Choosing a Site for the Garden — By w. s. Rogers 



YOU CAN SAVE YOURSELF A LOT OF BITTER DISAPPOINTMENTS BY CAREFULLY CONSIDERING THE 

 QUESTIONS OF SUNSHINE AND SHADE BEFORE STARTING A GARDEN — THE IMPORTANCE OF ASPECT 



SUNSHINE is the main thing to con- 

 sider in selecting a garden site. With 

 a house facing south it is not possible to 

 avoid a considerable shadow from the house 

 itself. A garden surrounded by a high wall 

 also will have the disadvantage of the wall 

 shadows on the south boundaries. Gales 

 from the west and southwest are often very 

 destructive to trees and plants by reason of 

 their force alone. On the other hand, the 

 cold winds from the north, northeast, and 

 east do damage by their low tempera- 

 ture and dryness, "cutting" and destroying 

 young growth. 



The ideal site for a country plot, there- 

 fore, is one open to the south, and prefera- 

 bly sloping slightly in that direction, partly 

 sheltered by higher ground or trees to the 

 west and southwest, and. wholly sheltered 

 to the north and northeast. 



Another point is the dryness of the soil, 

 which is intimately connected with its tem- 

 perature. The warmth of a site, other 

 things being equal, is influenced by the 

 nature of the soil. The coldness of a damp 

 site is due to the absorption of heat resulting 

 from evaporation. 



The following table, compiled by Schiibler, 

 shows the relative heat-absorbing capaci- 

 ties of various soils, assuming loo as the 

 standard: 



Sand with some lime loo. 



Pure sand 95-6 



Light clay 76.9 



Heavy clay 71. i 



Brick-earth 68.4 



Chalk 61.8 



Humus 49.0 



Individual tastes differ greatly. One 

 person may desire seclusion, and on that 

 account may prefer his small domain cir- 

 cumscribed by natural limits to the \dew; 

 another may value the panoramic prospect 

 to be obtained from an eminence. 



In all cases the proximity of an eyesore 

 in the immediate surroundings is to be 

 avoided. Ugly buildings, waste land scat- 

 tered with rubbish, small property inhabited 

 by undesirable people, a cemetery, a laundry, 

 should disqualify an otherwise desirable 

 site, unless it were feasible to screen those 

 objects. 



A house perched upon a hilltop, or in 

 the centre of a treeless field, has a bleak, 

 forbidding aspect, which it may take many 

 years to redeem. The presence of old 

 hedgerows and bushes should be welcomed, 

 as it is often possible to utiUze them in the 

 garden scheme. 



The contour of the ground is important. 

 Sites, particularly small ones which embrace 

 considerable slopes, are disappointing, and 

 present difficulties to the gardener. On 

 the other hand, variety of contour is a gain, 

 offering many suggestions for picturesque 

 treatment. A uniform slope, if in a southern 

 direction and slight, is preferable to a dead 



level, as it insures natural drainage; unless 

 a tennis lawn is a sine qua non. 



Try to fix provisionally the position for 

 the house, which in most cases will be 

 suggested by the lay of the ground and by 

 its aspect. Endeavor to form a mental 

 picture of the main elements of the garden, 

 giving due weight to the natural features of 

 the ground and its surroundings. 



In a comparatively small plot the process 

 will be simple. In a large plot the matter 

 may involve more difficulty, as alternative 

 positions for the house will suggest them- 

 selves. 



In forming a judgment on the suitability 

 of a site for gardening purposes it is essen- 

 tial to ascertain the nature not only of the 

 surface or "top-spit," but of the subsoil. 

 This can only be done by having a trench 

 dug, say at least four feet deep. If the plot 

 is of considerable extent a series of trenches 

 should be opened out at various points; 

 because soils, and subsoils particularly, may 

 vary even within the comparatively restricted 

 limits of a garden site. The surface soil 

 is not always very closely related to the 

 subsoil. 



A stiff clay subsoil is to be avoided, as 

 it is not amenable to effective drainage. 

 Sand, gravel, chalk, or loose marl are pre- 

 ferable to clay soils, but where clay and sand 

 are found in admixture, the condition would 

 not preclude good gardening — indeed, the 

 rose-grower would find a soil of this descrip- 

 tion one of the best for his particular purpose. 



The dryness of a site depends mainly 

 upon the facility with which the rain-water 

 can percolate through the soil and the dis- 

 tance from the surface water. Clay is 

 impervious to water, and consequently, 

 when a layer of this material is found near 

 the surface, the surface soil will be either 

 waterlogged or baked to dryness, according 

 to weather and rainfall. 



A gravelly soil of considerable depth on 

 a gentle slope, all things considered, is the 



^ 



Shadow tracings of house and garden avails, dis- 

 tinguishing full shadow from partial shadow by 

 the depth of shading 



64 



best, as such a soil is drained naturally. If 

 topped with good loam, with not too Hberal 

 an admixture of stones, it is an ideal one 

 for the gardener. A chalky subsoil is not 

 objectionable, provided the surface soil has 

 sufficient depth to admit of proper tillage. 



Soils overlying rocky formations must be 

 judged by their quaKty and depth. When 

 the surface soil is shallow, and the rock 

 impervious to water, they suffer from the 

 same disabilities as stiff clay land. 



The presence of stones in the surface soil, 

 generally associated with a gravelly sub- 

 soil, but almost as frequently with chalk, 

 is no great detriment. On sloping ground 

 the stones will be found in greater quantity 

 at the lower levels, particularly if the land 

 has been in cultivation. 



Light sandy soils suffer from drought, 

 and need to be heavily manured. 



Light soils may be treated with clay or 

 brick-earth, and clay soils with sand, ashes, 

 and other light porous materials. The 

 surface layer may thus be modified and 

 rendered more amenable to tillage; but no 

 treatment of the surface uill meet the case 

 if the subsoil is unsuitable. Select a site on 

 which the soil is neither too heavy nor too 

 light. _ 



Avoid made-ground, the composition of 

 which may be anything from gas-lime to 

 meat-cans. Peat land does not constitute 

 a good site, because the existence of peat 

 implies waterlogging. Drainage, however, 

 may be effectual in converting it into a good 

 garden, always pro\'ided that the nature 

 of the subsoil permits of draining it 

 thoroughly. 



Land which has recently been in cultiva- 

 tion, either as arable or garden ground, is 

 in most cases preferable to pasture because 

 it has a greater depth of surface soil, and 

 constant working and manuring have brought 

 it to the best consistency. 



On the other hand, a pasture has certain 

 advantages. There may be some additional 

 labor needed to bring the soil into working 

 condition, but it may be possible to preser\'e 

 part of the pasture as grass, and thus avoid 

 the necessity for turfing or sowing. 



In small gardens the question of aspect 

 is perhaps the most important factor for 

 the gardener to consider, because the size 

 of his garden will be measured, not so much 

 by length and breadth, as by the amount of 

 space which receives full sunlight. 



The sun passes from east to west by the 

 sweep to the south. Thus the north side 

 of houses, trees, and other fixed objects 

 receives absolutely no sunshine, whilst the 

 east and west sides receive sun only in the 

 morning and evening. 



A south aspect implies that flowers can 

 be grown only in the front yard. An east 

 or west aspect will give a shady strip on 

 the south or north side of the house. 



I 



