132 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



May, 



THE COMPLETE GARDEN.* 



V. 



BY A WELL-KNOWN HORTICULTURIST 

 ON ARRANGING 6ABDKNS. 

 We have now beheld somewhat closely a four 

 acre garden that is remarkable no less for its 

 completeness, than tor its pleasing arrange- 

 ment throughout. From first to last in our 

 walk, feature after feature was met, each 

 possessing peculiar qualities of ornament or 

 use, and all contributing harmoniously to a 

 delightful whole. But it is one thing to visit 

 and become charmed by a single fair garden, 

 another for each person 

 who might desire to pos- 

 sess such a one to take the 

 best course for securing the 

 end. A leading difficulty 

 encountered is, that any 

 attempt to apply the plan 

 of some given garden, 

 however perfect in its 

 place, to another, must 

 almost invariably fail, be- 

 cause such important ex- 

 isting conditions as size, 

 shape, soil, location of 

 buildings, trees, etc., of 

 one place are rarely if 

 ever identical vrith those 

 of another. It is for this 

 same reason that the plans 

 found in works on garden- 

 ing are so rarely of avail, 

 beyond the one respect of 

 suggesting features that 

 might desirably be adopted. 

 These facts lead naturally 

 to the conclusion, that the 

 best plan for arranging 

 each garden is the one that 

 by intelligence and good 

 taste is made for it, and to acquire such a plan 

 is one of the most important matters connected 

 with the having of a garden capable of yield- 

 ing a high degree of satisfaction. 



How then shall a good plan be secured for 

 each one of tens of thousands of home gardens, 

 the owners of which desire to see them well 

 improved ? In those cases where the area is 

 large and the means to apply are ample, perhaps 

 no better coiu-se could be suggested than the 

 employment of a capable landscape gardener to 

 plan and direct the work. But such cases are 

 exceptional, hence, in addressing the American 

 people at large, I prefer to encourage the 

 average person to lay out his or her own gar- 

 den. Several other reasons why this is my 

 choice may be stated. For one, it is certain 

 that vastly more pleasure and satisfaction 

 comes from gardening when one designs his 

 own garden, provided it is well done, than 

 when an outsider is employed for this. Then 

 the study which the preparing of a good plan, 

 embracing many features and a large assort- 

 ment of useful and ornamental gi'owths natur- 

 ally calls forth, is equivalent to a schooling 

 that should fit the student for the better enjoy- 

 ing of all future gardening operations. There 

 is the gain in economy also through doing for 

 one's self what would otherwise be somewhat 

 costly in hiring a landscape gardener. 



The question of skill and intelligence con- 

 cerning what to do and what to leave undone 

 arises. In answer let me say that I am well 

 satisfied that the various principles and rules 

 which should govern all good work in this line 

 can be so imparted in writing and by illustra- 

 tions that any fairly studious person may 

 master and apply them in a way both to avert 

 serious blunders and on the other band to lead 

 to gratifying results. It is within the province 

 of the present writing to in brief advance some 

 of these, such as have by wide application 

 proven themselves to be fundamentally sound 

 and not very difficult of adoption. 



In entering upon the principles and prac- 

 tices of designing garden improvements, 

 * Copyright, m7, by Popular Qardeniag Publishing Co. 



let US at the beginning notice that in all cases 

 of this kind certain primal elements are inher- 

 ent. These may be summed up as follows: 

 First, there is the area of land to be improved; 

 second, there is the world's contribution of 

 organic growth in the line of trees, shrubs and 

 plants for furnishing the land; third, there are 

 inorganic materials needful for making walks, 

 fences and other structures, also water, rocks, 

 etc., that may, in their natural form enter as 

 features into fine gai'dens ; fourth, as found in 

 the ma.i'ority of places, some buildings, trees, 

 fences, and other objects possessing permanency 



X O, etc. refer approximately to the main vari- 

 ations of the surface and are useful in all similar 

 map making and planning. As employed by 

 the writer they signify as follows : 



X X indicates highest points of land. 



X " slight elevation. 



X " the ordinary level. 



O " slight depression. 



O O " the lowest points of land. 



It must be obvious that wherein the marked 



advantage of deliberate advance map making 



is realized, is that the work on paper appears, 



as a whole, comprehensively under the eye as the 



Fig 5. Showing Original bounda?^. build- 

 ings, fences, walks, etr. A represents for- 

 mer home grounds. Band C added plots 

 embraced in the enlarged garden . 



