The Villa Garden. 637 
and to make up the flower-beds, than to try to make anything 
grow in it without mending, for the loss of plants by death, to 
say nothing of the loss of time, would soon exceed the cost of 
a few tons of mould. 
The principal and first thing for consideration is the general 
plan of the garden. Of course this would depend upon a 
number of circumstances, such as size, position of the front 
of the house with regard to the public road, whether it is to be 
a detached or semi-detached house, or one of a block of houses 
with means of exit on both sides, etc. As a rule, the south or 
west aspect is preferred for the front of a house, and conse- 
quently the flower garden or the principal part of it would be 
between the house and the main road, or the back of the house 
towards the road. We will take a detached house standing in 
grounds about half an acre in extent, and facing south or west, 
as the case may be, towards the main road. A portion of the 
ground at the back of the house is usually set apart for grow- 
ing a little fruit and a few vegetables, and the remainder, with 
that in front and at the sides, is devoted to flowers and shrubs. 
There will be sufficient space for a carriage-road in to the front 
door on one side, and a secluded pathway to the back door on 
the other, and a conservatory might be erected against the 
south or west end of the house. But all these are details that 
cannot be fixed for any one to act upon, as the local circum- 
stances, surrounding premises, and tastes of owners, are as diffe- 
rent as the number of places. The main thing is to make the 
most of the site by properly planning out the ground, and 
deciding upon a design before starting, and then in selecting 
suitable plants to fill it. Shrubs with woolly or clammy 
leaves should be avoided for planting near a dusty road, and 
those, whether evergreen or deciduous, with smooth shining 
leaves preferred, as they are much more readily cleansed by a 
shower of rain. In a garden the size we have imagined, there 
would be room for a belt of shrubs, faced with mixed borders, 
around the circumference of the front garden, enclosing a lawn 
with a few small beds, and a central shrub, or vase or fountain 
and small basin, and a path past the conservatory, or west (or 
south) end of the house, to the back garden. 
The planting of shrubs and small slow-growing ornamental 
trees would depend upon the object in view, whether to make 
the garden as secluded as possible, and shut out overlooking 
neighbours, or to keep open some pleasant prospect. But 
