May, 19 13 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



245 



Fig. 1. Vista of Rideau River, from Mr. White's 

 front yard, over a four-foot fence covered with 

 vines. Phlox in bloom 



and banks covered with weeds and cans. 

 It is impossible to hide all this in a city, but 

 along one side of Mr. White's property 

 there is a row of trees which screens some 

 of the worst features, while leaving open 

 the pretty glimpse you see in Fig. i. 



Another unsightly object on adjacent 

 property is the barn at the rear (Fig. 2). 

 Luckily the tall poplars on the next lot 

 distract attention somewhat from the 

 ugliness they cannot hide. The worst vines 

 for such a building are ampelopsis, Eng- 

 lish ivy, trumpet creeper and the like, 

 because they are wood destroyers, and 

 also because they are close dingers — 

 emphasizing, instead of hiding every ugly 

 line. The best vines are loose growing 



ones, like Virginia creeper, which have the 

 power not merely of hiding ugliness but 

 also of transmitting it into beauty. In this 

 instance Mr. White has done the best he 

 could by planting tall shrubbery. 



2. Protection. A garden that is full of 

 flowers must be protected from animals 

 and therefore there is a fence around this 

 property. Between the lot and the river 

 is a public walk which runs along the top 

 of the bank, and this walk is screened by a 

 wire fence four feet high which is covered 

 with wild clematis and Virginia creeper. 

 The vines add to the effective height of 

 the fence, hide the weed bank and wall 

 from the yard, and give a certain amount of 

 privacy, while permitting passers by a 

 glimpse of the front yard. 



3. Vistas. Although this lot comprises 

 only an eighth of an acre, or thereabouts, it 

 has four fine vistas. The thing everyone 

 should think of is the view of his own house 

 as seen from the point where it first appears 

 to the visitor. Fig. 4 shows the view 

 from the street, or rather from a point 

 just inside the gate. Ideally, only one 

 house should be seen, but in cities we cannot 

 control these matters. 



The next vista which everyone should 

 consider is the view from the house toward 

 the street. The worst thing one can see 

 is the street itself, with all its traffic, dirt, 

 and noise. One of the best things one can 

 see from the front of the house is a private 

 garden. The view from Mr. White's front 

 porch is even better than Fig. 5 because it 

 shows more lawn and more flowers. 



A third vista is from the front yard down 

 to the water, as in Fig. 1. Many people 

 fondly imagine that the finest view is the 

 broadest. But if you leave one whole side 

 of your property open in order to get a big 

 view, nuisances will certainly come along 

 and spoil it. 



The fourth and last of the main vistas 

 at Mr. White's is that of the back yard. 

 Fig. 2 gives some idea of it, but the back 



Fig. 2. Barn has been partly screened by sumach 

 and spirea. Poplars help to distract attention. This 

 back yard has been made into a rock garden 



yard is almost fifty feet deep and rises very 

 steeply. The whole thing is a rock garden. 



4. Lawn and borders. The best thing 

 any one can do is to have an open, central 

 lawn, flanked by irregular borders of trees 

 and shrubs. Such an arrangement is ten 

 times as satisfactory as the common way 

 of scattering plants over a lawn. The 

 scattering style is undoubtedly showier,, 

 but it is a lower order of taste. The open 

 lawn is more dignified, restful, and cheaper 

 to maintain. Mr. White has even more lawn 

 than appears in Figs. 3, and 5. The borders 

 are not ideal, for irregular borders of shrub- 

 bery would be more permanent and nature- 

 like than straight rows of flowers. 



Notice, too, the rich uniform lawn, free 



Fig. 3. The side yard garden is filled with phlox, perennial larkspurs, tiger Fig. 4. The home of Mr. G. A. White. Ottawa, Ont.. from the street, sug- 

 lilies, etc., Arch of Virginia creeper gesting the open lawn, the double border of perennial flowers lining the walk 



