GARDENS NEAR THE SEA 



undesirable in a garden, and fortunately one that 

 makes small claim to seaside space. 



As soon as the soil about a country home has 

 passed under scrutiny and is regulated, the lawn 

 should receive a full share of attention. The lawn is 

 not merely grass; it forms the greensward outlining 

 the spaces held free for different forms of growth. 

 Gleaming from under the snow in emerald patches, 

 sometimes in the very heart of winter, it whispers of 

 spring sooner than do the flowers. Its beauty cannot 

 be overestimated, and when it is unsightly the effect 

 upon the appearance of the home and garden cannot 

 be too deeply lamented. 



Such problems of drainage, grading, and road and 

 path construction as are present should naturally be 

 worked out in detail prior to sowing grass seed. As a 

 rule the makers of lawns and gardens come into their 

 own after the engineering features of a place, its bound- 

 aries, and the question of its soil have been settled. 

 Only then can the lawn be rightly started; a work 

 that, in its turn, should be followed by the planting 

 of trees, shrubs, and vines — individuals outside the 

 garden, yet which unlock for it the door of expecta- 

 tion. Later the garden itself becomes the center of 

 interest. It should then be remembered that, as well 

 as beauty, a garden should have permanence, such as 

 is given largely by herbaceous plants. Such plants 

 will not, however, thrive in a shallow soil. 



Each one of the innumerable seaside gardens in 

 this country includes, perhaps has approaching it, 

 beside it, or in its vicinity, a greensward that, if justice 



[4] 



