March 18, 3915. 



The Florists' Review 



43 



"^v^^^y^W^ 



Mme. A. Riverain, blue • Avalanche, white. 



The French Hydrangeas are Splendid Easter Plants and will have Years of Popularily. 



an allopathic dose. It should be dis- 

 tinguished from practical training only 

 in its aim to be a short cut through 

 the fifeld of experience. 



What Is Landscape Oardening? 



The lay mind finds it hard sometimes 

 to Understand just what is implied by 

 the term "landscape gardening." No 

 doubt the florist's mind is clearer on 

 the subject, since the two professions 

 are somewhat related. But, even so, a 

 word of explanation may well be given 

 in endeavoring to tell you what the 

 landscape gardening department is do- 

 ing for the aspirants at the threshold 

 of the muse. 



We hear various terms applied to the 

 workers in landscape gardening. That 

 the work as a profession is new, is in 

 part accountable for the variety; that 

 it has various distinct branches within 

 itself, is another reason. For instance, 

 we hear of landscape gardener, land- 

 scape architect, landscape engineer, 

 garden architect, and so forth. These 

 terms today are for general purposes 

 synonymous, though they vary occa- 

 '^ionally in their specific application. 

 I shall use the term "landscape gar- 

 lener" as covering them all. 



Landscape gardening has often been 

 lefined as the art of arranging a part 

 '^f the earth's surface to fit the needs 

 "f beauty and convenience. In this art, 

 'he principle of convenience, or use, is 

 '0 be considered even prior to that of 

 ■)eauty, but both go hand in hand. The 

 'andscape gardener works mainly with 

 hree elements, (1) with ground forms, 

 that is, with hill, plain or valley; (2) 

 ^ith artificial or architectural forms, 

 ^uch as buildings, steps, bridges, and 

 50 forth, and (3) with vegetation in 



all its varied forms of tree, shrub and 

 flower. In planning what disposition 

 shall be made of ground forms in any 

 problem in hand, the landscape gar- 

 dener has need for some knowledge of 

 engineering principles. In planning 

 the shape and placing of those features 

 which are to be constructed of various 

 building materials, it will be seen that 

 a knowledge of architectural princi- 

 ples is equally essential; and, further, 

 in considering the choice and arrange- 

 ment of the many forms of vegetation 

 which go to make up the completed 

 landscape picture, the landscape gar- 

 dener must be drilled along lines of 

 horticulture. Thus the landscape gar- 

 dener is a connecting link, uniting 

 parts of three sciences. 



The students in the department at 

 the University of Illinois have enough 

 to do, as will be seen. They are, as 

 a body, much in earnest. It is interest- 

 ing to note that the department of 

 landscape gardening at the University 

 of Illinois is the largest in the coun- 

 try, numbering at present sixty-two 

 students, gathered from as far east 

 as Massachusetts and as far west as 

 California. 



Interrelation of Professions. 



A comparison of our professions, 

 floriculture and landscape gardening, 

 would show, as far as numbers are 

 concerned, I am sure, a large balance 

 in favor of the florists. In this coun- 

 try we are both rather young profes- 

 sions. It is true that men have gar- 

 dened since the time of Adam, but it 

 is only since about 1825 that there has 

 been a popular demand in this country 

 for the products of our arts, resulting 

 in a class of men trained to meet this 



demand. Both professions have grown 

 in prestige in the last few decades. 



The interrelation of the two profes- 

 sions is vast, and the chances for co- 

 operation between us are not to be 

 overlooked. This is an age when, to 

 make the most of his trade, each man 

 had best attend to his own business. 

 He must be more or less of a specialist. 

 He cannot afford to be a quack. Each 

 profession must occasionally borrow 

 the brains of another. Now and again 

 it will be extremely profitable for us 

 both to do so. There are times when 

 the florist should find it necessary to 

 call on the landscape gardener for ad- 

 vice in design, and there are times when 

 the landscape gardener's productions 

 are almost entirely dependent on the 

 art of the florist to set them off. Let 

 me state a specific instance illustrat- 

 ing each of these points, and I shall 

 close. 



An annual florists' exhibition has 

 been given in Rochester, N. Y., in the 

 Auditorium. Because of lack of co- 

 operation among the exhibitors in ar- 

 ranging their displays, the exhibition 

 seemed to be losing in popularity year 

 by year. Something had to be done. 

 A scheme was necessary to pull the 

 thing together. This was the solution. 

 A landscape gardener was put in charge 

 of the arrangement of the whole ex- 

 hibition. Thanks to the clever de- 

 signers in his office, a scheme was de- 

 vised which united both beauty and 

 common sense in display. Attractive 

 garden features were introduced, hedges 

 of arborvitSB, a pool in which the 

 beauty of the exhibits was mirrored. 

 It was something original. It was 

 beautiful beyond custom. The whole 

 city flocked to the flower show, and 



