Window Pictures 
may look as though grown and trimmed on the spot. 
It should be remembered that an evergreen trimmed to 
the shape of a bird is quaint and characteristic of a 
certain type of old garden but possesses no zesthetic 
beauty of its own. Where the lines are so essentially 
rigid it would do well to allow a little more freedom to 
the vegetation. One other point in which this design 
is weak is that it does not keep sufficiently in mind the 
views from the window ; at least, there is no deliberate 
arrangement of any garden pictures therefrom. The 
garden as seen from the drawing-room would be 
exactly that seen from the dining-room. It is best to 
avoid this if possible to do it without overcrowding. 
The garden is often seen more from the windows than 
from outside the house, and each window should have 
its own little picture. 
In this latter respect the plan by Mr. H. Row- 
botham is much more successful ; each window has its 
separate picture. The principal criticism on this 
design at the time it was considered by the judges was 
that it was too much cut up, and would in practice have 
a somewhat spotty effect. Moreover, the position of 
the herb garden so restricts the possibilities of the suc- 
cessful development of the front garden that it would 
have been better left out. The planting of a hedge 
round the herb garden, as shown in the plan, would, 
moreover, rather spoil the architectural balance of the 
house. Another failing that could be easily remedied 
in practice is that there are several paths that take one 
directly away from the house without giving the oppor- 
tunity of going back to it by another way. A path 
that ends in itself is always objectionable. 
E 49 
