FOREWORD 



IMPELLING as is its charm, the sea cannot hold 

 us by its side, spellbound in contemplation of 

 its calm and restless moods. Mingled with 

 its turbulent roar we hear a cry for beauty along its 

 shores, and for intimacy with a gentler and more 

 familiar life. The dwellers by its side long for the 

 fragrance of flowers as an occasional relief from its 

 strong saline scent. Indeed, dwelling along a barren 

 strip of seashore can never have the captivating grace 

 of living where the coast line shows the green things 

 of the earth, either as nature placed them or in skil- 

 fully devised gardens. 



The impetus to garden building has swept over 

 and beyond our inland towns and villages with the 

 result that the shores of America are now dotted with 

 many beautiful gardens, large and small, costly and 

 simple. Moreover, many of the oldest gardens of this 

 country, which are associated with history and romance, 

 are found in places partly bounded by the sea. 



It is not unusual now, nor has it ever been, for that 

 matter, to find gardens near the sea. It is merely 

 because of their universality in these days that they 

 cannot escape the eye of the wanderer through the 

 populous towns along the seacoast. This is as it should 

 be, since along the coasts the number of summer 



[v] 



