July, 19 21 
31 
scale with the house there is at once a lack 
j of artistic balance in the effect. Now, as effects 
of scale must be sensed rather than measured, 
it is naturally more easy to feel any discrep- 
, ancy when the garden and the house assume 
a more or less equal importance in the scheme 
than when the garden is somehow less promi¬ 
nent as we view the house. This can be ac¬ 
complished in one of two ways: either by 
placing the garden at such a distance from the 
house or beyond such an intervening screen 
that the two cannot visibly be compared to¬ 
gether, or by putting the garden so close to 
the house by tucking it within an angle, by 
setting it between two projecting wings, by 
making it a small, carefully de¬ 
signed terrace upon which the 
garden door may open or by 
making it a tiny dooryard garden, 
that it is virtually absorbed by 
the house and its scale lost sight 
of as a distinct mass. We have 
considered the garden detached 
and have seen that its extreme 
of smallness is one that will con¬ 
tain enough of the elements of 
garden architecture—beds, paths, 
water and ornament—and these 
of sufficient size to give it inter¬ 
est and effectiveness. When the 
garden is attached to the house 
its shape, its size and its arrange¬ 
ment must be adapted to the 
house so that its physical and 
artistic relation to it may be con¬ 
vincing. The limit of smallness, 
then, will depend upon the char¬ 
acter, size and plan of the house. 
Formal or Informal 
In Diagrams C and D are 
shown two types, formal and in¬ 
formal, of large houses with very 
small gardens attached in such a 
way that their comparative small¬ 
ness does not seem incongruous. 
In the informal scheme it is pos¬ 
sible to have narrow beds and 
narrow spaces as the house does 
not demand the broad, simple 
treatment so necessary in the for¬ 
mal arrangement. Here, however, 
we must limit the smallness of 
the beds to four feet except along 
the house itself where it is gen¬ 
erally more practicable to plant 
vines with a clumpy base, such 
as Evonymous radicans or vegeta. 
We must limit the narrowness of paths to 
the width of the door openings in order to 
keep the scale of the garden details at one with 
the scale of details of the house. In the formal 
scheme of Diagram D, where the house suggests 
spaciousness, a garden that was at all cut up 
with an intricate arrangement of beds and 
paths would be altogether out of character. 
The beds and the paved or turfed areas must 
be as large as the available space will permit. 
Here they are arranged in a perfectly simple 
panel form as dignified as the house of which 
the garden is an integral part, yet there is the 
feeling of a complete garden. 
Unusually small gardens require an extraor¬ 
dinary amount of care in their planting. Gaps 
become much more obvious in narrow beds 
and an effort must be made to select for the 
plant groupings perennials, annuals and small 
shrubs that will retain their foliage for a large 
part of the time in order that the cessation of 
bloom will not result in an unsightly spot. 
The use of the dwarf forms of the broad leaved 
evergreens—azalea, rhododendrons myrtifoli- 
um, punctatum and Wilsonianum, Daphne 
cneorum, Japanese holly and the cotoneasters 
—among the herbaceous plants will help to 
keep the beds full and will not crowd out the 
slighter perennials. In small gardens similar 
to that shown in Diagram D it is best to keep 
the height of the plants fairly low so that the 
feeling of breadth may be maintained. For 
that reason a complete change of plants peri¬ 
odically through the blooming season is recom¬ 
mended; first the bulbs, then columbine, then 
one of the lower chrysanthemums, for ex¬ 
ample. It is rather more trouble but the effect 
of a simple, even mass is worth it in the end. 
The choice of materials is just as important 
as the planting. The use of flagstone or brick 
in the paths and open spaces is generally 
preferable to turf because it presents a more 
interesting surface and is easier to keep in 
order. In a small garden, too, the area to be 
paved is apt to be so slight that the expense 
can never be great. If a pool is to be a part 
of the small garden the paving itself will form 
the best coping, for it will avoid the wasted 
space that would attend the using of a raised 
coping and will add another note of simplicity 
to the treatment. Ornament must be used 
sparingly in order that it may be most effective. 
The smallest garden should have at least 
one seat; it should have a bit of water either 
in a bird bath or in a pool. With these comple¬ 
ments, with the interesting texture of a good 
paving material, with a neat and compact 
planting it will not suffer in comparison to 
its larger neighbors. If it is care¬ 
fully planned its very smallness 
will be its greatest asset. 
City Gardens 
The garden of minimum size 
is engaging more and more of the 
attention of those city dwellers 
whose digging and planting ac¬ 
tivities must of necessity be re¬ 
stricted to the confines of their 
own backyards. Where a few 
years ago their only attempts at 
growing plants were represented 
by a pallid window box or an 
anaemic fern or two, today are 
found arrangements of paths, 
beds and benches which do credit 
to the best professional prece¬ 
dents. Here is the very essence 
of garden smallness, for space is 
at a premium in the city backyard. 
Yet for all their lack of size they 
are true gardens, all the more 
appreciated, perhaps, because of 
the difficulties that were over¬ 
come in creating them. 
There need be no hesitation on 
the part of those so situated about 
setting out to build such a garden. 
Plants and shrubs can be selected 
which will survive almost any ad¬ 
verse condition the situation may 
present, provided that the soil in 
which they are put has been prop¬ 
erly prepared in a physical as 
well as chemical sense. The ex¬ 
pense need not be great—surely, 
it will prove insignificant in com¬ 
parison with the pleasure which 
will accrue. 
While much of the plant ma¬ 
terial must of necessity be pur¬ 
chased from professional growers, there are still 
many things which the garden maker can pick 
up for himself in his rambles about the coun¬ 
try, especially if his trips are made via the 
almost universal motor car. Many of the de¬ 
ciduous wild shrubs are well adapted to careful 
transplanting in the autumn, provided they can 
be reset in suitable soil and light conditions, 
and there is a host of wild perennials that can 
perfectly well be moved into the garden. Ever¬ 
greens, such as the cedars, spruces and pines, 
need particular care in transplanting. Their 
long, fibrous roots must be taken up with as 
little injury as possible 
In order to harmonize with the formal nature of the house, this 
plan provides a few broad, simple paths and beds. The result is a 
garden that is integral with the house 
The smallest of gardens should have at least one seat, and a bit of 
water in bird bath or pool. These, with good paving and plant¬ 
ing, enable it to compare favorably with its far larger kindred 
