[The link that binds the house and the garden, though fully realized and felt, is at the same time often intangible and elusive. 
- in the G RUD E N . 
NA ate 
/| 
so 
ora 
h 
In the subtle 
union and harmony of the two elements—outdoors and indoors—with the perfect transition from the one to the other in both directions, the charm of 
the garden as a part of the home is best expressed. 
into use here. It is such subjects that will be discussed under this depart ment. 
Yet little attention has been given to the coérdination of all the things and materials that enter 
Readers who have special problems before them in connecting the 
various parts and units of the house and the garden, indoors and out, are invited to confer with this department.—Ep1T0R. | 
Roofs Seen From the Garden 
W. H. BurrerFieLp 
TANDING IN our garden and look- 
ing about us we are impressed 
with the fact that its charm is due 
to three things: its arrangement, 
form and color, the cardinal elements 
Our garden has archi- 
of all design. 
The horizontal 
line is accentuated 
by a low roof and 
rounded masses of 
foliage 
tectural accessories, several of them 
with roofs, and we are impressed anew 
how tremendously important are these 
roofs. This is true not only for the 
structures themselves, but for the gar- 
den and grounds. Their form and ar- 
rangement of parts 
with the color and 
material are in en- 
tire harmony with 
the “tout ensem- 
ble.” Perhaps 
color and material 
are secondary to 
form and arrange- 
ment but never- 
theless are mighty 
important elements 
and we shall limit 
ourselves for the 
present to their 
discussion. 
Remember that 
color in the tropics 
and color in the 
temperate zones are 
two different mat- 
ters. In the trop- 
ics nature paints 
with a full brush 
and is lavish of 
color. All growth is brilliant and spark- 
ling. In sterner climates this brilliancy 
is subdued or limited to a shorter time 
and it is necessary to consider long 
periods when the scheme is neutral or 
nearly so. In the summer, by planting, 
we are able to change color arrangements 
or keep to a certain key, but there are 
The roof material of accessory structures should conform to the main building. 
months in which grays, greens and 
sober browns predominate. For this 
reason we must be cautious of vivid 
coloring for the roofs. They are fixed 
elements and except with shingles 
change their color but slightly with the 
years. 
The planting of your garden usually 
determines some permanent color 
scheme, since shrubs and the general 
run of hardy plants are usually fixed 
elements, being supplemented from 
year to year by the annuals. Since for 
the present we are so absorbed in our 
garden we look upon the house as an 
accessory. Usually its roof is the most 
in evidence, the other roofs conforming 
to it to be harmonious. How disastrous 
it would be to have a steep pitched red 
roof on the house and flat green roofs 
on the other structures. Of course 
where the garden is situated so far 
from the house as to be an entirely sep- 
arate feature of an estate, these re- 
marks lose their force and the garden 
with all its parts is treated independ- 
ently. Being in our garden let us sup- 
pose that all the buildings were erected 
and finished but had no roofs. Shall 
we accentuate vertical or horizontal 
lines? Shall we terminate a broad level 
expanse with height or keep the hori- 
zontal feeling? This is more or less 
working backward but it explains the 
point. The roof of the main house de- 
termines the others, but the main house 
247 
1 Shingles offer certain advan- 
tages in texture and can be had of any color by the use of suitable stains 
is usually given a roof to fit its style of 
architecture and very seldom is the gar- 
den considered. 
In selecting the color think of what 
permanent note you wish to introduce. 
How much roof expanse have you and 
where does it come in the garden? Are 
the roofs seen in juxtaposition with the 
spaces allotted to the annuals where the 
In this case per- 
pendicular lines 
are emphasized to 
give height 
color is apt to change from year to year, 
or is it in close relation with trees and 
shrubs where the change is to the neu- 
tral colors of late autumn and winter? 
Are these questions often considered in 
the average small garden? They are 
important. Per- 
haps there are only 
the house and the 
garage roofs to 
determine but they 
are just as impor- 
tant to the garden 
as if there were ca- 
sinos, playhouses, 
exedras or the like. 
A roof lighter in 
color than the 
walls which sup- 
port it is never a 
pleasant sight. A 
roof should look 
solid enough to 
stay with the 
building, but not 
top heavy, and it 
is usually the color 
that makes for the 
former a_ virtue, 
while the shape 
gives the latter a 
fault. I have seen some very fine 
houses in rather darkish brick which 
were utterly ruined by having roofs so 
light in color that they were absolutely 
lost against the sky and the houses had 
the effect of solid masonry with paper 
roofs. This leads to the general rule: 
the lighter the walls the lighter the roof. 
