HOUSE AND GARDEN 
35 
July, 1912 
we must of necessity have steps, and if our gardens are to be 
sources of complete pleasure and satisfaction to us, the placing 
and structure of our garden steps cannot be neglected. 
As to the placing of our garden steps, no absolute rules, of 
course, can be laid down. Good taste and the exigencies of the 
individual case must determine their position. Only a few gen¬ 
eral suggestions that may prove helpful can be offered. To begin 
with, there is plenty of room outdoors, so be generous in the space 
you allot to them. Nothing will give a meaner appearance to your 
garden or terrace than a cramped stair, while a flight of ample 
proportions, even in a small place, will impart an agreeable air 
of breadth. 
A flight spreading from the top to the bottom, each step extend¬ 
ing farther to the sides than the one above it, is generally a de¬ 
sirable arrangement. The steps themselves may be either rec¬ 
tangular, so that the outline of the stair-mass is pyramidal, or 
circular or octagonal so that the general outline is conical The 
spreading flight of circular steps in the picture, taken from an 
English garden, has caught a delightful spirit of unity with its 
environment. From the chinks between the bricks set on end, of 
which the stair is made, sprout modest little plants that soften 
the edges of its lines and with their delicate mantle of green 
seem to claim it as a natural growth from the soil. The pitch is 
a trifle steep, perhaps, but this defect is no doubt due to the di¬ 
mensions of the bricks that form the risers. Stone is subject to 
no such limitations but offers no sheltering crevices for tiny plants 
unless carefully selected field stones or cobbles are used. 
The placing of these stairs at the ends or at the middle of 
walled terraces will be governed by considerations of convenience 
or architectural design. If the garden is one where formality 
rules and where architectural features play an important part, the 
arrangement of the step flights must be with due regard for the 
symmetry of the whole plan. If the note of formality is not 
dominant, the steps may be set pretty much where fancy dictates 
and still present a pleasing aspect. Be the design of the garden 
simple or stately, well-planned stairways are always beautiful. 
In a garden laid out on the side of a slope, whether it be long and 
gentle or of steeper grade, nothing will convey a livelier sense of 
nobility of design than a vista of successive flights of steps al¬ 
ways ascending to higher ground. 
If the steps are not spread but built straight down they should 
assuredly be flanked by appropriate balustrades In certain places, 
indeed, straight steps, balustraded, are doubtless more suitable 
than spreading steps, but the flight should have a width fully 
sufficient to ensure its dignity. A substantial balustrade may be 
used with the steps whether the retaining wall of the terrace has 
a balustrade or not. Not only do balustrades make a worthy 
flanking for a garden stair but they afford a splendid backing for 
such clean-climbing plants as bittersweet and at the same time 
offer an attractive perching place for peacocks—birds that should 
be in every formal garden of any size. 
In one of the illustrations appears a rather novel arrangement 
of garden stairs at the angle of the terrace retaining wall. The 
whole plan of the garden in which this device occurs is mani¬ 
festly informal and unpretentious, and this scheme for descending 
to the lower ground is thoroughly in keeping with the character 
of the setting. Steps leading down to pools in water gardens are 
always especially alluring and are worthy of the utmost thought 
and pains to make them measure up to our fondest conceits. 
Having said thus much about steps more or less formal, it re¬ 
mains that we should speak a little of steps entirely informal. 
Without a terrace retaining wall it is always more difficult to 
treat garden steps satisfactorily than when we have a line of ma¬ 
sonry of which we may make them a part. When there is no ter¬ 
race wall and the whole scheme of the garden is essentially sim¬ 
ple, the more unpretentious the steps the better. As to material, 
(Continued on page 60) 
These steps at an angle of the garden will make possible a garden effect 
that is unrivaled. The balusters afford a support for vines 
Although these steps are an attractive feature in this garden, their ascent 
is so steep that they will always be uncomfortable to climb 
