Garden paths nearly always cause monotony when too much of their length is seen at once. This must not be considered as in any way deprecatory to the straight walk, than which often nothing is more satisfactory. If the path is straight, there should be compensating influences in the way of well grown plants or shrubs along its sides to attract our attention. Where these are impossible, the walk should be made to bend slightly, occupying the curve with a group of flowering shrubs, or some other suitable screen to hide its continuation from view. The garden paths should most certainly follow the varied levels of the ground, and nothing can be worse than to attempt to fill up the hollows and shave off the gentle elevations in order to produce a dead level. This is the very way to engender the monotony, which we are trying to dispel. A wild mountain path, or the track through some woodland glade, never lacks variety, simply because the feet that made it followed the line of easiest gradient. In nine cases out of ten, the ugly walk is the result of direct transgression of this simple rule, and all that is needed to effect an improvement is the reversion of the ground to its old level.
The variety obtainable by the judicious employment of living trees and plants is so infinite, that there is no excuse for neglecting their friendly aid when planning the several parts of the garden. A certain spirit of conservatism seems to prevail among modern gardeners, and of the thousands of beautiful subjects which exist for our benefit, not a tithe of the number are pressed into service. Take, for example, that large and beautiful family, the Flowering Shrubs, how very imperfectly is their value realised in the majority of cases! Dull, gloomy evergreens are used almost exclusively in the orthodox small garden, and never a thought is given to the host of fine deciduous trees, many of which are supremely lovely. The nurseryman has learnt by experience the few stereotyped evergreens which are most in demand, and he stocks these, and these only, so that the casual purchaser is led to believe that the list of trees and shrubs suitable for English gardens is very limited. For screening off unsightly corners evergreens are of the highest value, but on the margins of lawns, and for lending interest to mixed plantations, the designer would do well to introduce the flowering shrubs, of which a list is given later in the book.
Anything approaching eccentricity is to be avoided in the designing of gardens, as is also any scheme which partakes of the nature of a sham. We all know with what eagerness the Bank-holiday crowd approaches counterfeit ruins, trees which squirt water from their branches, or figures of men and animals cut out of living box and yew, but such follies are beneath the consideration of the true garden lover. After all, the pleasure grounds are primarily intended for the owner and his family, and nothing becomes more stupid and pointless on closer acquaintance than these inane pranks, of which there are hundreds of examples throughout the country. For the same reason, the making of surprises, as the sudden revealing of unsuspected features in the garden scene must always be considered as evidences of debased taste, the prostituting of a beautiful art, for the sake of securing a momentary exclamation of astonishment on the part of an ignorant visitor. A certain amount of mystery is sometimes justifiable, and there should always be afforded ample inducement for closer inspection of Nature’s beauties, but when it is evident that the designer’s sole idea in creating a certain feature was to occasion surprise, as apart from genuine pleasure, then it becomes necessary to condemn such artifices in unmeasured terms. The hidden ways of Nature should be sufficient mystery for the most exacting without lowering our gardens to the level of vulgar peepshows, by the introduction of mazes and freaks of tree sculpture.
The attempting of too much in a small space is another fault to be guarded against, though where the designer is not allowed his own way, this is often a matter of difficulty. So many people when seeking the assistance of the professional, impose upon him the necessity of giving them “a bit of everything” in the way of design. They must have a rose garden, a corner devoted to rock plants, a few square feet for carpet bedding, a place for water and bog plants, a pergola, and much beside, all without reference to the suitability or otherwise of the place for such introductions. The idea that a garden will never lack interest because it resembles a patchwork quilt in the number of its divisions, is surely erroneous; the pleasure thus obtained is but momentary, and soon ceases to become other than wearisome. We look for perfection in detail, but we must also consider the garden as a whole, and seek to make its various parts subservient to one another, the several units of one well-balanced plan. Undue regularity must also be accounted a sign of weakness,—
“Grove nods at grove, each alley at its brother,
And half the garden but reflects the other;”—
Proper balance is of course desirable, but the arrangement of beds in well-matched pairs, or the setting of vases at each corner of a lawn, is as unnecessary as it is opposed to all natural laws.
The faculty for seeing in the mind’s eye, the general characteristics of the garden as it will appear when laid and planted, is a gift for which, if possessed, the designer may be truly grateful. It enables any weak spots which may exist in the plan to be corrected before it is too late. Of course no one can determine the exact effect which time will produce, and it is well we cannot, for perhaps the greatest charm of garden design is its delightful elusiveness, the uncertainty which exists as to the manner in which flower and tree will disport itself. But unless we attempt to see further than the mere outlines of the plan, we are trusting to chance to secure for us the results we most desire. Especially are we liable to err in the matter of colour effect, a consideration which is outside the scope of the black and white plan. Unrelieved stretches of turf become monotonous unless afforded the foil of suitable foliage; broad masses of bright hued flowers demand the sober relief of grey stonework or silvery leaved trees and plants. A certain spot is often dull and unsatisfying, simply because it lacks this element of colour; a group of flowering shrubs with bright hued blossoms or even a stone vase filled with climbers may dispel all idea of monotony. In the securing of suitable contrasts, work may be raised above the merely mediocre, to a level of high artistic merit. Easy transition of form and colour is no doubt the safest course to pursue, but a certain boldness of touch may in certain instances prove highly advantageous. The shrubbery, often a tame and featureless affair, may be rendered attractive by the sharply contrasting effects of adjacent groups of deciduous trees, and the dark, glistening foliage of evergreens. It is quite possible to carry the practice of rounding and softening the corners beyond reasonable limits, and we sigh for some prominent feature to rivet our attention, if only for the moment.
CHAPTER III
THE SELECTION OF A SITE
There are few points connected with the art of garden design over which greater differences of opinion are likely to arise, than those associated with the preliminary consideration—choice of site. For this reason, the present chapter must inevitably prove more suggestive than dogmatic; less concerned with particular instances, than with the broader aspect of the question. It is rare, indeed, to find two persons, each about to build a residence and lay out a garden, whose ideas as to the most desirable site for the purpose are in any way concurrent. One prefers an elevated situation from which a good view of the surrounding country may be obtained; the other dislikes the labour of climbing, and must perforce live in the valley. The proximity of other buildings, giving a sense of companionship and security, is essential to some; others, again, seek no better society than that of the woods and silent heath. A man’s profession or hobby will considerably influence his choice of locality for a home: the city man must live near a good train service, the ardent golfer’s first thought is for easy access to the links. Instances could be multiplied ad finitum, all clearly pointing to one end, namely this: that it is useless to regard any one position as ideal, such a conclusion only being possible when we are fully cognisant of the peculiarities of the individual for whom we are working. However, there are certain characteristics which, if not indispensable, are at least highly desirable in almost every case, and in briefly discussing a few of the foremost considerations which must present themselves to everyone about to build and lay out grounds, it is left to each one to modify or alter according to his own opinions and preconceived ideas.