Close to the House 
trained with sympathetic discretion, not al- 
lowed to run wild, to hang in ragged gar- 
lands, and overgrow porches and windows, 
yet not forced into unnatural stiffness or 
deprived of their characteristic manners of 
development. 
Nor should they ever be allowed to cover 
the walls entirely, for the walls, not the 
creepers, are the main concern. Their archi- 
tectural character should be kept distinct ; 
and not alone for the sake of one pleasing 
feature and another, but especially for the 
sake of that effect of unity between house 
and grounds which is so important. It is 
surely a mistake to build a solid lower story 
of stone or brick, and then allow it to be en- 
tirely hidden, even during six months of the 
year. The beauty of the architectural work 
is lost, and, besides, the effect of upper 
stories apparently based on a substructure of 
fluttering leaves is most unfortunate. The 
house does not seem to be rooted in the 
ground ; it seems to stand upon an unstable 
bank of green. Vines enough may be grown 
to beautify the walls and unite them well with 
the ground, and yet spaces be reserved, below 
77 
