Nothing is more lovely than a sweep of lawn, but it should never be used to counterfeit an illusion of space. If there are irregular lawn spaces, the garden should be larger 
than the ordinary suburban plot. Shrubs at the boundaries should be of few species and massed 
Scheming the Year’s Gardening 
THE FIRST STEPS IN A GARDEN LAYOUT—HOW TO MAKE A PLAN AND 
HOW TO ARRANGE YOUR GARDEN ACCORDING TO THE LAWS OF DESIGN 
by Grace Tabor 
Photographs by Nathan R. Graves, George R. King and Others 
T HE beginning of a garden is almost the most important part 
of it; for unless the beginning is good, all that follows will 
fall very far short of the excellence which might, and undoubtedly 
would, obtain otherwise. Well begun, a truly beautiful garden is 
possible almost anywhere, even within a decidedly limited space. 
The real beginning of a 
garden — especially on a 
small place — lies away 
back of the time when the 
initial steps toward mak¬ 
ing it are taken, however 
—which is the stumbling 
block lying in the way of 
everyone who has not 
given to the subject of his 
garden making more 
than the average thought. 
For the design and size 
and content of all small 
gardens depend almost 
entirely and absolutely 
upon the position and 
plan of the house of 
which they are an ad¬ 
junct; hence such a gar¬ 
den’s beginning, in the 
truest sense, is contemporary with the planning and locating of 
the house. 
And it is this consideration of the garden and the house as 
parts of a whole, rather than as independent problems, that will 
advance suburban garden development with us more rapidly than 
any other one thing; and that will bring those who are newly 
confronted with gardening opportunities into the path that leads 
to delightful success. Just how to “get at it,” however, easily 
and efficiently does not always come by inspiration, even to the 
most enthusiastic and imaginative and comprehending. So here 
are the steps to be taken, set down in the order of their advance, 
and explained — a sort of 
be-your-own-surveyor-de- 
signer-gardener scheme 
that begins at the begin¬ 
ning and ends — well, of 
course nothing about a 
garden ever really ends, 
so it is perhaps just as 
well not to say definitely 
where it ends. 
A map of the land to be 
considered is the first re¬ 
quirement of garden de¬ 
sign ; not a difficult one to 
meet when a level plot of 
ordinary suburban dimen¬ 
sions is the basis of the 
problem, but growing in 
difficulty and complication 
as the form, or the 
ground surface, or both, 
depart from regularity. Any large sheet of manilla paper, ironed 
free of creases, will serve as drawing paper, where there is nothing- 
better to be had: but architects’ detail paper is very cheap and 
may be purchased by the foot or yard in art supply stores, usually. 
This is heavier and more satisfactory for an amateur draughts¬ 
man than any other kind. 
It is always the great color masses that produce the “breathless” effects. Few flowers is good 
advice for the beginner 
(III) 
