hardy species such as horse-chestnut 

 or ailanthus. This single row should be placed just 

 inside the gutter line on the north side of streets running 

 east and west and on the east side of streets running 

 north and south. (For species of trees suited to differ- 

 ent sections, see Waugh's "Rural Improvement.") 



In addition to trees, most streets need a strip of 

 grass. Indeed the trees will not thrive unless there is 

 some open planting strip where the soil is exposed, and 

 this planting strip should practically always be kept 

 in grass. These grass spaces should be of regular pat- 

 terns — that is, they should not be cut to pieces by inter- 

 secting paths and roads — they should be evenly graded 

 and should be kept well cut and trimmed. 



In streets or boulevards where elaborate parkings are 

 maintained, the horticultural embellishments may 

 reach to almost any extent. A common treatment in 

 continental Europe, but one hardly known in America, 

 is the use of festoons of ampelopsis or clematis. In 

 America, street parkings are commonly made up of 

 shrubbery masses, sometimes interspersed with groups 

 of hardy herbaceous material or even with cannas and 

 other hothouse plants. The present custom is to 

 arrange these parkings with marked informality. It 

 may fairly be suggested that the character of street 

 development would make a more formal treatment 

 more effective. 



Such shrubbery parkings shoidtl be confined to the 

 most hardy and resistant sjjecies, such as spireas, bar- 

 berries, the best viburnums, privets, and the like. 



It hardly needs to be remarked that such parkings 

 are expensive. They should not be undertaken except 

 in circumstances where liberal treatment can be given. 

 The initial cost of development, for parking alone, 

 should run from .$5,000 to $10,000 a mile; and the 

 average annual uj)-keep from $2,000 to $3,000 a mile. 



Country roads. 



Tree-plantings along countrj' roads are quite as 

 desirable as along city streets, although the problem 

 here is decidedly different. Some species of trees, 

 p.articularly large-growing conifers, can be used on 

 country roads which are not available for city planting. 

 Some objection has been made at times to tree-planting 

 for country roads on the ground that it prevents the 

 road-bcfl from drying out, especially in springtime. 

 This objection is somewhat captious and is not gen- 

 erally accepted. While it would seem undesirable to 

 have all country roads everywhere i)lantcd with trees, 

 it may safely be said that permanent plantings should 

 be much more extensive than they now are. 



