THE LIBRARY

OF

THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA

PRESENTED BY

PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND
MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID

THE -MAKING

CARDETVS-iyV
THE -MAKING

B T- BATSFORD • LTD 94High Holbora

To
MRS. ILLINGWORTH ILLINGWORTH

this volume
is inscribed by

THE AUTHOR

PREFACE

SOME subjects are the copyright of a single pen,
others invite the fancy and invention of many
writers. The garden, even more than the house
which it adorns, has in itself the seeds of such
infinite variety that we would not lose a single
volume from the growing library which is already
dedicated to its beauty. Few writers can be without
some useful thought to offer from their own experi-
ence, even if it be only to re-affirm an ancient
principle, which, planted anew on some fresh page,
may flower and bear fruit for many years to come.

This volume does not attempt to take the place
of the architect or designer. It leaves, too, the
choice of flowers and shrubs to the reader and his
advisers, and deals entirely with the problems of
lay-out, the general effect and the proper relation-
ship of all parts of a garden to the whole. It

vii

viii PREFACE

desires to reach those who love their gardens and
who like to think about them, and its aim is to
stimulate thought and make clear the possibilities
which lie as much in the smallest plot as in grounds
of larger area.

There is a freemasonry among those who teach
and those who learn in garden-craft, and their places
are often and easily interchangeable. It is in this
spirit that the following pages are offered to the
reader.

WALTER H. GODFREY.

1 1 CARTERET STREET,
QUEEN ANNE'S GATE, S.W.,
April 1914.

PERSONAL NOTE

THIS little book is the outcome of much
practical study of the principles of garden-
design, — principles which are better understood,
though not always more consistently followed at
the present day, than when they were revived by
the late George Devey and others in the middle
of the last century. Penshurst Place was one of the
first notable examples, foreshadowing the present
" renaissance " of the formal garden, and Penshurst
was the outcome of the united zeal of Devey and of
his patron Lord de L'Isle. It has taken some fifty
years for the leaven to work, and the change in
public opinion has been aided by many enthusiastic
writers and workers, but none were more steadfast
in their support of the older and saner methods
of planning than Mr. Devey and his surviving
partner, Mr. James Williams. As pupils of Mr.

x PERSONAL NOTE

Williams, and as his successors, the authors of the
designs in the present volume have been trained in
a tradition of formal gardening, not, indeed, in any
extreme form, but after the manner of presentation
in the following pages.

George Devey worked at a time when the battle
of the styles was being fought and won, — when
opportunities for improved " texture " in materials
were not as plentiful as at the present day. His
work, however (as shown, for instance, in the
gardens of Coombe Warren), will bear the test of
comparison with much good modern work, and his
skill in enlarging a house to suit its surroundings
is nowhere better shown than in the wonderful old-
world gardens of Brickwall, Northiam.

The illustrations to the present volume, some of
which were prepared with the help of Mr. James
Williams, include a few adaptations from Mr. Devey's
work and a number of original designs, a large pro-
portion of which have been carried out. Grateful
acknowledgment and thanks are due to the follow-
ing for their kind permission to publish drawings
of work executed or designed for them, — the Earl
and Countess of Chichester, Stanmer, Sussex ; the

PERSONAL NOTE xi

Lady Margaret Duckworth and George H. Duck-
worth, Esq., Dalingridge Place, Sussex ; Colonel
the Honourable Herbert A. Lawrence and the
Honourable Mrs. Lawrence, Ashdown Place,
Sussex ; the late Colonel C. J. Cotes, Pitchford
Hall, Shropshire ; Leopold de Rothschild, Esq.,
Ascott House, Bucks ; Lawrence Currie, Esq.,
Coombe Warren, Surrey ; Walter Monnington,
Esq., Little Lodge, Newick, Sussex ; Captain Price
Wood, Henley Hall, Shropshire ; J. C. Dun Waters,
Esq., Plaish Hall, Shropshire ; J. C. Hamilton
Greig, Esq., Westerham, Kent ; Arthur Edwards,
Esq., Appledram, Sussex ; and Mrs. Illingworth
Illingworth, West Wittering, Sussex, — and to the
Earl and Countess of Kenmare, for permission to
include some portions of the beautiful gardens at
Killarney which the late Countess of Kenmare
designed and laid out herself, around the house
which Mr. Devey built, and which was so unhappily
destroyed by fire last year.

W. H. G.

In garden delights 'tis not easy to hold a
mediocrity; that insinuating pleasure is
seldom without some extremity.

