Formal Gardening 
disposed garden sometimes met the eye 
among these would-be naturalistic gardens ; 
or, to speak more exactly, among these gar- 
dens which reveal no desire to follow any 
style that can be fitted with a name — which 
are merely irregular in the worst meaning 
of the word. Whatever the designer’s suc- 
cess might be in bringing beauty out of his 
formal scheme, the result would show at 
least that he had had some scheme in mind, 
some plan, some intention, some definite 
idea ; and where good results are almost 
entirely lacking, even a visible good inten- 
tion excites approval. 
Where villa-grounds are large enough to 
demand a drive- way to the door, a straight 
avenue symmetrically bordered by trees 
might often advantageously replace the road 
which now winds about on level soil simply 
because someone has thought curves always 
essential, and which therefore cuts up the 
space without the excuse of either increased 
usefulness or increased beauty. Such an 
avenue would imply, of course, some meas- 
ure of formality in its immediate neighbor- 
177 
