234 



The Garden Magazine, January, 1922 



THE front lawn area is that portion of the property that 

 your fellow townspeople see as they walk by on the street. 

 This has been made only large enough to provide a setting 

 for the house, and to bring it far enough away from the street 

 with its dust and noise. While this part is comparatively 

 simple to develop, there are enough ways of doing it to allow 

 for plenty of originality in the design. 



It is in the planning of our own private living area, however, 



shrubs, and perennials as a screen, when it is properly designed; 

 as it allows such a great latitude in the choice of material and in 

 the laying out that almost any desired effect can be secured. 

 The detail of such a border must be designed to fit the actual 

 location — it is not practical to make a plan that will be a 

 universal panacea. If it were so the matter would have been 

 settled beyond dispute long ago. 



Methods of carrying out the rough outline are also shown- 



Taking things as they are found ordinarily, the front 

 lawn must be handled with restraint, any special gar- 

 den features coming into play elsewhere on the plot 



that there are unlimited opportunities to 

 show individual skill. First we must try to 

 secure a certain amount of privacy, without 

 shutting out any fine views that we may be 

 fortunate enough to have. The plan shows 

 the places where the screens are to come 

 that will hide most of the undesirable views. 

 It is, of course, impossible to shut an objec- 

 tionable piece of landscape from sight of all 

 points of the property, so we strive to hide 

 it from the points that will be the most used. 

 These would be the piazzas, any terraces, 

 the places where we intend to put seats, etc. 

 On the specimen plan (page 235) the spots 

 that command the fine views in the distance 

 have been marked so that we will not by 

 any chance block them out. The privacy 

 can be secured by the use of hedges, trees, 

 shrubs, walls, fences, etc., and we can take 

 our choice. Whatever is used must be kept 

 in harmony with the house. The great 

 trouble with walls and hedges is that when 

 they are tall enough to hide the inside 

 from prying eyes, they are liable to be so 

 tall that they will obstruct our good views. 

 For the average place 1 know of nothing 

 that can equal the "mixed border" of trees, 









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WHERE TO PLACE THE HOUSE 



These diagrams indicate the best plac- 

 ing on the plot (where choice is open) 

 according to the aspect to get full ad- 

 vantage of sunlight in the garden 



In one with tall trees to supply the shade and 

 to act as screens; and a shrub border for 

 privacy. The good views have all been saved, 

 and several of them "framed." Two trees 

 shade the house, and three (preferably Elms) 

 the front lawn and the sidewalk. The shrub 

 border used in this plan has its outline com- 

 posed of long sweeping curves, which allow 

 it to be wider in some places than in others, 

 and give a chance to frame "surprises" in 

 some of the bays into which one cannot see 

 until directly opposite them. One should 

 be careful in planning a border of this sort 

 not to make it so large that it cramps the 

 rest of the garden. On small lots it is bet- 

 ter to have the outline of the bed a straight 

 line, and depend on the variety of material 

 used to give the best effects. 



The house is made to harmonize with its 

 surroundings by plantings near its base. 

 These are usually grouped at the corners for 

 the best effects, and may be placed so that 

 they directly touch the house or there may 

 be room left between for a path, or for the 

 air to circulate. Do not plan too many small 

 beds for the foundation planting, but rather 

 let one or two larger ones do the work. 



