6 THE GARDEN 



And lastly, do not forget the underlying principle of every successful 

 garden, that is the principle of true proportion, without which every form 

 of garden decoration, whether it be a simple arch or a stately pergola, a 

 summer-house of quaint design or trellis covered with trailing vines; 

 whether it be a water garden, a rockery, or a simple group of shrubs to fill 

 an uninteresting corner, is lacking in perfect charm. 



Give due regard, then, to proportion. Do not plant a tall and stately 

 yucca on the uppermost reaches of your rockery; nor yet leave an iris 

 clump alone at the foot of a formal rockery. Do not dwarf your small ten- 

 by-twelve back lawn, by a large round flower bed, nor yet have a clump 

 of peonies in a narrow three-foot border. 



SOME GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING A 



GARDEN 



But when we speak of gardens all so glibly we do not necessarily mean 

 those pleasure grounds of the rich, with their row on row of beautifully- 

 ordered beds; their rose gardens and their pergolas; their rock gardens, 

 and their lily pools; their summer-houses wreathed in smiling vines, and 

 their arches gayly wound with flaunting roses; their shrubberies and their 

 trim hedges; their flaming beds of blazing perennials, where the stately 

 digitalis looks down in haughty scorn upon the saucy upturned faces of- the 

 fragrant pinks, perky amidst a forest of gray-green mist; and the proud 

 larkspur with its waving spears of amazing blue (what monarch was ever 

 so royal) strives to reach those heights unknown to all save the peerless 

 hollyhock. 



No. Every man may have his garden, though it be but a small back- 

 yard, gay with golden coreopsis and purple pansy; a tiny spot of marigolds 

 and sweet alyssum; or a dainty border bravely supporting the creepy, 

 crawly portulacca and the incomparable myosotis. 



Here in the small spot the simple possessor may reap far more happi- 

 ness from his carefully-tended plants than is obtained by the wealthy man, 

 who leaves all the work, and, therefore, all the true joy, to his paid gar- 

 dener. 



Do not forget that man measures happiness by what he himself experi- 

 ences, and not by what someone else experiences. And so it is quite possible 

 for him who possesses but a tiny pot, but who knows every tiny bud and 

 branch and leaf of them, to reap even more true joy than the man who, 

 possessing lordly acres, knows not one of all his rare possessions. 



ASKING QUESTIONS 



Nothing is more disappointing to a gardener than to find that a newly- 

 tried plant is not up to his expectations. 



There may be one or two reasons tor this failure. Either the gardener 

 himself has not given the proper amount of care in the cultivation of this 

 new plant, either as regards soil, situation, exposure or attention, or he 

 has expected too much from his new plant. 



In the middle of the summer is a good time to look around at the 

 various beds and borders of neighbors' gardens, or those larger and more 

 formal ones, situated in the public gardens of parks, squares, and any other 

 grounds that may be thrown open for the benefit of the public. One may 

 always get fresh ideas from these places. Or one may recognize some of 

 the very plants that are growing at home, and compare them with others. 

 One may see just how tidy certain borders and beds may be kept, with little 

 or no trouble, all depending upon the kind of border plant put in. 



In the large public gardens, where large staffs of men are kept for 

 attending the beds and lawns, one may often reap a very appreciable 

 amount of information by asking a question or two. Always ready to give 



