TASTE AND TACT IN ARRANGING HOME AND OTHER 

 ^.^^^ GROUNDS— XV. 



C»#SMi^lHE SUBJECT of our study this 

 ffif^ ^ hillside home in 



P''^;;:'-<A^^Sj?^^ New Haven county, Connecti- 

 V\:;;^^W^i cut. The garden is somewhat 



^^^^^/^^ less than an acre in extent, the 

 street frontage on the two an- 

 gles being 265 feet. The further part of the place 

 (at the top in the engravings, pages 4 and 5) is the 

 highest and is quite rocky ; otherwise the soil is 

 somewhat heavy, but not too heavy to be good 

 when fairly tilled. The general features of this 

 place are set forth in Fig. i, and certain improve- 

 ments of which it would be susceptible in Fig. 2. 

 Let us note these diagrams, with a view to drawing 

 certain lessons therefrom, while suggesting aid to 

 our correspondent in his laudable effort to make 

 his home surroundings more beautiful. 



The present fault of the place, as the owner perceives, 

 is the lack of interesting garden features, with a corres- 

 ponding poverty of embellishing materials. When na- 

 ture has been so lavish in providing beautiful hardy 

 trees, shrubs, vines and plants suitable for introduction 

 into our home grounds, who could feel content that his 

 home should be so bare of handsome garden qualities ? 

 Having only one life to live, why should not every one 

 desire to render home the dearest spot on earth — home, 

 a veritable Paradise, so far as in him lies, when nature 

 is so free with her offerings to such an end. 



That our correspondent appreciates the effects which 

 easy curves in the walks may impart to a garden, is evi- 

 dent from his having introduced some of them in his 

 own original plan of the place. That the effect created 

 is not all he desired, may be explained on the ground 

 that he did not duly appreciate the fact that the several 

 arms of the main forked walk should vary somewhat in 

 their relative strength and courses. It will be noticed 

 that the change from Fig. i to Fig. 2 in this particular 

 is not very marked, and yet it is sufficient entirely to 

 change for the better the aspect of the paths directly in 

 the rear of the house. A more striking example of the 

 fine effect of slight variations in the course of garden 

 lines could hardly be desired. If it be claimed that the 

 improved walk will suffer somewhat in the directions of 

 its course from the dwelling to the rear buildings, it 

 may be answered that such loss is extremely slight, and 

 is much more than compensated for in the increased 

 beauty of this portion of the garden. It would be un- 

 reasonable to expect so much beauty without some 

 triflifig cost, either in the way of indirectness of course 

 or otherwise. 



In the continuation of the walk system to the front of 

 the house and to the street, the improvement from the 

 original arrangement to the one suggested may be equal- 

 ly marked. And yet how simple is the change indi- 

 cated ! It would be the mere introduction of a greater 

 distance between the extremes at the street (2 2), and 

 giving up the straight right-hand walk of Fig. 1, for the 

 gracefully curved walk of Fig. 2, with the effect of im- 

 parting an air of breadth to the small lawn in front of 

 the house, where, of all places, it counts the most for 

 general good appearance. The getting rid of the angles 

 in the walk immediately back of the house, substituting 

 rounded turns therefor, impresses one as a decided gain. 

 It would be changing a stiff, cramped, angular style for 

 one marked by grace and beauty. 



The improved appearance to be effected in front of 

 the house is equally true of other parts of the tract, out- 

 side of the fruit and vegetable garden. By swinging 

 the walk in the rear of the house but slightly to the left, 

 the encroachment thereby on the parts about the outhouse 

 (11) can cause no loss in appearance here, while such 

 change of course may lead to the creation of what would 

 at once be the boldest and handsomest single grass-plat on 

 the place — that lying northerly from the dwelling. This 

 plat may possess an air of dignity and freedom that will 

 contribute character to the entire garden. It would be 

 the one feature that would forever free the place from 

 the charge of fussiness or lack of repose, consequent 

 on the introduction of a large variety of garden mate- 

 rials within a one-acre tract. If that part towards the 

 street from the poultry-house is somewhat limited by 

 the walk and the plantations, the extension northwards is 

 marked by a strong degree of freedom and naturalness. 



It is the principle of introducing certain bold lawn 

 areas, involving some extended vistas and coupling with 

 them considerable elaborateness in the working out of 

 minor details of planting trees, shrubs and flowers in 

 large variety, which brings about that always surprising 

 quality of a fine garden — namely, the appearance of 

 greatly increased size. Were our correspondent to adopt 

 this plan even gradually, no one thing would give greater 

 satisfaction than the agreeable deceit presented by a 

 garden seemingly several times its actual size. 



Let us now consider the introduction of trees and 

 other embellishing materials somewhat in detail, as set 

 forth by the diagram, Fig. 2. In this, i represents the 

 dwelling ; 2-2 the walks from the street ; 3 the front 

 lawn. Suppose that for trees on this conspicuous lawn two 

 lindens of the same kind, say the European linden, and 

 two sugar or Norway maples, be planted. In the same 

 area some masses of sbtubbery might be set towards 



