THE PLAN 13 



its eastern wall masked by leaves of the wild grape. Its con- 

 crete drive (and is there anything uglier and more interrupting 

 than a drive or a walk of whitish concrete anywhere?) is hidden 

 from the garden, first, by the four-foot privet hedge; and for 

 forty feet from the house to the rear, — where there is an irreg- 

 ular space, broader here, narrower there, — by a planting of half 

 a dozen fine hybrid lilacs. Below these lilacs a capital space is 

 afforded for spring flowering bulbs. 



The house covers practically the whole width of the lot. 

 Across the front is a verandah, with broad steps at the west end. 

 Kegel's privet is planted below the porch across the front, and 

 carried aroimd to the east side; Kegel's privet, too, flanks the 

 steps to the right as one ascends them; also there is a small 

 arhor-mim pyramidalis on either side of the same steps. Ampe- 

 hpsis Lowii is used now and again against the stucco foundation 

 of the house. This plan, while it is decidedly intensive, and may 

 seem to some people rather crowded, is, when carried out, really 

 entrancing. 



Planting can never get ahead of the gardener if he is constantly 

 on the watch, and keeps in active use the pruning shears and the 

 saw. And oh, the pleasures of variety! They do indeed give life 

 half its zest. The ingenuity of such a balanced plan as this must 

 result in countless joys for the owner of the garden : his few square 

 feet of grass, flowers, vegetables ; his ultimate few bushels of fruit ; 

 the delight of his crocuses, tulips, and daffodils in spring; his fol- 

 lowing lilacs, then his flowering mock oranges and honeysuckles; 

 this interest to be quickly supplanted by blooming squares of 

 summer flowers — what a succession of pleasures, what a pro- 

 cession to anticipate dm-ing the winter months! 



The one thing lacking on this place, and probably of necessity 

 so, is the presence of one good tree for shade. On so narrow a lot 

 both root-growth and shade, however, would have had their 



