THE PLANNING AND PLANTING 
OF LITTLE GARDENS 
CHAPTER I 
INTRODUCTION —SOME REMARKS ON THE 
AIMS AND OBJECTS OF GARDEN DESIGN— 
OBJECTS OF THE “LITTLE GARDEN PLAN- 
NING COMPETITION” 
‘“‘WE ascribe beauty to that which is simple ; which 
has no superfluous parts ; which exactly answers its 
end ; which stands related to all things ; which is the 
mean of many extremes.’’ So wrote Emerson, with 
perhaps no dream of gardens in his philosophy. Never- 
theless, in these words he gives expression to one of 
the most important principles governing successful 
garden design—Simplicity. 
It might be argued from this premise that the less 
there is of design in a garden the more nearly it attains 
the ideal. That is to say, that a rectangular plot of 
ground with a house placed on it is satisfactory when 
surrounded by the usual severe narrow borders and 
gravel paths that conform exactly to the lines and 
angles formed by the fences enclosing it. 
That this is what many people, notably suburban 
builders, really think is evidenced by the type of gar- 
den effort (or, rather, no effort) prevailing throughout 
the length and breadth of the land. And are they 
B 