Fig. 6. The same.representing in addition 

 one of several studies in pencil tine, of im- 

 provements, which although pleasing was not 

 adopted. 



Fig. 7. The same showing the adopted 

 study completed to walks, drives, drainage 

 system, etc. The heavy lines showing the 

 course of drains. 



PLANNING THE GARDEN SHOWN ON PAGE 88.— PROGRESSIVE MAPS MUCH REDUCED. 



of character in some degree, may already be 

 present and which require to be considered. 



The problem: friven the foregoing, how 

 shall the garden maker in each respective case 

 proceed to utilize and combine them? To make 

 my instructions on this subject as clear and 

 convenient as possible, I shall present them in 

 a progressive and numbered form very nearly 

 in the order of their application. 



1. Mapping AND Planning. An early step is 

 the making of a map of the place to be improved , 

 in the style shown by figure .5, and which is to 

 serve as a basis of the new plan. This map 

 should be of firm, smooth paper, such as will 

 take lioth pen and pencil marks. It is to em- 

 brace the boundary lines, buildings and other 

 prominent features of the place, and these should 

 be represented in ink, each properly in its place, 

 working on some reduced scale. A scale of eight, 

 sixteen or thirty-two feet to the inch answers 

 well, for then the marks on an ordinary foot 

 rule clearly show the length in feet on the map. 



In locating objects on the map first ascertain 

 their distance in feet, from the boundary lines, 

 buildings or other objects, indicating each one 

 in its exact relative position on the map. It is 

 best to make measurements from several direc- 

 tions to secure accuracy. Objects that are 

 strictly permanent in character, such as the 

 boundaries, buildings, etc. , should be represented 

 by full ink lines, others, liable to be changed, 

 by dotted ones. Then, in the devising of the 

 new plan, this should be done by the use of a 

 pencil, so as easily to admit of erasure and 

 change. There should be several maps like the 

 one referred to, on which to design different 

 arrangements, then at the end choosing the 

 best. Duplicates may easily be made by laying 

 the first map over sheets of paper and punctur- 

 ing down thi'ough with a pin or fine awl at the 

 various points of angles and elsewhere, to locate 

 the objects on the clear papers beneath, after- 

 wards tracing out the lines on these, being 

 guided by the dots. The accompanying figures 

 5, 6 and"? show a series of reduced maps of the 

 garden illustrated on page 88 in the course of the 

 planning. On these maps the characters X, 



planning proceeds. Then further, the planning 

 may be done in the leisure of winter, during 

 periods of bad weather or evenings when ample 

 time may be taken for considering every feature 

 and detail, from all points of view involved, thus 

 reducing the liability to mistakes to a minimum. 

 3. Extent of the Garden. How large to 

 have the garden is a leading question. A terse 

 answer might be given : as large as it can be 

 well made, well planted and, above all, be 

 well kept in the future ; and not a foot larger. 

 One point is settled : it is that a small home 

 garden, even though it contains not above one 

 fourth of an acre, provided this be judiciously 

 laid out to fruits, vegetables and ornamental 

 growths, and is rightly made and maintained, 

 is capable of yielding more enjoyment and 

 substance than one many times as large but 

 shiftlessly managed. Size can never make up 

 for neglect and disorder. To give an idea of 

 what may be accomplished on one fourth of an 

 acre, and also as presenting a conti'ast with the 

 plan of the large garden heretofore shown — the 

 one of Figure 8 on page 131 is offered. Here it 

 will be seen the area is devoted about one third 

 to ornamental trees, shrubs and plants (the 

 three last classes mainly in borders, of which a 

 conspicuous one is seen at the extreme front 

 end) ; one third to the house, walks and clear 

 lawn, and a simUar extent at the rear to fruits 

 and vegetables. Summing up the variety and 

 number of growths that are well accommodated 

 in this space, having also ample unobstructed 

 spots throughout for admitting an abundance 

 of air and light to the home, it would stand 

 about as follows: 

 Flowering and Evergreen Shrubs, 

 Ornamental Deciduous and Evergreen Trees, 

 Hardy and other Flowering Plants throughout. 

 Climbers on extreme rear arbor and over 



verandas, 



Fruit Trees, ..... 



Small Fruits: the area to left of walk in rear pare. 

 Vegetables: the area to right of walk in rear part, 

 (irape-viues: on trellises Hanking walk and flower 



'oorders in rear part. 

 That a garden of such size and character may 

 by good planning and management be rendered 



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