iS GARDENS : THEIR FORM AND DESIGN 



Who has not been tried by small annoyances, such as 

 excessive heat of the sun, stinging gnats, or blustering 

 winds that send papers hopelessly scattered across the 

 lawn? All these little troubles tend to make a morning's 

 writing out of doors seem like an eternity of hindrances. 

 We tolerate them in the open country, where we have 

 perhaps no more than the deep, warm, protecting heather 

 into which we can fling ourselves for safety ; but in a 

 garden, where the careful thought of many has been 



brought to bear upon 

 all creature - comforts, 

 we are more exacting. 



All gardens, there- 

 fore, should have some 

 hedged - in, completely 

 sheltered part. It should 

 be so shaped that 

 shadow can be had at 

 every moment in the 

 day, while sunshine and 

 protection from wind can both, also be gained, when 

 wanted upon cold stormy days. 



For examples of such shut-in, picturesque gardens we 

 have but to look at those given in old Italian and Swedish 

 pictures. In Italy, it is the sun that is the enemy. In 

 Sweden, rough winds sweep by; and so these two 

 countries seem to have brought the study of hedged-in 

 gardens to a high degree of perfection. 



There is a book called " Suecia Antiqua et Moderna," 

 which can be seen in the Engraving Department of the 

 Victoria and Albert Museum. In it are many gardens 

 similar to Fig. 17. The outline of shaded lines repre- 

 sents a hedge, which surrounds groups of shrubs and also, 

 as at A, provides a pleasant circular protection for seats. 

 In the old-fashioned prints these hedges are all shown 



B 

 FIG. 17. 



A , Paths ; B, surrounding hedge ; C, beds. 



as 