SIR THOMAS BROWNE

CONTENTS

PAGE

I. THE AIM OF THE GARDEN . . i
II. FIRST PRINCIPLES . . . .12

III. THE GARDEN PLAN .... 29

IV. FROM ENTRANCE TO COURTYARD. 50

Entrance Gates and Lodges ... 50

The Approach to the House . . • $7

Courtyards ...... 60

V. GARDEN BOUNDARIES . . . .71

Walls and Hedges . . . . .71
Gates and Gateways ..... 86

VI. THE DIVISIONS OF THE GARDEN . 94

Lawns and Bowling Alleys ... 94

Formal Flower Enclosures and Borders . . 99
Paving and its Uses . . . .109

VII. THE TERRACED GARDEN . . . 118

Terraces and Balustrades . . . .118
Steps and Stairways 128

xiv CONTENTS

CHAPTER PAGE

VIII. GARDEN FURNITURE AND BUILDINGS 139

Seats and Arbours . . . . 1 39

Loggias and Garden Houses . . .146

Greenhouses and Orangeries . . . -153

IX. SOME OLD-WORLD FEATURES . .156

Arcaded Walks and Pergolas . . .156

Topiary and the Labyrinth . . 161

Treil/age and Ironwork . . . .167

X. WATER, STONE, AND LEAD . .172

Pools and Fountains . . . . .172
Figures and Vases of Stone and Lead . .177
Boxes and Tubs for Trees and Flowers . .183
Sundials ....... 1 86

XL SOME SPECIAL GARDENS . . .190

The Kitchen Garden . . . . .190
The Town and Roof Garden . . .194
Rock Gardens ...... 2OO

PLANS Following page 2O2

INDEX , , , .205

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Entrance Gate, Elm Tree Farm, West Wittering

Title page

PAGE

1. Tennis Lawn, Killarney House, Killarney . . 3

2. Pitchford Hall, from the Stream .... 6

3. Design for Terrace at Ascott House ... 9

4. The Orangery, Coombe Warren, Kingston Hill. 15

5. Gateway and Yew . . . . . .18

6. Wrought-iron Gate beneath Trees ... 23

7. Elm Tree Farm, West Wittering ... 27

8. Plaish Hall, Shropshire . . . . -31

9. Little Lodge, Newick (Plan) .... 34
IO. Bird's-eye View, Dalingridge Place ... 39
I r. Tower House, Appledram (Plan) ... 43

