1 8 FORMAL GARDENS 



shops and the fat commissions of architects who let us buy all 

 we want. 



Shall 3. foreign or amusing idea be dominant? Shall we have 

 an Italian, Dutch, or Japanese garden, or a maze, a grotto, or a 

 floral clock? A foreign style can never be perfectly reproduced, 

 and it is only a thing to admire. It is not a comfort and inspira- 

 tion in hours of trial. The amusing garden also is only for 

 momentary pleasure. Our serious task is to study our own 

 national life and to contribute what we can toward an American 

 style of architecture and gardening. 



Shall an historical idea be dominant? (See plate 9.) Yes, if it 

 really belongs to our family life. No, if it is a mere affectation. 

 An old Dutch family in New York may have a Dutch garden, 

 but is a mere trip to Holland or a sentimental interest in it a 

 sufficient excuse? Of course, it is a duty to preserve gardens 

 that have a history, even though they belong to forgotten styles 

 of art. We have no more right to make them over than to paint 

 a new picture upon a canvas that already records a stage in the 

 history of painting. What if the old garden is stiff and artificial ? 

 It is a good thing to escape from one's century occasionally. 



Shall water be a dominant feature? Yes, if it is plentiful 

 and cheap. No, if in any way it suggests great expense. By 

 all means have the sound of running water if you can afford to 

 let it run, but if you can afford only a mere trickle, make the water 

 feature subordinate. Rather the simple dignity of "Diana's 

 Pool" (shown on plate 8), than an electric fountain -that will 

 give your week-end house parties a new sensation. 



Shall vegetation be the dominant idea? Yes, always in a 

 secluded formal garden. The garden dominated by architecture 

 is the deadest of all gardens, because architecture is the least 



