252 GARDEN DESIGN 



acter, soil, contour, sectional lines, trees, etc. 

 Common sense, economy, nature, art alike dic- 

 tate 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 copy- 

 ing a design from another place, will ignore the 

 characteristics of the site at his disposal." 



An old quarry suggests a rock garden. Water, 

 whether pond, stream or marsh gives scope for 

 lovely effects. A scrap of wood or old hedgerow 

 points to a wild garden. Even such a trivial, 

 and apparently awkward feature as a dry ditch 

 may be made of interest. The frontispiece 

 shows how an opportunity of this nature was 

 worked up. The original garden was enlarged, 

 and through the new piece of land ran a dry 

 ditch. Part of it was filled up for cultivation, 

 but the bit planted with trees was not fit to 

 be cultivated, on account of roots and shade. 

 So the idea came that it would make a pretty sunk 

 path. On the right of the painting is the top 

 of the bank, 6 ft. wide, where the trees grow, 

 fir, beech and birch, and they are underplanted 

 with narcissi, alliums, hyacinths, etc. On the 

 bank itself small things were put in such as crocus, 

 scillas and snowdrops, also primroses and poly- 

 anthus, and edged with white arabis. The silver 

 birch bending over gives an additional charm. On 

 the left-hand side, a strip 4 ft. wide is covered with 



