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viburnums, and the like, will thrive in a crowded hedgerow, where the hemlock 

 and the other evergreens will furnish an ideal background for the color of the dog- 

 wood and of the other spring flowers and fall fruit. Bittersweet and other fruit- 

 ing vines may ramble over the hedges, draping and decorating them with varied 

 efEects during the passing seasons. Even if one begrudges ten or fifteen feet of 

 width for boundary hedges, the birds will appreciate them. In the open country, 

 an enclosed cottage garden becomes a veritable sanctuary for birdlife. 



If, for hedges, those plants are selected which do not root too vigorously, no 

 trouble will be found in growing other plants close to them. Of course it is 

 necessary to provide plenty of good soil for the hedge as well as for the plants of 

 the garden, else the hedges will extend their roots to the garden. Paths are de- 

 sirable along all hedges, especially while the hedges are young, as better light is 

 thus afforded their lower branches and density is encouraged where it is most 

 needed. Furthermore, such paths will allow space into which the hedge may 

 spread, and since aU plants have strict limits concerning the width required for 

 any height, the hedges cannot be trimmed too narrow, lest the lower branches 

 die. Interior hedges need not be so high, of course, depending only on the 

 eflfects desired. But in every respect, the effective barrier seems essential. 



It is evident that some pavement must be provided about the house from which 

 it is possible to enjoy the gardens. Adjoining this pavement, the gardens may 

 be somewhat lower-growing and, perhaps, better dressed. It is not considered 

 necessary, however, or in most cases even desirable, to have the garden walks 

 related in any conventional manner to this pavement, which is usually on the 

 same level as the garden. Nevertheless, there will always be exceptions, and at 

 times it may be desirable to have more openness through the garden on the axis 

 of the house. It cannot be definitely affirmed that regularity of the paths or of 

 the size or shape of garden plots is either good or bad, as that which is suitable 

 depends entirely on the conditions governing each situation. Irregularity of 

 the paths and -a decided variation in the size of the plots will in many cases look 

 best and also be more convenient for the arrangement of the plants. Some old 

 gardens look as though the plants had been arranged first and the paths subse- 

 quently arranged about them. Some plants do best in large masses, and others, 

 with a tendency to spread and become a nuisance, may be more easily confined 

 m small plots that are circumscribed by paths. Sometimes greater interest may 

 be afforded small garden areas if, because of the irregularity of the walks, but 

 little of the garden is at any one time disclosed. Walks may be grassed, sanded, 

 gravelled, or even paved in some manner. The surface should not appear to 

 be expensive, but should be unostentatious and made of local material. The 

 necessity for pavement is felt to exist principally near the cottage; and while any 

 pavement should have a simple aspect, it should also be practical for the uses for 

 which it is primarily intended. 



Lawns of ample dimensions do not seem to be necessary for small homes in 

 ehe country. Children will always prefer to play in the fields and woods, where 

 they may be free from restraint and where there is hkewise ample freedom for the 

 txercise of their imagination. A modest home in the country may comprise 

 sufficient land for a small orchard or a meadow, or even for both, and this will 

 furnish the necessary playground and one far better than a lawn. With open 

 land all about, the need for an expression of spaciousness within the limits of the 



