﻿September, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  35 
  1 
  

  

  Something 
  Concerning 
  Driveways 
  

  

  By 
  George 
  H. 
  Miller 
  

  

  ^OADMAKING 
  is 
  commonly 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  

   the 
  work 
  of 
  the 
  engineer. 
  It 
  is 
  because 
  of 
  

   that 
  supposition 
  that 
  so 
  many 
  of 
  our 
  drives 
  

   and 
  roadways 
  in 
  parks 
  and 
  private 
  places 
  

   are 
  permanent 
  eyesores 
  to 
  the 
  traversers 
  

   and 
  so 
  unbecoming 
  to 
  their 
  locations 
  as 
  to 
  

   render 
  the 
  best 
  treatment 
  of 
  adjoining 
  

   grounds 
  impossible. 
  The 
  temperament 
  of 
  the 
  successful 
  

   engineer 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  esthetic 
  temperament. 
  So 
  before 
  settling 
  

   upon 
  the 
  location 
  of 
  a 
  drive 
  because 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  shortest 
  or 
  per- 
  

   haps 
  by 
  a 
  trifle 
  the 
  most 
  economic, 
  we 
  should 
  stop 
  and 
  con- 
  

   sider 
  the 
  very 
  many 
  things 
  which 
  will 
  affect 
  and 
  be 
  affected 
  

   by 
  it, 
  and 
  which 
  may 
  eventually 
  make 
  it 
  the 
  longest, 
  meanest 
  

   and 
  most 
  extravagant. 
  Since 
  every 
  piece 
  of 
  property 
  offers 
  

   new 
  opportunities 
  and 
  problems 
  to 
  be 
  solved, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  

   impossible 
  to 
  lay 
  down 
  any 
  set 
  of 
  rules 
  concerning 
  the 
  rela- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  a 
  drive 
  to 
  the 
  general 
  division 
  of 
  the 
  parts; 
  yet 
  there 
  

   are 
  a 
  few 
  facts 
  concerning 
  treatments 
  that 
  certainly 
  should 
  

   be 
  suggestive 
  to 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  the 
  subject 
  before 
  them. 
  

  

  If 
  a 
  road 
  is 
  straight 
  and 
  of 
  some 
  length 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  

   edged 
  with 
  an 
  avenue 
  of 
  trees 
  with 
  the 
  lines 
  converging 
  into 
  

   some 
  object 
  of 
  substantial 
  interest. 
  An 
  avenue 
  perspective 
  

   is 
  very 
  fascinating 
  with 
  the 
  distances 
  diminishing 
  between 
  the 
  

   tree 
  trunks 
  and 
  the 
  lights 
  and 
  shadows 
  playing 
  on 
  the 
  cool 
  

   ground. 
  The 
  small, 
  round-headed 
  trees 
  have 
  a 
  formal 
  effect 
  

   in 
  both 
  shape 
  and 
  shadow, 
  but 
  the 
  taller, 
  graceful, 
  arching 
  

   elms 
  lend 
  the 
  rarest 
  dignity 
  and 
  airy 
  shade. 
  One 
  method 
  

   is 
  to 
  plant 
  the 
  elm 
  type 
  on 
  one 
  side 
  to 
  admit 
  the 
  air 
  and 
  the 
  

   maple 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  to 
  furnish 
  shade, 
  but 
  this 
  arrangement 
  

   gives 
  a 
  one-sided 
  and 
  hardly 
  justifiable 
  appearance. 
  A 
  double 
  

   row 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  is 
  more 
  effective. 
  For 
  instance, 
  a 
  row 
  of 
  

   gingkos 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  a 
  denser 
  foliaged 
  tree 
  makes 
  an 
  attrac- 
  

  

  Adapt 
  the 
  Drive 
  to 
  the 
  Landscape, 
  Not 
  the 
  Landscape 
  to 
  the 
  Drive 
  

  

  The 
  Carriage 
  Drive 
  Should 
  Approach 
  the 
  House 
  Parallel 
  with 
  the 
  Front 
  

  

  tive 
  avenue, 
  though 
  very 
  formal 
  and 
  perhaps 
  with 
  a 
  weak- 
  

   ened 
  shade. 
  Never 
  should 
  a 
  pyramidal 
  tree 
  be 
  overarched 
  

   with 
  the 
  branches 
  of 
  one 
  like 
  the 
  elm, 
  but 
  the 
  well 
  colored 
  

   foliage 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  deciduous 
  tree 
  is 
  quite 
  effective 
  in 
  front 
  

   of 
  the 
  darker, 
  stronger 
  green 
  of 
  the 
  taller 
  pointed 
  ever- 
  

   greens. 
  Always 
  retain 
  a 
  single 
  variety 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  row 
  rather 
  

  

  than 
  introduce 
  different 
  colors, 
  

   thereby 
  lessening 
  the 
  dignity. 
  

  

  An 
  avenue 
  should 
  be 
  plain, 
  

   stately, 
  symmetrical 
  and 
  clean. 
  Oc- 
  

   casionally 
  a 
  formal 
  curved 
  road 
  is 
  

   edged 
  with 
  evenly 
  spaced 
  trees 
  to 
  

   carry 
  out 
  a 
  more 
  important 
  feature, 
  

   on 
  which 
  its 
  regularity 
  is 
  based, 
  but 
  

   the 
  trees 
  on 
  the 
  outer 
  edge 
  will 
  

   surely 
  have 
  a 
  foreshortening 
  and 
  

   cramping 
  effect. 
  The 
  inside 
  row 
  

   should 
  be 
  lost 
  in 
  a 
  thickened 
  group, 
  

   shutting 
  off 
  the 
  discordant 
  view 
  of 
  

   the 
  trunks 
  beyond. 
  

  

  But 
  even 
  though 
  the 
  shortest 
  dis- 
  

   tance 
  to 
  a 
  destination 
  is 
  by 
  the 
  

   straight 
  path, 
  yet 
  among 
  the 
  natur- 
  

   ally 
  trodden 
  paths 
  and 
  roads 
  there 
  

   is 
  seldom 
  found 
  a 
  straight 
  line. 
  

   While 
  the 
  avenue 
  still 
  retains 
  its 
  

   ever-pleasing 
  effects, 
  the 
  graceful 
  

   movement 
  and 
  diversified 
  charm 
  of 
  

   the 
  irregular 
  naturally 
  curved 
  drive 
  

   is 
  superseding 
  it 
  in 
  popularity. 
  As 
  

   a 
  rule 
  the 
  curved 
  road 
  should 
  not 
  

   be 
  treated 
  with 
  avenue 
  planting, 
  but 
  

   rather 
  with 
  naturalized 
  grouping 
  at 
  

   the 
  sharper 
  curves 
  linked 
  with 
  spec- 
  

   imens 
  on 
  an 
  open 
  greensward, 
  a 
  

   treatment 
  lending 
  change 
  and 
  free- 
  

  

  