245 GARDENS: THEIR FORM AND DESIGN 



In the distance are beautiful views of soft rounded hills, 

 across which changing shadows float. But near the 

 house there is no simplicity of design, and consequently 

 restfulness is wanting. It is just a patchwork, where 

 people have said: "This corner will do for a trellis 

 archway ; we must have a pergola too, so let us put it 

 over there." 



Upon reflection, there is no good reason for either of 

 these features being in the places allotted to them. The 

 pergola leads to a stubble-field^ the archway opens on to 

 arf ugly-shaped circular sweep of gravel drive and stands 

 up solitary and meaningless, free of any supporting hedge 

 or fence. 



The first essential with such a place is to endeavour to 

 hide or soften the harsh whiteness of the ugly house by 

 growing pretty graceful creepers up it. Then, well- 

 thought-out groups of flowering shrubs can be arranged to 

 break, in a measure, the monotonous stretch of square wall. 

 Lilacs, hollies, buddleia, all will help. The circular drive 

 and winding, irresponsible walks, which lead to nowhere 

 special but deviate as much as they can, must give place 

 to more purposeful, direct ones. In short, near the house, 

 the style will be formal, the beds and general lines will 

 follow in harmony the lines of the house. We cannot pull 

 the ugly building down and put a fine one in its place ; 

 therefore the garden craftsman has to do his best to soften 

 its defects. 



The rose-garden, arranged in the clearing of a wood, 

 with a wide central grass-walk leading down the hill, is 

 perhaps the dawn of some better inspiration. It fails 

 because there is no definite object at the end, and only a 

 wayside quick-hedge and then the high-road terminate it. 

 The greatest evil, though, is a newly made bank which 

 outlines the lawn-tennis ground. It is planted with 

 different varieties of berberis, and the soil beneath them, 



