THE PRINCIPLES OF GARDEN-MAKING 



that has to be dealt with, and to make these features the foundation 

 upon which the general planning of the whole garden depends. 

 The principle which governs the best modern work is that laid 

 down by J. D. Sedding : " The gardener's first duty in laying 

 out the grounds is to study the site, and not only that part of it 

 upon which the house stands, but the whole site, its aspect, 

 character, soil, contour, sectional lines, trees, etc. Common sense, 

 economy, nature, 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 preferences 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." 



When this sound principle is observed in garden-making the 

 gardener's practice comes much closer to that of the landscape 

 painter than did the pedantic imitation of pictures which was 

 affected by men like Kent. The preliminary study of the site is 

 like the consideration which the painter gives to the subject which 

 he has chosen and proposes to realise pictorially. Before he sets 

 upon his canvas the piece of nature which is before him he 

 examines it in every part to see which lines he will have to modify, 

 which details to omit or accentuate, and which of the salient masses 

 he must make the main fact in his composition, so as to give the 

 fullest possible suggestion of the particular character and interest 

 which the subject possesses. The sincere garden designer, in the 

 same way, takes pains to see where and how the ground he has to 

 lay out must be treated so as to make the most of what beauties it 

 has by nature, and decides what must be added ai d what removed, 

 what features must be given more prominence and what must be 

 rendered less conspicuous to perfect the landscape which already 

 exists. His function is a delicate one to fulfil, for he must 

 neither be too literal nor, on the other hand, too much disposed 

 to apply to nature that chastening process in which the early 

 gardeners believed. In a word, he must be an artist, and his artistic 

 sense must be thoroughly trained and absolutely under control. 

 If landscape gardening is practised in this spirit and by men of this 

 type, it is indisputably worthy to rank beside the best productions 

 of the designer of formal gardens. The primary principle, that the 

 garden must be in exact relation to the house which it surrounds, 

 must, however, not be forgotten, and on many occasions the attempt 

 to imitate nature's freedom and careless charm must be abandoned 

 for frank formality and architectural severity. The artist in garden- 

 making should certainly cultivate his selective sense, and should in 



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