DESIGX FOR GAR DEIS*. 



27 



give a great variety of designs for the flower-garden. To 

 those that require such, some intelligent landscape gar- 

 dener should be consulted. Intelligent, I say, for nine 

 out of ten that pretend to be landscape gardeners are 

 not ; but consult a man able to draw a neat design, for 

 if he cannot do that he is not a very safe person to be 

 intrusted with the working out of the plan of another. 

 You are careful to ascertain that the architect for your 

 house is a man of education and intelligence before you 

 entrust yourself in his hands, but when it comes to de- 

 signing the lawn and flower-grounds, the veriest bog- 

 trotter, who styles himself a " landscaper," is too often 

 allowed to display his "art," and at the same time make 

 you ridiculous. Rest assured that if such a pretender 

 has not had ambition enough to become fairly well in- 

 structed, he is not likely to show much taste in design- 

 ing your grounds. 



The design, (fig. 6), shows an area of 200 feet by 350, 

 or a plot of nearly two acres, about one-third of the 

 whole facing the street, is used for flower-garden and for 

 dwelling, the two-thirds in the rear for fruit and vegeta- 

 ble grounds. There is a point in this sketch, to which I 

 wish to call attention, as it is one too often lost sight of ; 

 the flower-garden and lawn face the street, while the fruit 

 and vegetable grounds are at the rear ; the view of these 

 from the street is shut out upon one side by a screen or 

 tall hedge of evergreens, H, and upon the other by a 

 curvilinear glass structure, G, which may be used either 

 as a grapery or a greenhouse. The walk, w, passes on 

 each side of the house to connect with other walks at the 

 rear ; the beds, F, may be planted in ribbon lines either 

 with flowering plants or those with brilliant and strongly 

 contrasting foliage. The flower-beds, f, each side of the 

 entrance near the front, may be made of any form that 

 may be preferred ; a simple circle planted as suggested 

 in the next chapter, will produce a good effect, and be 



