HOUSE AND GARDEN 
|_ 8 4 
August, 19 ii 
An excellent illustration of a vital principle in planning water fea¬ 
tures—the pools in form and inter-relation are treated just as 
flower beds are in the formal garden 
The two octagonal pcols flanking the entrance path are as yet un¬ 
uni nished. A naturalistic edging would be out of place here 
occupy. Under some circumstances in even a small garden the 
most delightful results may follow a cunningly contrived natural¬ 
ness, but these circumstances are not common. Where they do 
exist, however, it is decidedly well to take advantage of them, 
for the unusualness of the garden then becomes one of its great 
charms. Pockets among rocks, suggestive of the pools which 
springs form, are perhaps the most successful arrangement along 
natural lines which can be undertaken on a small place—but this 
should never be undertaken unless the rock formation is natural 
to start with. A receptacle for water may be made, where it is, 
of concrete worked in among the stones according to the require¬ 
ments of their positions. All signs of this, however, must of 
course be bidden by naturally arranged stones which shall cover 
its margins — and little pockets of earth among these should fur¬ 
nish foothold for moisture-loving, rock-loving plants. 
Such a pool is of course not suitable for water lilies, for its 
natural location is at least part in shadow, while all-water plants 
demand the fullest exposure to the sun. But it forms a charm¬ 
ing focussing point for a garden walk, and the birds and beasts 
will enjoy it to the full. Indeed it seems the natural accompani¬ 
ment to the true rockery. The inside of such a pool, by the way, 
should correspond to the stony forms around it and not be a 
plainly rounded basin. Rocks and stones laid on the bottom will 
carry out the illusion if they vary sufficiently in size and shape, 
and the bottom itself may be worked by hand into a perfect 
simulation of natural formation. 
But where a pool is desired on what would otherwise be an 
open lawn, it must be a part of some definite, formal design. 
Otherwise it is far better not to have it at all. It is obviously 
artificial — and anything that is obviously artificial must have in 
itself sufficient beauty of form and line to be its own excuse for 
being. The artificial things which have not are the abominations 
of the earth. This is not to say that such a design need be elabo¬ 
rate, however, but it must be definite. 
The form of such a pool will of course depend upon the geneial 
garden design, and upon its place in it; and the design itself will 
in turn depend upon the area which is to be given over to it so 
it is not possible to more than generalize when it comes to the 
matter of form for basins. Generally speaking, however, the 
form that seems to lend itself to all situations most readily, and 
to afford at the same time the most advantageous planting area, 
is the lengthened quadrangle with half¬ 
circle ends, this half-circle being de¬ 
scribed with a radius which is a little 
less than half the width of the quad¬ 
rangle. This requires ordinarily a gen¬ 
eral garden plan which is longer one 
way than the other. Such a plan is 
usually possible, and always advisable 
when possible. 
For the square garden the square pool, 
the round pool and the modified square, 
with its sides incurved, are practically 
the only available shapes. \ erv often 
the design for such a space, however, 
may be laid out along one axis in a way 
that will suggest the oblong; where this 
is done the pool need not necessarily be 
limited to these forms, but may be a cres¬ 
cent form, the half of a circle, or any 
simple shape that lends itself to the lines 
of the design. 
"In the water garden illustrated at the 
top of the page the shape of the pools is 
determined by the design absolutely, 
just as the shape of the beds in a formal 
garden would be determined; and rarely 
With a flowing stream the possibilities for softening the edges with reedy grasses and bog- 
loving lilies are unbounded 