12. Formal Garden, Henley Hall .... 46

13. Lodge and Gates, The Mount, Westerham . . 53

14. Brick Gateway . 56

15. Stone Gateway 62

1 6. Little Lodge, Newick. The Approach . . 65

17. Bird's-eye View of House with two Courtyards . 68

xvi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

PAGE

1 8. Design for Terrace, Ascott House • • • 73

19. Oak Gate 76

20. Wrought-iron Hand-Gate ..... 80

21. Hedge at Elm Tree Farm, West Wittering . 84

22. Wrought-iron Gateway ..... 87

23. Wooden Gate with Wrought-iron Panel . . 91

24. A Turfed Enclosure 97

25. Formal Flower-beds, Killarney House, Killarney 100

26. A Formal Garden and Avenue . . . .103

27. Two Designs for the Formal Garden, Ascott House 106

28. Formal Garden, Elm Tree Farm, West Wittering 109

29. Formal Garden, Henley Hall (Plan) . . .112

30. Formal Garden, Ascott House . . . .115

31. Terrace Balustrading and Garden House . . I2O

32. Terrace Wall and Rose Garden, Dalingridge Place 123

33. Terrace Wall and Flagged Path . . .126

34. Terrace Stairway . . . . . .130

35. Steps to Bowling Green, Ashdown Place . 133

36. Circular Steps, Dalingridge Place . . . 1 36

37. Oak Seat, Pitchford Hall 140

38. Circular Seat, Ascott House . . . .143

39. A Painted Seat 144

40. Seat in a Brick Recess 147

41. A Garden House 149

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xvii

PAGE

42. Another Garden House . . . . .152

43. A Timbered Pergola . . . . . -159

44. A Sunk Formal Garden . . . . .163

45. Formal Garden, St. Alban's Court . . .166

46. Formal Garden, Killarney House, Killarney . 169

47. Garden House of Treillage 171

48. Fish Pond, Brickwall, Northiam . . . -1/5

49. A Stone Bridge . . . . . . .178

50. A Stone and Timber Bridge . . . -179

51. A Wall Fountain 182

52. Pool in an Enclosed Garden . . . .185

53. Enclosed Garden and Sundial . . . .187

54. Wall of Kitchen Garden, Dalingridge Place . 193

55. A Town Garden . . . . . .197

DOUBLE PAGE PLANS

56. Plan of Elm Tree Farm, West Wittering

57. Plan of Dalingridge Place, West Hoathly

58. Plan of Ashdown Place, Forest Row

59. Design for Stansted Park

60. Plan of Coombe Warren, Kingston Hill

6 1. Plan of Henley Hall, Ludlow

62. A Typical Plan for a Small Garden

63. Plan showing an Arrangement for Planting

GARDENS IN THE MAKING

THE AIM OF THE GARDEN

IT is not a rare occurrence to meet in the writings
of gardeners, and of those who are skilled in the
planting and nurture of flowers, a protest against
the usurpation by the architect of any rights in the
mystery and craft of garden-making. Horticulture
is, indeed, a proud science, but its votaries surely
assume too much when they state that a knowledge
of plants and shrubs is synonymous with the power
of design. On the contrary, it has been found that
a striking gift in one department of garden activity
is often accompanied by a total lack of perception in
the other, and we shrewdly suspect that this notice
of threatened prosecution to trespassing architects

2 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

is issued by the authority of the head gardener, —
not perhaps the least autocratic of men,- — who fears
some loss of prestige and some curtailment of his
imperial and imperious sway.

The truth of the matter is that whereas gardening
is a craft, and, if you will, a science, garden-design
is an art, and requires different knowledge, and
faculties of quite another order. The craftsman
may sometimes be an artist, and the artist may
occasionally include the craftsman, but their business
is certainly not synonymous in detail or in kind.
Their mingled duties are performed by thousands
of people who desire nothing more than to have a
garden of beauty, a place which will not only hoard
each root and seed, but which will conspire to display
the luxuriance of flower and foliage in all their
surprising and reckless summer gaiety. Yet how
far do they succeed ? Up to a point, of course, they
all succeed. A work that receives the ceaseless
homage and industry of the crowd — such as is freely
given to gardening and garden-making — cannot be
wholly stationary or unsuccessful. And since the
experience and invention of a number of minds
have a cumulative effect, it is possible from the

THE AIM OF THE GARDEN

FIG. i. — Tennis Lawn, Killarney House, Killarney.

lower steps of the pyramid of general knowledge
to rise with some care and thought to a more perfect
attainment. But the passion for gardening among
the majority of people unfortunately does not imply,
at the present day, a widespread grasp of the
principles of design. The untrained eye — and the
age is full of untrained eyes where art is concerned —
admires the effect of a skilfully planned garden, but
is seldom capable of seeing that there are serious
principles involved, or that without them such effects
would be impossible. Moreover, it is infinitely
easier to produce a fine bloom or a beautiful plant
than to know where it should best be placed for its
proper display. Popular knowledge is chiefly in
matters of detail rather than of generalised principle,

4 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

and gardening especially lends itself to the acquire-
ment of multitudinous facts about individual
flowers. This does not engender humility, and, as
often as not, it breeds a prejudice against any serious
arrangement, and chiefly against the formality of
architectural planning. Yet this prejudice, like so
many others, is more wilful than wise ; it is the
fruit of a gentle anarchic state of mind which fails
to grasp the meaning of order and of design, and
which fancies that it allies itself with Nature — that
Nature which, nevertheless, responds so lovingly to
the wise tuition of mankind. To those who still
refuse to allow the architect a place in their garden
councils, and who cling persistently either to the
Victorian taste or to the purer joys of the wild
garden and the " wilderness," we will submit only
one plea. We beg them, as they have time and
opportunity, to see the effect of rational planning in
those fine old gardens, chiefly of the seventeenth
century, that have reached such glorious maturity
on the lines long ago laid down ; and as lovers of
architecture, and as lovers of flowers, we ask them
to study the harmony, the fitness, and withal the
rich luxuriance which these methods, properly carried

THE AIM OF THE GARDEN 5

out, display. It is not denied that the accidental
effect of certain chance combinations of tree, shrub,
flower and lawn may be very beautiful, nor can we
even refuse our admiration to some wonderful
specimen of a flower however ill-displayed ; but a
garden has a greater mission than to afford a merely
fortuitous pleasure, its scope is far wider, and its
contribution to the joy of mankind should be con-
ceived on altogether a different scale. The garden
should form almost as much the environment of our
home life as the house itself, and while we love at
times to be in touch with the unspoilt beauty of
Nature, we shall still elect, as human beings, to
employ the arts to surround us with the charms of
order, arrangement, and carefully considered effect.

