Naturalistic Landscape Service 
Enthusiastic interest in the use of our native trees, shrubs, evergreens, 'wuld 
flowers and ferns in American landscape work has developed in recent years to a 
surprising extent. The idea has been taken up and fostered by nature lovers in 
every section of the country. It has been favorably discussed at meetings of many 
State Horticultural Associations. It has been endorsed by the Garden Club of 
America and by scores of local Garden Clubs everywhere. Public Parks arc 
establishing \\ ild Flower preserves. Owners of suburban and country estates are 
abandoning the formal for the naturalistic in the treatment and development of 
their grounds. Landscape Architects of distinction arc sjx-cializing in Naturalistic 
planting. Foreign styles of gardening and landscape work are no longer in vogue. 
The demand today is for a distinctly American style of landscape treatment, 
])lanned to accord with the natural surroundings, and therefore expressive of that 
l)erfect harmony and good taste, which, it seems, is at last to prevail among us. 
Hand in hand with this awakening to the beauty and fitness of our native jdants, 
goes the determined effort all over the land, to put a stop to the ruthless and 
thoughtless destruction of many of our most charming wild ilowers. This has led 
to the installing of hundreds of \\ ild Flower Sanctuaries in locations where con¬ 
genial cultural conditions and adequate protection can be provided, as is the case 
not only on many of our finest estates, and in a number of parks, but on the modest 
grounds of the average rural or suburban home owner. 
I have been propagating and growing native plants for 44 years. I have always 
believed the time would come, and during my lifetime, when their refined beauty, 
their permanence, and their all around superiority to imported plants in American 
landscape work,^ would be recognized. My faith has been fully iustiiied and I 
feel that my life’s work has been amply rewarded. 
This effect was obtained five years after planting 
a corner of a lawn with the suitable sorts of trees 
and shrubs. The walk leads to a “Woods Path*’ 
with interesting outcroppings of rock and apparently 
natural plantines of ferns and rhododendrons 
all artificial, and all the ground was originally part 
of the lawn. 
An artificial “Mountain Rivulet”—even the 
Mountain** is all filled-in ground and the water 
is piped from the house supply, quite a distance 
away. Without these obstacles to contend with, 
think of the possibilities of a natural rivulet just by 
addi ng native plants and developing the stream a 
little if necessary. 
