LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 



is injured by that of the other. However pleasing and 

 picturesque it may be to see trees, shrubs and flowers all striving 

 together for the mastery in a natural wood, yet this sort of 

 beauty is totally unsuited to scenes of art ; and however much 

 the owner may desire to see and study every tree, shrub and 

 flower, it is better to plant the surplus in a reserve border in 

 some part of the rear garden, than to destroy unity and efiect by 

 a crowding of varieties incongruously together. Another error 

 common to small gardens is the want of some leading feature of 

 special interest, such as the creating of a flower-garden proper, a 

 fountain, or rockery ; the two last named are the most difficult, 

 and require a tasteful, experienced landscape artist to execute 

 them so that they remain permanent and beautiful ornaments, 

 harmonizing with the surrounding grounds. 



The flower garden proper, as well as the floral beds, are 

 readily constructed and within the power of all. More or less 

 of these should be placed near the house so that more or less of 

 views from the windows of the house will look down upon them. 

 Various patterns for the arrangement of the beds and paths are 

 found in all works on landscape gardening, but in copying them 

 thought should be taken as to liheir adaptation to the position or 

 form of boundary in which they are to be placed. In most of 

 the plans in this work we have given specific designation of 

 what and where to plant. We will now turn to a few short 

 hints as to how to do the work in th^ forming of a new place : 



The Verge of Wtilhs and Roads should always be made as 

 inconspicuous as possible. The less the verge is elevated above 

 the walk, the less we have of harsh line to break the smoothness 

 and harmony of blending from lawn to roadway or flower-bed. 

 Some gardeners seem to think that a strong, harsh line, or verge 

 of two inches deep or more, next the path, is a mark of skill ; 

 but to our taste it is only an exhibit of mechanical labor 

 -breaking in upon the softness of Nature's own laws, which 

 always resolve into one another without any harsh or offending 

 feature. The verge to a path should rise from the path just as 

 little as possible, if even extra care have been taken to cut each 



