Lamourouxia 



( 473 ) 



Landscape Gardening 



wh. (syn. Orvala la- 

 mioides). 



purpureuin, a native 

 weed. 



Other Species : 

 album, 1', wh., aim. 

 gurgauieum, 9" to 12", 



ami., red, 

 Orvalii, I!', Ap., pur., 



LAMOUROUXIA. 



Greenhouse perennial herbs (ord. Scrophu- 

 larinepe), of low-growing, prostrate, or climbing 

 habit. All of them are more or less parasitic upon 

 the roots of oilier plants. 



LANARIA. 



A genus of one species (ord. Hasmodoracea;) of 

 greenhouse perennial herbs, which are pretty and 

 easy to grow. Propagation, by division of the 

 roots in spring. Sandy loam and peat, in equal 

 parts, make a gooil compost, and plenty of water 

 must lie given as long as growth is active. 



Only Species : 



plumosa, 1 j', My., grh , wh. ; woolly. 



LANDOLPHIA. 



Stove climbing shrubs (ord. ApocynaceaV). All 

 have milky juice, some yielding caoutchouc. 

 Cuttings root readily in sandy soil, in a close 

 frame with bottom heat. Fibrous loam and sand 

 form the best soil. 



Principal Species : 

 florida, Jc., st., wh., ycl. ; owariensis, st., wh. or 



fragrant. African In- yel. ; fruits about the. 



(linriililiur Treu. size of an Orange, edi- 



LANDSCAPE. 



That portion of country which the eye can take 

 in in one view. Gardens are often so arranged 

 that they represent, within a limited area, the 

 main features of a much larger expanse of country 

 innler natural conditions. Thus, hills and moun- 

 tains are represented by mounds, either natural or 

 artificial, woods by shrubberies deftly planted to 

 form undulating outlines on the sky line, and 

 water by ornamental lakes, fountain basins, and 

 streams. 



LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 



The art of landscape gardening is one that not 

 only calls for a good deal of natural artistic taste 

 on the part of the operator, but also needs con- 

 siderable study and practice. The landscape 

 '.anlener has to deal with the landscape and its 

 improvement. If alterations are to be made, they 

 must be so 'carried out that they are in unison with 

 the surrounding country, and moreover, they must 

 appear perfectly natural both in design and 

 execution. The work must not be done at hap- 

 ha/.ard. There must be a settled plan about the 

 whole, and that plan must be so constructed as to 

 make the most of existing natural features that 

 are worth incorporating. The removal of old trees, 

 for instance, must not be carelessly undertaken, 

 for it means often the lapse of a couple of genera- 

 tions before they can be replaced. It is perfectly 

 permissible, however, to remove trees that shut out 

 tlii> view from a desirable feature. Vista-making 

 is an important part of landscape gardening, and 

 to carry it out the various points of vantage have 

 to he ascertained and their values determined. 

 Again, tree-thinning becomes necessary when Minn- 

 are spoiling others, as one good specimen is better 

 than half a dozen poor ones. 



Land Cress (see American Cress). 



In the formation of new plantations the planter 

 has to look forward and understand what the size 

 and appearance of the trees will be in thirty or 

 forty years' time, or when they have reached 

 maturity. He has, moreover, to take into account 

 spring, summer, autumn, and winter effects, to 

 think of the yellow leaf as well as of the delicate 

 green of spring. There must be no clashing, and 

 the interest must be sustained. 



Again, the outline of the 'scape, from the various 

 vantage points, must be undulating, not straight or 

 unbroken. While special hues, as for instance the 

 dark green of Conifers, may be made the most of, 

 they must not be repeated until the eye wearies of 

 them. 



Broad stretches of verdant lawns may be broken 

 up with pleasing clumps of low shrubs or specimen 

 trees in the fore and middle ground, and backed 

 with taller trees and masses of wood behind. The 

 character of the soil, the peculiar situation, and 

 the likes and dislikes of the owner have all to be 

 taken into account. It is of no use to plant trees 

 or shrubs that are not likely to succeed, and, if 

 doubtful ones are included, it must be in positions 

 where they can be easily replaced, should they 

 fail. 



The peculiar character of the dwelling house has 

 to be taken into consideration. A certain amount 

 of trimness is usually necessary in the grounds 

 adjacent thereto. In very few cases, indeed, can 

 1 he wild garden be brought near the. house. The 

 usual plan is to have the geometrical part of the 

 flower garden, with the trimly kept lawns, next to 

 the house, and to allow a gradual passage from 

 these to the wilder parts beyond. 



Paths should be as few as possible, and each 

 should be made for some definite purpose, not 

 giving the visitor the impression that it was intro- 

 duced just for the sake of having a path. Nature 

 abhors straight lines, and thus the paths, especially 

 those of gravel, should run in bold but graceful 

 curves. This applies particularly to carriage 

 drives, and here the question of making the curves 

 easy for the horses has to be taken into account. 

 This will also decide the gradient of op-hill paths, 

 which should never be greater than one in fourteen. 

 In one case, that of the avenue, which is to some 

 extent a path, although of grass, the straight line 

 is permissible. A well-timbered avenue is indeed 

 a noble adjunct to an estate. Not infrequently the 

 principal carriage drives are bordered with trees 

 in avenue fashion, especially where any particular 

 avenue is a feature of the grounds. It is permis- 

 sible also for drives to make a detour to bring 

 into close view any noble tree, water scene, or 

 other specially interesting feature. 



Water is the stand-by of the landscape gardener, 

 and no estate is complete without a water scene. 

 Here again common sense mu.-t come largely into 

 play It would be ridiculous, for instance, to 

 place a pond on the top, or halfway up the side, of 

 a hill. Very often examination will reveal a spot 

 where, by means of a little labour, a lake can 

 be made. Or a stream may be deftly diverted, and 

 made to broaden out into a lake. In every case 

 where artificial ponds or lakes are made, it is 

 necessary to puddle the bottoms with several inches 

 of tough, plastic clay, otherwise in summer the 

 sight and smell will be anything but agreeable. The 

 presence of ponds, apart from the fascination of the 

 water, permits of the cultivation of many charming 

 aquatic and sub-aquatic plants. There is no more 

 beautiful sight, for instance, than a fringe of the 



