Introduction 
employ their own energies, and by carrying out much 
of the necessary work themselves save the cost of a 
labourer, but their time was not included in the cost. 
Perhaps it will be well to emphasize this point, that 
the competition was designed essentially for the benefit 
of those who garden for themselves. No effort was 
made to encourage the ‘development of costly, though 
perchance beautiful, ideas that involved great initial 
expense and a permanent maintenance cost higher 
than was warranted by the size of site, class of house, 
and its probable occupants. Nevertheless, this is not 
to say that many of those features of design and orna- 
ment that give character and esthetic charm to large 
gardens were to be excluded. Indeed, it will be found 
on looking through the following pages that there are 
many pretty ideas suggested, that although they would 
be quite successful on a small scale, could easily be 
elaborated and developed to suit gardens of much 
greater extent. There is this in gardening, that the 
greater may always learn from the lesser ; and though 
the cottage garden may be contemptible in size when 
compared with that surrounding the neighbouring 
mansion, it is so often a more affectionately, and there- 
fore carefully and intimately, developed handiwork, 
that the greater garden can take many lessons there- 
from. 
There is this also in gardening, that dogmatic prin- 
ciples have no place. Gardening is an individualistic 
pursuit, and a free art. It gives the fullest expression 
to the aesthetic aspirations of its owner, sometimes in a 
far more intimate association with that owner’s ideals 
than is possible in artistic endeavour generally. 
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