THE TECHNICS OF GARDENING. 167 



Of the shapes of the beds it were of little avail 

 to speak, and the diagrams here given are only of use 

 where the conditions of the ground properly admit 

 of their application. The geometrical garden is 

 capable of great variety of handling. A fair size for 

 a geometrical garden is 1 20 ft. by 60 ft. This size 

 will allow of a main central walk of seven feet that 

 shall divide the panel into two equal parts and lead 

 down to the next level. The space may have a 

 balustrade along its length on the two sides, and on 

 the garden side of the balustrade a flower-bed of 

 mixed flowers and choice low-growing shrubs, backed 

 with hollyhocks, tritoma, lilies, golden-rod, etc. The 

 width of the border will correspond with the space 

 required for the steps that descend from the upper 

 terrace. For obtaining pleasant proportions in the 

 design, the walks in the garden will be of two sizes, 

 gravelled like the rest the wider walk, say, three feet, 

 the smaller one foot nine inches. The centre of the 

 garden device on each side may be a raised bed with a 

 stone kerb and an ornamental shrub in the middle, and 

 the space around with, say, periwinkle or stonecrop, 

 mixed with white harebells, or low creepers. Or, 

 should there be no wide main walk, and the garden- 

 plot be treated as one composition, the central bed will 

 have a statue, sundial, fountain, or other architectural 

 feature. Each bed will be edged with box or 

 chamfered stone, or terra-cotta edging. Or the 

 formal garden may be sunk below the level of the 

 paths, and filled either with flowers or with dwarf 

 coniferse. 



