352 Design for a Suburban Residence. 



surface is nearly level, and somewhat lower than the adjoining 

 public road, though it admits of a certain degree of drainage. 



In forming a design for laying out this piece of ground, we 

 have adopted the geometrical style, as most suitable to all the 

 given circumstances ; and, in order to render it as open and airy 

 as the situation will admit, we have introduced very iew tall trees. 

 All the best part of the soil we have directed to be laid on the 

 surface of what is to form the kitchen-gardens and orchard ; and 

 the flower-garden, or rather American garden, is formed into a 

 sunk panel, surrounded by an elevated terrace walk, from 

 which the descent is by four flights of steps. The sloping sides 

 of the terrace, and also the four triangular forms in the panel, 

 are supposed to be of turf. The outer row of beds, of a semi- 

 circular form, are intended for annuals and China roses ; the six 

 beds in the interior for rhododendrons, azaleas, kalmias, and 

 similar American and peat-earth shrubs; and the six small beds 

 in the angles for Magnol/a macrophylla, tripetala, acuminata, 

 auriculata, conspicua, and Soulangeawa, 



The trees on each side of the entrance are chiefly fruit trees, 

 and hence we have called it the orchard, with some hollies of 

 different kinds, box, and yew intermixed. The walls which sur- 

 round the kitchen-gardens are planted with fruit trees, the 

 bottom of die border being rendered impervious to their roots 

 by brick rubbish ; and the wall which surrounds the terrace is 

 planted with creepers, climbers, and roses, and with other plants 

 requiring the protection of a wall, or improved by it, such as 

 Cratae^gus mexicana, Cydonia sinensis, Z/aurus nobilis, Mag- 

 nolm grandiflora and its different varieties, Magnoh'a purpurea, 

 Salisburz« «diantif61ia, y^my-gdalus incana, ^'rbutus y^ndrachne, 

 Berberis dulcis, Ceanolhus azureus, Chimonanthus fragrans, and 

 various others. The soil of both the kitchen-garden and orchard 

 will be rendered light by burnt lumps of clay intermixed with it 

 in a state of powder; and that of the flower-garden rendered fit 

 for American plants by a mixture of sand and peat. 



The great object has been to lay out and plant this place in 

 such a manner as to admit of its being kept in good order at 

 very little expense. For this reason the edgings to all the walks 

 are of brick moulded on purpose, and the platform on which the 

 house stands, and all the walks throughout both gardens, are 

 proposed to be paved with asphalte. Two grand sources of 

 labour, and when neglected of an appearance of disorder and 

 slovenliness, are thus avoided ; and the labour may be still farther 

 lessened by planting the steep slopes of the terrace, and the four 

 triangles, which are proposed to be in turf, with box; which, in- 

 stead of requiring to be mown at least twelve times in the course 

 of the year, need not be mown or clipped more than once. Box 

 thus used as a substitute for turf cannot be walked on; but in 



