The English had their big ceremonial gardens, too, but when the social 

 life in England became simpler they still kept up their gardening, modifying the 

 details to suit circumstances and space. It is from England that we get our best 

 examples, for the conditions there, social and climatic, are more like those in this 

 country. But even when we draw inspirations from England we must modify 

 the planting, for our summer season is shorter, and many of the most useful trees 

 and shrubs used in England are not hardy throughout this country. 



We may borrow, then, details and ideas from Italy, France, and England, but 

 we must adapt them skilfully to our own needs, and give them the setting which 

 they require. Our gardens need not, when adapted to this country, follow any 

 recognized style. In the first place we are not yet hampered by national traditions 

 and may take only as much of any one style as happens to please us; secondly, 

 American vegetation is very different from that of other countries. In spite of the 

 fact that the same flowers sometimes grow in the American garden as in those 

 abroad, they seem to grow differently, less formally, perhaps, and we, as a 

 nation, prefer a freedom which to the English or the French gardener would 

 almost seem like untidiness. 



Unfortunately it has been impossible to show in this book some of the 

 many charming "naturally" planned country places in America, because their 

 beauty is mainly due to situation and to attractive views or else to the successful 

 creation of a naturalistic landscape. Such scenes are not only impossible to illus- 

 trate adequately by photographs, but, moreover, though they present examples 

 of beautiful scenery, they are of no value as examples of garden design. In such 

 places the garden is simply a part in the whole, although a part capable of being 

 complete in itself. It has, furthermore, been impossible, for the same reason, to 

 show some of the American gardens where the flowers serve only as a border in 

 the natural landscape. In such places, also, the garden is simply a part in the 

 whole, and is in fact a detail that must follow the same artistic principles as the 

 more formal garden. 



These artistic principles are many of them self-evident, but are none the less 

 interesting to trace in their relation to the whole problem of garden design. 

 We shall see how they have been observed in the gardens and their details shown 

 in the following pages. 



The garden in this and other countries is composed of flower beds with 

 paths or grass plots, often combined with such architectural accessories as garden 

 and terrace walls, summer-houses, balustrades, pergolas, vases, statues, fountains, and 

 gates. Before determining how to compose these different elements, however, 



