will it cost?" and, "how far can I aflord to go with it?" This attitude, as well as 

 the misunderstanding which causes it, is probably general. Does the average 

 person have any idea that these developments, this landscape planning, may 

 have any practical bearing, upon the usefulness, the convenience, or the value of 

 his completed home? It should be understood that grounds of limited extent may 

 be planned to be useful as well as pleasing in appearance. Also, is it not quite 

 possible that some plans are better than others? The achievement of both use- 

 fulness and beauty through careful planning is not supposed, by the average un- 

 derstanding, to lie within the scope of landscape work. 



The work of the landscape gardener or of the florist has been concerned with 

 appearances, the covering up of ugly things, the pretty arrangement of plants, 

 the making of smooth lawns, and the like. It is not generally understood that 

 good planning looks primarily to the economical use of space, and to the reason- 

 able arrangement of parts and objects which are related. A well-planned house 

 may have individual rooms of the same size as those of a poorly planned one; 

 and furthermore, the first house may contain less total floor space or less cubage 

 than the other and thus cost less because it is more compact. The well-planned 

 one would also be more convenient and better in appearance. And all this re- 

 sults from careful planning. The same principle applied to small yards will be 

 equally efiEective, and the need becomes greater as the yards become smaller. 

 But more of this later. That planning is both useful and beautifying which the 

 landscape architect aims to accomplish. 



It might be well, at this, time, to explain from whence came the name "land- 

 scape gardener." Landscape architecture has a history, and thereof this explan- 

 ation is a part. 



The term "landscape gardener" was first used about 1785 by one Sir Humphrey 

 Repton, an Englishman, who determined to become an advisor to those wishing 

 to layout or to improve their country estates. According to his explanation, the 

 word "landscape" was used to distinguish his profession from that of a gardener, 

 and also it referred to the kind of scenery to be made, namely, the reproduction 

 of the pictures of landscape painters, for the painting of rural scenes was just then 

 coming into vogue and arousing great popular interest. The fad which resulted 

 was that of having picturesque and rural scenery about houses, instead of the 

 formal gardens of old. Several gardeners had leaped into fame for their sup- 

 posed ability to make imitation rivers and picturesque, rural sr-enery, where be- 

 fore there had been such stately settings for great buildings as imposing court- 

 yards, terraces^ and fine gardens. Repton wanted to do better in the making of 

 such scenery. He stated his intention to be that of reproducing the pictures of 

 landscape painters in real scenery, or, at least, of applying their ideals to the 

 composition of scenery about the great houses of the English country estates. 

 Furthermore, in coining the title "landscape gardener," he wished to do two things 

 — namely, to distinguish himself from, and to set himself above, the gardener, 

 and to express some connection with artists, whereby he would commit himself, 

 in his work, to the study of their landscape pictures and the principles that govern- 

 ed their compositions. This was his explanation of the term as he used it, and 

 under this title he practiced his profession. 



Repton was a man of good education and of some means. His father was a 

 merchant, and this vocation the son likewise was expected to follow. He lived on 



