American Garden-Craft from an English Point of View 
one who is aware of and can manipulate the 
conditions of garden-making. I think 
American gardens can fairly hold their own 
beside what has been done under the super¬ 
vision of our English artists. We may 
point out the same kinds oi failure, the dis¬ 
abilities and extravagancies on both sides oi 
the Atlantic which result from a too archi¬ 
tectural dressing of the landscape such as 
the years will hardly mellow ; the too much 
drawing-board detail and too little shaping 
of the essential materials ol the garden paths 
and beds, the trees and shrubs. But I 
think the American architect works with a 
freer hand and a sense ot breadth which, 
save in some instances, is absent from the 
English architectural gardener. To the 
Englishman on the other hand may some¬ 
times be credited a greater variety of feature, 
and a pleasanter fancy for the contrivances of 
architectural garden-making. It would be 
tedious, however, to enter on a discussion 
of individual excellences and appraise our 
architects whether English or American. I 
would rather find some broad characteristics, 
which may be taken as specially typical of the 
American garden and see how these are the 
expression of the American, and make the art 
that belongs to his climate and environment . 1 2 
Passing in review the photographs and 
plans of some fifty American gardens— 
mostly, it would seem, designed by archi¬ 
tects, but some no doubt giving expression 
to the owner’s taste—one may be allowed to 
see a certain style in many of them that can be 
taken as typical, at any rate, of the Atlantic 
seaboard. And to illustrate my point I have 
listed the following gardens as embodying this 
American character apart from the individual 
elaboration of the architectural dressing:" 
1 The English architect in this matter must not be judged by the 
advertisements of garden designs issued by architectural publishers. 
The best English gardens have not been usually illustrated and are little 
known. They have come as accessories to the best country houses, 
laid out by our foremost architects such as John Belcher, Reginald 
Blomfield, Macartney, or Ernest Newton. Lutyens, Schultz, Lorimer 
and Inigo Thomas may also be mentioned as having achieved notable 
gardens. 
2 In such designs as “Indian Harbor” at Greenwich, Ct. and 
“Faulkner Farm” at Brookline, Mass, the architect rather crowds 
out the gardener. 
206 
