779 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
WHAT ENGLAND CAN TEACH US ABOUT GARDENING 
“What England Can Teach Us 
About Gardening,” by Wilhelm Miller, 
is a message to the American people. 
It does not record progress as Dr. 
iNIiller states in the preface, but its 
object is to. stimulate — and stimulate 
it does. The preface concludes as 
follows: 
“Let every country use chiefly its 
own native trees, shrubs, vines and 
other native material, and let the 
style of gardening grow naturally out 
of necessity, the soil and new condi- 
tions.” When we stop imitating, and 
do this, America will soon find itself. 
And of English gardens the author 
says “the charm of English scenery 
is explained; it is a revelation of na- 
tional character.” 
Dr. Miller treats his subject in a 
thorough and systematic manner, and 
writes entertainingly. His criticism of 
his countrymen is done in an honest, 
upright way, and he strikes the spot 
every time; and it is gratifying to 
know that Dr. Miller knows his ma- 
terial, knows all about what he writes, 
and for this alone his suggestions and 
advice become very valuable. His 
statements are conservative, and time 
and again he warns against copying 
plantings from English gardens. “We 
have failed to get English effects be- 
cause we have used European ma- 
terial. We can get many of the Eng- 
lish effects by using equivalents from 
America and the far east, Japan, 
China and Korea.” He explains that 
the last named countries have cli- 
matic conditions very much like ours, 
and this is quite true, but if we in- 
sist on typical American landscape, 
beware of our eastern friends. Dr. 
Miller asserts “that the only funda- 
mental thing England can teach us 
is the spirit of gardening, and not as 
supposed, that the secret of Eng- 
land’s loveliness is that she has the 
best material for gardening.” 
The book deals at length with 
landscape gardening, after which a 
short chapter is written about formal 
gardens, which he says is “to exhibit 
man’s mastery over nature,” calling 
attention to the many mistakes we 
make in formal gardening and to 
some of England's — whicli is justified. 
He concludes that “if we want a 
columnar tree we should not long for 
the Italian Cypress, but plant our own 
red cedar — and never trim it.” 
Dr. Miller comments on the well 
known Larz Anderson garden as a 
type that may become the motive for 
an ,\merican style of formal gardens. 
The writer has some doubts as to this 
prophecy. Our northern gardens 
must permit us to live with them all 
the j'ear around. There are but a 
few who can afford to have more 
than one residence, and they have no 
important part in the development of 
an American style of formal gardens. 
Stone and concrete walls are cold and 
forbidding in winter. We have no 
vines that will cover them with green 
foliage during the winter months, as 
is the case in England. Large con- 
crete pools without water, fountains, 
urns, etc., are equally as cold, espe- 
cially with masonry walls as a back 
ground, and they suggest death in- 
stead of life. We must have warmth 
in our gardens in the cold winter 
day — and poetry, too. When we mean 
the word American here, we mean 
the northern states, and do not in- 
clude protection walls for the vege- 
table garden. Neither can we agree 
with the author when he says, “we 
should wish all the California coni- 
fers had been able to cross the divide 
so that the east might hope to have 
hardy forms of all these Titanic 
trees.” How wonderful is nature’s 
work, in spite of man’s desires, and 
what a pity if California could be 
robbed of its native characteristics. 
We Americans are inclined to steal 
the treasures of art from Europe, just 
as the Romans carried away works of 
art from ancient Greece. With man’s 
work this is possible, unfortunately so, 
but with the work of nature it is not 
always so. We shall always have five 
great distinct landscapes in spite of 
man’s supremacy : the Pacific Coast, 
Rocky Mountains, Gulf Coast, Atlan- 
tic Coast and last, but not least, the 
great North American Plains. Let 
every region develop its own peculiar 
beauty, individuality and characteris- 
tics. But I know that Dr. Miller 
agrees with us. His patriotism is 
sincere and his great book perme- 
ates with love for his native flora. 
We are traveling the same road — hand 
in hand, he from the .Ltlantic and 
the writer a pioneer of the great 
prairie, but we must cross swords — 
in friendly combat. 
Dr. Miller refers to the English plan 
of thinning out woodlands, so as to 
give each tree more room for devel- 
opment, and planting the forest floor 
with native flowers. In another chap- 
ter he suggests that this way of 
treating woodlands should only be 
adopted on large estates. Certainly 
— but are we to close our eyes to the 
great intimacy, the great friendship — 
harmony that exists between trees 
and trees, and trees and shrubs, vines 
and other plants of the forest, which 
is just as great as that of the human 
family? Sometimes even supreme 
man may be taught a lesson from the 
association of trees, or the tolerance 
or protection of the weak by the 
strong, aside from the picturesque- 
ness which ’such association gives to 
the forest. Is it not a fact that in 
the deep shadow of such groups we 
find some of our rare plants pro- 
tected as it were? We need to be 
told continually that the great show 
is ’not art, and without effort life is 
not worth while. Let us have light, 
shadow, secrecy and mysticism in 
woodlands, as well as contrast, and 
not sameness. Let us have tall tow- 
ering trees with Gothic arches, trunks 
with the mark of ages; let the for- 
est border depict its feminine char- 
acter, here where light and sunshine 
rules supreme, but let the forest teach 
us the story of the woods not unlike 
man’s own. Let us also remember the 
birds that we must protect. That 
dead and decayed wood should be 
removed is not questioned, but the 
writer would dislike to have some 
of the tree doctors in his woods plas- 
tering up every hole to the detriment 
of the denizens of the forest. 
Dr. Miller offers many valuable sug- 
gestions as to what would give an 
equivalent effect with American 
plants. Unfortunately some of the 
plants, as Rhododendrons, Mountain 
Laurel, Holly, etc., are forever barred 
from the prairie gardens except as 
exotics. 
The book gives a list of plants 
adapted for rock gardens in this 
country and gives some valuable hints 
on bog gardens, wall gardens, rose 
gardens, perennial borders, etc. It 
devotes twenty-six chapters to the 
different phases of outdoor gardening. 
Each type treated is a separate chap- 
ter. 
Dr. Miller is an enthusiast and an 
optimist in the extreme, and we hope 
that all his predictions will come 
true, even that of growing our own 
bulbs. The book is written in a 
forceful, fearless manner. It points 
out mistakes, but in return offers 
remedies. This book should be in 
the hands — not in the library, of every 
lover of horticulture, as it is the best 
effort in horticultural literature that 
has been laid before the American 
people. Jens Jensen. 
“What England Can Teach Us About 
Gardening;’’ 359 pages, ,9^x6J/2 in. 
Doubleday, Page & Co. Price $4.00 