We shall take it as agreed then, between ourselves
and our readers, that the architect whom we may have
chosen to build us our house, to choose the aspect
of our rooms, and to adorn the walls within which
we are to dwell, shall not be prevented from com-
pleting his work in drawing out the main lines of
the garden, nor be forbidden to harmonise the
immediate surroundings of the building with the
form of the fabric itself. The invention of the

THE AIM OF THE GARDEN 7

architect — provided, of course, that we approve his
taste — is as fittingly employed in those endless
combinations of walls and hedges, of terraces and
walks, of enclosed gardens and long borders of
flowers, of lawns and pools, avenues and glades, as
it is in the cunning manipulation of gables and
chimneys, bay-windows and balconies, and all the
other features that make up a beautiful architectural
composition. Nor, in all this, need he attempt to
interfere with the proper province of the gardener ;
he is the latter's ally, and prepares the way for him.
For just as he foresees all the domestic wants in the
planning of the house, and prepares it for the future
work of the household, so he orders the garden for
the gardener, and, having allotted the trees, the
planting and the flowers their places, he can leave
their care and often the choice of their species to
those whose business and experience have fitted
them for these duties.

We have said that the combinations of features
which make up a garden are endless, and even that
word gives but a poor idea of the infinity of varied
effects which the skill of the artist and the activity
of Nature can unite to produce. Exact repetition

8 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

is almost impossible, for however closely one might
seek to imitate an admired arrangement, a thousand
chance happenings of weather, atmosphere, soil,
surrounding features, and what not would give our
imitation a character completely its own. We are
wont to calculate an architectural effect with the
most fastidious precision ; yet often the result is
not exactly what we intended. How much more,
then, may it be said of garden planning, that we
cannot anticipate in every detail the picture which
our work will ultimately display — a picture, be it
remembered, that will change with every hour, with
every season, and with all succeeding years. Yet,
if the simple principles have been rightly applied,
we may be sure that the result will be fair to look
upon, we may even be confident that we are build-
ing better than we know, and that the future will
not fail to provide pleasure to all who walk in our
garden, and will call forth words of appreciation
concerning those who first traced the lines which
Nature has since filled with her own lights and
shadows and radiant colouring. Every artist
knows that the medium in which he works must
be studied and humoured before he can gain its

TO GARDENS IN THE MAKING

secret ; even the architect must woo the stone, the
brick, the metal and the timber before he conquers
their coyness and makes them respond to his will.
Our mastery over the broad surfaces of the earth
and over the living vegetation which it nourishes is
even less complete, and nothing can be attained
until we enter into a kind of partnership with them,
since in return for our guidance they must needs
do their part in fulfilling and amplifying our plans.
The rules that we have made for other arts can
scarcely be applied here, proportion and size refuse
to be measured by any standard unit ; — the house
and the countryside make the conditions for our
design, and as they vary in size and form, so
our gardens must increase or diminish in length
or breadth, must have important or unpretentious
features, or must take their cue from the sum of
their natural surroundings. Garden planning has
therefore an elasticity in its scope, it presents a
variety — even an uncertainty — which invites the
fancy. It lends itself to broad and noble treatment,
and also to an infinite ramification of detail ; and it
claims the aid of a hundred crafts to furnish and
adorn it. But with all this it has greater need of

THE AIM OF THE GARDEN n

direction, of obedience to a few guiding principles,
than many a simpler and a more confined art. It
is some suggestion of these principles which we
wish to make in the following pages ; they have
their application to small and large gardens ; they
are the finger-posts to guide the direction of our
invention.

II

FIRST PRINCIPLES

THE principles of garden design are more
easily felt than formulated, and the subject
scarcely admits of the strict definition or classifica-
tion which we should apply to a science or a craft.
We may observe, however, in the first place, that all
arrangements, of whatever kind, should bear the im-
press of a direct and simple method. Second, that
the aim should be to lay out and reveal the beauties of
the garden by degrees, not with any forced intricacy,
but by such means as shall give as much diversity
and mystery as is consistent with simplicity of
general treatment. Third, that each division of the
garden should have its own special purpose, its own
significance or meaning, and should be adorned
with such architectural or other features as will
sustain the interest and promote the usefulness of

FIRST PRINCIPLES 13

each part. By a careful observance of this rule we
may avoid one of the severest criticisms of the care-
less plan : — that it is meaningless.

