24 The American Flower Garden 



and restrained in treatment, needs no apology for its existence. 

 Beauty of architecture is its own excuse for being. In this day of 

 well-trained architects there should be no excuse, except the 

 untrained client, for building an ugly house. Unhappily, mongrel 

 architecture is still in our midst - "the pug-Newfoundland-poodle- 

 hound-style," a famous architect calls it but it is passing, and a 

 distinguished Englishman who recently revisited this country after 

 an absence of fifteen years declares that in no direction have the 

 Americans made more rapid advance than in the building of beau- 

 tiful homes. We have learned the wisdom of consulting the best 

 architects before attempting to build. As a people, we have not 

 yet learned to seek advice of a similar artistic grade when it comes 

 to the treatment of that most important piece of land in all the 

 world the area, be it large or small, around the home ; which is 

 why one may see a dozen good houses before one can discover a 

 single beautiful, satisfying bit of art out-of-doors. Every architect, 

 let us hope, will one day have a professional gardener associate 

 in his office. Their work is largely interdependent. The advantage 

 of frequent conferences between them would be immeasurable 

 to the client. 



The style of architecture best adapted to the climate, natural 

 situation and purse of the owner having been decided, the next 

 problem to present itself is how to tie the bald new house to the 

 landscape into which it suddenly obtrudes. Obviously the solution 

 must vary in every case. The Colonial type of house would lose 

 its dignity if surrounded by woods and a wild garden like a log 

 camp, and the unpretentious little seaside vacation cottage be made 

 ridiculous by an Italian garden on a terrace. A Spanish house 

 needs palms, yuccas and other tropical or semi-tropical garden 

 accessories under Southern skies. Each style of architecture and 



