GARDEN PLANNING AND 

 PLANTING 



CHAPTER I 

 On Making a Garden 



MAKING a garden is a most pleasurable undertaking, whether one 

 knows anything about gardening or not. providing a love for the 

 work exists. " Love conquers all things," and assuredly it plays a 

 large part in the making of a successful garden. The ignorant 

 garden-maker, naturally, must expect to make more mistakes than 

 the initiated, and here he is at a disadvantage, for initial mistakes 

 are bound to lead to much disappointment, to labour lost and money 

 wasted. But ignorance is largely discounted by the possession of 

 a plan. Have something down in black and white before a start 

 is made : a few lines on paper are easily altered; but when even a sod 

 is turned, time and the cultivator's art alone can put it right again. 

 It is true enough that a plan conveys no real impression of the aspect 

 the garden will assume ; yet that is no fault of the plan, but is rather 

 due to a fundamental difference between the originals. 



A plan is merely a design, and with a design in front of him the 

 prospective gardener can at least determine whether or not he is 

 making the most of the ground, and this is of the first importance. 

 Some garden-makers elect to despise a plan on paper, preferring 

 straightway to lay out the walks and borders on the ground itself. 

 But this is merely affectation, and if it does not lead to the pride 

 that goes before a fall, the reason is that they have become proficient 

 from long experience. Let me reiterate that " a plan's the thing." 

 It is such a help to the amateur, at any rate, and enables him to 

 make full use of every square yard of ground. And how often, in 

 making and studying a plan, do not ideas originate that would never 

 have occurred to one working on the land ? 



A design shows the garden at a glance, and while it gives no real 

 indication of the aspect the latter will assume when it is furnished 



B 



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