GARDEN DESIGN. 



565 



of the genius of any site before it is quite certain that the said genius 

 is well disposed towards horticulture. Such is no more necessarily 

 the case than that the benevolence of Nature towards the desires 

 of the garden designer can always be taken for granted. Left to 

 herself, Nature will ruin any garden, and sometimes she will only 

 give her assistance under conditions entirely opposite to those 

 she exercises locally. For instance, the ruling spirit in many exposed 

 sites is a lusty wind, which must be checked in its force before success 

 can be hoped for. This may necessitate a form of garden entirely 

 opposed to local conditions and in defiance of the genius of the place. 



It has been said that the vitality of garden art springs from the 

 continual exercise it affords for the imagination. Many people, 

 nevertheless, expect to find in a standard work on garden design some 

 written formula for the solution of every problem. Without decrying 

 in any way the great value of existing garden literature, one can safely 

 say that every garden which is to possess real character offers one 

 problem at least which is peculiar to itself and must be solved on its 

 own merits. Directly a master work is published which will teach 

 everybody to make the most of every conceivable situation, the day 

 of the landscape gardener will be over. 



Imagination, however, will work more freely if all information 

 that is available can be reduced to some serviceable order. One should 

 therefore adopt systematic methods as far as possible and follow a 

 logical sequence of ideas, either in the planning of a new garden or 

 the re-modelling of an old one. 



At the outset the temptation to make a place pretty should be 

 postponed. Mere prettiness may always be applied to any well- 

 conceived plan in a series of finishing touches. There are few places 

 so badly planned that this is impossible. 



Every problem shou]d be solved ultimately on the basis of 

 simple common sense. 



Art has been defined as the acme of common sense, and, properly 

 exercised, these respective aims will rarely come into conflict. Com- 

 promise will always play the principal part in the arrangement of 

 every garden, even though it is necessary to adhere consistently to 

 the principles to which most importance is attached. If side issues 

 are permitted to gain precedence over original intentions, weakness 

 and lack of individuality are a sure consequence. A garden that 

 pretends to satisfy every critic is as little likely to succeed as an 

 individual who attempts such an impossible task. 



Before deciding upon the principles that are to be deemed decisive 

 in any particular case, it is well to tabulate all the information available. 



In the first place a plan is needed giving full information as to 

 existing conditions on the site, and marking the position of all 

 buildings erected or proposed, trees and other features, together with 

 contours and levels. 



If the house has already been built we shall assume that the position 

 has been fixed by a process of compromise between the various claims 



