GARDEN ACCESSORIES 111 



There are a number of appropriate settings in the garden for the 

 sundial. It may be set at the end of a garden walk, as a feature located 

 on some axis of the formal garden, or on the lawn of the informal 

 garden where it can be seen from some prominent room and window 

 of the house. For practical use the sundial must always be set in the 

 open where scarcely any shade will fall on it. The pedestal for the 

 dial may be made of almost any solid material, from classic marble 

 to a pile of field stone, but it must be solid, as any tilting will throw the 

 gnomen off the correct angle. 



SEATS 



A seat in the garden is as important as a chair in the house. Seats 

 vary in importance from the simple wooden bench to the elaborate 

 semi-circular exedra as found in the typical Italian gardens. A seat 

 must harmonize with the design of the garden ; that is, one would not 

 place a rustic or rough wood seat in a formal garden. The seat should 

 blend in with its surroundings, yet serve a practical use. 



One important consideration in the choice of a material for the 

 garden seat is its lasting qualities, for this furniture is exposed to all 

 the outdoor elements. This is why we find so many garden seats made 

 of stone. Stone seats may not be as comfortable as wooden ones, yet 

 if considerable care and attention is not given the wooden seat from 

 year to year, it will soon rot and fall to pieces. About the best material 

 for wooden seats is Red Cedar with the bark left on; but all parts 

 that come in contact with the ground should be given a coat of some 

 preservative, such as creosote. 



Seats in the garden may be placed at a number of good positions, 

 but we usually find them in the shade where a pleasing view of the 

 garden may be seen while one is resting. They are often designed 

 with a shelter overhead, or built in a circular fashion about some 

 old tree. 



Today it is not a difi&cult matter to purchase almost any type and 

 design of garden seat from concerns that make a specialty of such work. 



SUMMER HOUSES 



Summer houses range in type from the simple shelter hut of the 

 cottage garden to the classic garden temple. One may enjoy the 



Fig. 102.— Three ways in which a pergola can be (as it always should be) made useful as 



well as ornamental. In the upper plan it connects the dwelling with another building; 



in the center plan it forms a background enclosing a portion of the garden; in the lower 



plan it is part of a rest-house or shelter 



