INTRODUCTION 



pHE pleasures of gardening and the enjoyment of the beauties of 

 nature have been favorite subjects with the writers of all ages, so 

 that fortunately we have their descriptions by which to trace the 

 history of the art of gardening ; for nature, whether uncon- 

 trolled, or whether composed and arranged by man, carries 

 within it the elements of constant change. But although 

 gardens themselves are not permanent, may be changed, and must, in time, fall into 

 ruin, each new designer leaves behind him some result as a legacy to those who 

 follow ; and because of this constant evolution it is interesting to trace the in- 

 fluences that have affected the art of garden design in America. 



The gardens, of America necessarily differ from those of other countries, 

 owing to a different climate, and to different manners ^ and customs from those 

 which prevailed when the most famous typical gardens of the Old World were 

 laid out. Indeed the distinctive charm of our native gardens is due to the very 

 fact that they are adapted to our needs and our surroundings. We have given 

 them an American character, and yet have preserved many of the elements and 

 followed many of the principles that have been developed in other lands by 

 jp&nttrries of garden building, y 



In following the history and tracing the origin of these principles and 

 elements we must consider the garden as a work created by man. Much of 

 its charm will always be due to the accidental and the unexpected, but nature 

 must be influenced or controlled, otherwise, though the effect may be artistic, 

 the result is not a work of art. When man first attempted to control natural 

 scenery, to combine flowers, trees, and cultivated fields so as to produce an 

 aesthetic effect, and when he rearranged existing natural forms with a desire to 

 create new beauties, then gardening became an art. Till that time the gardener 

 had not necessarily practised the art of gardening; that is to say, his labors 

 were utilitarian; and it is not utilitarian gardening, except in so far as it may be 

 combined with the decorative, that we have to consider, but that which tends 

 to beautify our surroundings and supplements man's handiwork by adorning it 

 with the beauties of nature. V 



Who the first gardener was we do not know, but we can trace the art 

 down through the history of civilization, and follow its 'development as surely 

 as that of the art of building. The line of descent, if long, is direct, the transi- 

 tion from cause to effect is easy to follow, and the influences of manners, customs. 



