GARDENS NEAR THE SEA 



Still, there is much about this garden that is distinct- 

 ive. To my mind, however, it loses the high mark 

 it might have attained, by its defective setting. It 

 is too large to be so near the house. It appears to 

 bear down on this structure and to obliterate its 

 position of prominence. Undoubtedly, a garden should 

 not be very large when placed near a house of moderate 

 proportions, unless it can by its setting be so detached 

 that the house and surrounding grounds are only seen 

 as glimpses through some vista. 



Often gardens that are a little elevated are saved 

 from unpleasant contrasts with the house by their 

 situation, one which must have been fostered in the 

 beginning by the surface of the earth. To take 

 advantage of slight elevations of grounds, or of certain 

 well-placed declivities, is sometimes the keynote of 

 placing a garden. 



There is nothing out of the ordinary about a seaside 

 barn that I have observed frequently. Simply the 

 graciousness of the surrounding planting relieves it 

 from too great a plainness. It stands but a short dis- 

 tance back from the house, about which there is no 

 space available for a garden without encroaching upon 

 the lawn, a practise far from desirable. This par- 

 ticular bit of property is deep and narrow. 



The path, that branches off from the main drive- 

 way and runs backward along the side of the barn, 

 leads to a garden deep in seclusion and effulgent in 

 beauty. The path itself presents a pleasant way, 

 being bordered with trees, shrubs, and quaint, well- 

 known flowers that give abundant fragrance. At the 



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