18 THE BOOK OF GARDEN DESIGN 
realised in the majority of cases! Dull, gloomy ever- 
greens are used almost exclusively in the orthodox small 
garden, and never a thought is given to the host of fine 
deciduous trees, many of which are supremely lovely. 
The nurseryman has learnt by experience the few stereo- 
typed evergreens which are most in demand, and he 
stocks these, and these only, so that the casual purchaser 
is led to believe that the list of trees and shrubs suitable 
for English gardens is very limited. For screening off 
unsightly corners evergreens are of the highest value, 
but on the margins of lawns, and for lending interest to 
mixed plantations, the designer would do well to intro- 
duce the flowering shrubs, of which a list is given later 
in the book, 
Anything approaching eccentricity is to be avoided in 
the designing of gardens, as is also any scheme which 
partakes of the nature of a sham. We all know with 
what eagerness the Bank-holiday crowd approaches 
counterfeit ruins, trees which squirt water from their 
branches, or figures of men and animals cut out of 
living box and yew, but such follies are beneath the 
consideration of the true garden lover. After all, the 
pleasure grounds are primarily intended for the owner 
and his family, and nothing becomes more stupid and 
pointless on closer acquaintance than these inane pranks, 
of which there are hundreds of examples throughout 
the country. For the same reason, the making of sur- 
prises, as the sudden revealing of unsuspected features 
in the garden scene must always be considered as 
evidences of debased taste, the prostituting of a beautiful 
art, for the sake of securing a momentary exclamation of 
astonishment on the part of an ignorant visitor. A cer- 
tain amount of mystery is sometimes justifiable, and 
there should always be afforded ample inducement for 
closer inspection of Nature’s beauties, but when it is 
evident that the designer’s sole idea in creating a certain 
