The Garden Magazine, February, 1922 



303 



WHERE LOWLY LITTLE PLANTS MAY DISPLAY THEIR BEAUTY 



F. A. Salter, Photo. 



The gray, unyielding surface of great stones serves to accentuate the brilliant, airy beauty of many a flower which finds 

 itself lost among a crowd of more showy competitors in the ordinary garden. (Mrs. Chanler's garden, Tuxedo Park, N. Y.) 



I know a place in Westchester where it forms a close green mass 

 of leaves eight or ten inches high under the dense shade of 

 Pines, the light green making a pleasing contrast to the dark 

 green needles of the trees above. The variety variegatum is 

 equally rampant in its growth, but (like all variegated and 

 colored foliage) is more difficult to combine with other plants 

 than the natural form. 



If one is not fortunate enough to own a rocky hillside and 

 wishes a more naturalistic setting than a border planting, it is 

 possible even on a small lot to make a little garden with some 

 rocks and plants that are not too gardenesque. The introduc- 

 tion of a pool, if carefully placed, will give scale to the design 

 which must from necessity be rather miniature. It is best to 

 select a spot that is screened from the rest of the grounds by 

 shrubs or small growing trees, the planting material depending 

 upon the space that is to be occupied. On the side toward the 

 house or more formal part of the ground I would use the more 

 floral shrubs as Lilac, Philadelphus,and Spirea, letting the native 

 shrubs from the woods like Viburnums, Flowering Dogwoods, 

 Azaleas or Rhododendron, face the little garden. 



Seclusion and Surprise 



A ROCK or naturalistic garden should never obtrude on the 

 passerby. The very name suggests seclusion. I have 

 seen areas where the arrangement of rocks, water, and plants was 



most admirable, but all screen planting had been omitted, leav- 

 ing it open to the dust of a sunny street, in the evident desire 

 that the world outside might enjoy this bit of mountain scenery, 

 making a really beautiful spot unattractive and even unsightly 

 by its incongruous setting. Every garden should be designed 

 in relation to its surroundings, and if the final result does not 

 make a pleasing picture, the attempt has been a failure. 



Harmony should be the keynote of all garden design, sudden 

 transitions from formal to naturalistic surroundings are un- 

 pleasant. To step directly from the porch of a Colonial house 

 into a garden which strives for naturalistic effect is extremely 

 displeasing to the true nature lover. Every house and lot is a 

 separate problem in planting design and arrangement: the 

 picturesque house on uneven land with outcropping rocks call- 

 ing for a more naturalistic treatment than the house following 

 Georgian or Colonial precedent on a level lot. Sometimes, even 

 in the latter case, the transition can be brought about by a few 

 well placed shrubs and dwarf growing trees which screen a dell 

 where a little rock garden can be indulged in, but restraint 

 must be the keynote. 



If there are no rocks or natural ledges on the ground and the 

 stones must be brought in from outside, great care should be 

 taken in their selection. Newly quarried rock with sharp edges 

 and pointed profile is difficult to place and apt to give the ap- 

 pearance of a dog cemetery, reminding us of our departed 



