42 
House & Garden 
In the Long Is¬ 
land garden of 
W. R. Coe walls 
of brick and 
stone separate 
three distinct 
levels 
The steps in the 
Coe garden, 
coped with the 
slate of the paved 
paths, are broad 
and easy 
GARDENS THAT 
RISE AND FALL 
Showing the Charm 
of Varying Levels 
H. STUART ORTLOFF 
T HERE should be a greater apprecia¬ 
tion of the interest and charm which 
varying levels give to a garden. A greater 
use of the existing topography would not 
only impart more individuality, but would 
secure these qualities which we are always 
trying to achieve in our garden designs. Too 
many times we find people destroying the 
pleasant rolling nature of their grounds in 
order to secure a flat area upon which they 
may lay out a garden. They do not seem 
to realize that they are destroying one of 
their chief assets, or that without it they 
can only attain a garden which, like the site, 
is flat and uninteresting, a type too common, 
and one which depends cn plant material 
or intricate design to give it character. 
For a precedent in the use of existing sur¬ 
faces we have only to consider the gardens 
which were produced in Italy during the 
Renaissance. Climatic conditions in the 
lowlands caused the wealthy tc select the 
hillsides as the best sites for their villas. 
Here gardens were laid out according to the 
natural lay of the land. We find a series of 
successive levels or terraces retained by 
walls surmounted with pleasing balustrades 
or hedges, and connected by stairways of 
interesting detail. Many times each terrace 
or level was considered a separate garden 
planted with flowers, decorated with bits 
of worthy sculpture, or embellished with a 
pool or fountain. 
Or again, we find the whole series treated 
as a single composition leading towards a 
terminal motive which was in correct pro¬ 
portion to the entire scheme. 
One will admit that these gardens have 
great charm and have been able to secure 
and maintain interest for hundreds of years. 
Each was individual, and reflected the per¬ 
sonality of its designers in so far as they 
felt and expressed the existing topography. 
The character and condition of the topog¬ 
raphy in our country in many places, nota¬ 
bly along the Pacific coast and in the New 
England states, is similar to the Italian con¬ 
ditions, and can, therefore, be treated in a 
similar manner with very interesting results. 
So many attractive house sites in these 
localities are overlooked, for the untrained 
observer would never for a moment con¬ 
sider them. They appear much too rugged 
to be utilized. Yet we do find homes in just 
such charming spots, but without the added 
In that superb gar Jen of Weld, a> Brookline, 
Mass., designed by Charles A. Platt, archi¬ 
tectural motifs have been stressed and, with 
them, those other signs of Italian inspira¬ 
tion, steps, walls, terraces, and stately 
raised platforms 
