THE CHOICE OF A SITE AND ITS TREATMENT. 



Extent of 

 grounds and 

 proportion 

 of their 

 parts. 



The indi- 

 viduality of 

 the site to be 

 preserved. 



Of course the items will vary somewhat in different years, but the total can be 

 kept fairly constant by so laying out the grounds as to limit the amount of bedding out 

 or other features which entail a great deal of extra work. An incoherently planned 

 garden entails more work than one artistically designed. Broad level stretches of lawn, 

 with a few quaint box-edged flower-beds filled with old-fashioned perennials, require much 

 less expenditure of labour than undulating slopes of grass cut up by tortuous walks and 

 shrubberies laid out in exaggerated curves. 



Other practical matters influencing the ultimate design must be considered at this 

 point. The first is the scale and extent of the grounds and the relative proportion of 

 the various parts. With regard to their scale and extent, after the question of cost, 

 the size and importance of the mansion, together with the social status of the owner, 

 will be determining factors, while the size of his establishment will decide the extent of 

 the kitchen garden, orchards, laundry greens and other more utilitarian features ; and the 

 ages and interests of the members of his family and the amount of entertaining he 

 proposes to do will regulate the number of tennis or croquet lawns. 



These requirements, if altogether fulfilled, take second rank to the ideal desideratum 

 that the garden should be a proper setting to the house, in which capacity it serves the 

 double purpose of foreground to the landscape when viewed from the house, and at the 

 same time provides a base or setting for the house when viewed from a distance. The 

 garden is thus the link which connects house and landscape 



Unfortunately prospective builders usually approach the task of garden construction 

 with preconceived ideas as to what is desirable, and proceed to make the site conform to 

 their ideas, instead of moulding their design to fit the site, thus putting " the cart before 

 the horse." The bane of modern garden design, as of much contemporary art, is its 

 inappropriateness, objects which would grace certain surroundings being obtruded among 

 others totally unsuitable ; but the true artist always gets his inspiration from Nature, 

 in this case from the site. By all means have a general idea of your requirements 

 before commencement, but, when you come to the site, then begins the problem which 

 differs from all others, and is the delight of the true architect, who, grouping the 

 necessary features conveniently and compactly, at the same time adorns them with an 

 expressive shape and form which accord happily with the prevalent characteristics of 

 the site and local traditions, using the ready-to-hand local materials wherever possible. 



The late J. D. Sedding speaks very emphatically on this point. He says : " The 

 gardener's first duty in laying out the grounds is to study the site and not only that 

 part of it on which the house stands but the whole site, its aspect, character, soil, 

 contours, sectional lines, trees, etc. Common sense, economy, Nature and art alike 

 dictate this." 



' There is an individual character to every plot of land as to every human face, and 

 that man is unwise who, to suit preference for any given style of garden, or with a view 

 of copying a design from another place, will ignore the characteristics of the site at his 



disposal To leave a house exposed upon the landscape unscreened and unterraced 



is not to treat the site or house fairly." 



Another point we should bear in mind before setting to work to develop the site is 

 that a garden should impress the spectator as being a place for flowers rather than shrubs, 

 and should always have a cared-for appearance. The arrangement, also, should rather 

 suggest a series of outdoor apartments than a panorama which can be grasped in one 

 view. Art is well directed in arousing curiosity, " always inviting further exploration, 

 to be rewarded with new but never final discovery." A garden ought also to proclaim 

 itself as having been made for the accommodation and enjoyment of Nature's bountiful 

 supplies. 



The first features to receive the attention of the designer will be the entrance drive 