With these suggestions we may pair three other
considerations of equal value. The simplicity of
treatment should always be in the direction of
utilising to their very best advantage whatever
peculiar qualities the site may possess, or such as
may be offered by the surrounding country.
Second, the deft and skilful unfolding of the garden
plan and scheme cannot be better achieved than by
the use of well raised boundaries of stone and brick,
yew, box or beech, such as will ensure the shelter
and privacy of every part. For shelter and privacy
are as essential to the grateful flourishing of all
things planted in the garden as to the full use and
enjoyment by its possessors ; and even where a
distant view must be preserved, much can be done
in framing and focusing its charm. And lastly, all
the divisions and special features, in regard to their
position and use, cannot be considered apart from
the plan of the house itself, and many have placed
as the very first requirement of design the strict
unity of house and garden, in all its aspects.

14 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

Taking the twofold classification suggested above,
our primary consideration in design should be
simplicity of treatment and harmony with existing con-
ditions. The stretches of lawn, the enclosures for
pleasure gardens, the terraces, wide walks and greens
should be rectilinear in outline as far as possible ; the
paths should be straight, the planting should be
formed in simple masses — the whole effect being
well-balanced and restful. Isolated clumps of plant-
ing should be avoided, and single trees and shrubs
where valuable enough to be preserved should be
linked to boundaries or made to appear intentional
objects in the general scheme. It often happens
that such obstacles, unwelcome at first to the garden
plan, provide it, in the end, with the happiest of its
inspirations. It is much better to be directed by
the conditions of the site, than to attempt to force
some preconceived plan on a reluctant situation, and
in drawing out the guiding lines it should be our
object to find the simplest solution of the problems
which the existing levels, aspect, trees, and other
natural conditions present to us. Many are the
failures in gardens which have resulted from violating
this rule of simplicity of treatment and harmony

FIG. 4. — The Orangery, Coombe Warren.

1 6 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

with existing conditions. To many people simplicity
spells poverty, and harmony is nothing so beautiful
as contrast. Hence come those paths that are curved
eternally until your eye longs for a straight line,
feature crowded upon feature until each depreciates
its fellow, and that planting which is of so foreign
and imported a nature that it appears a stranger
upon the hillside rather than a product of its own
soil. But experience and good taste will dictate
quite other methods. The garden should be a
concentration of the beauty of the locality. Its
native foliage, trees, even its own levels, — with
proper correction, — should be retained as far as
possible ; other planting of a nature resembling that
in the neighbourhood should be introduced to protect
the walks and supplement the trees that are already
grown ; every view and distant prospect should be
enhanced by the careful disposition of terrace and
walk, of avenue and thick plantation. The garden
should exhibit a superabundant wealth amid the
richness of the countryside ; it should shrink from
many barren gravel paths, but should love a
multitude of turf and paved walks ; its trees should
shun an unnatural isolation, but should glory in

FIRST PRINCIPLES 17

companionship ; and its flowers, instead of being
spread in scattered beds across the turf, should
mingle their luxuriant growth in enclosures set apart
for them, or fill wide borders beneath high walls and
hedges and along the sunniest of the walks. Not
only should natural foliage be preferred in general
to that which is strange to the district, but it is well
to extend the preference to the building material of
which walls, terraces, steps, garden-houses — and
even the house and outbuildings themselves — are
made. Limestone, sandstone, chalk, flint, brick and
tile, all have their peculiar suitability to their native
places. So, by natural, restful, and simple means
the garden shall arise from the countryside like a
favoured child, more richly clad than its brother
glades and meadows ; and where the cultivated
meets the wild land, some pleasant boundary can be
set, — some quiet ditch of fern or sheltered path, or
a " wild garden," can be planned between the wood-
land and the well-trimmed walks.

The second group of considerations counsels the
designer to avoid all inordinate display, and to cultivate
privacy with that ample protection and shelter which
makes for the maximum of usefulness and beauty in the

GARDENS IN THE MAKING

FIG. 5. — Gateway and Yew.

garden domain. We may perhaps sum up the
sentence in the single word " repose." The method
of garden planning, as it is desired to present it here,
is largely embraced in a process of dividing the
garden into many gardens, each part having an
organic relation with every other part, and all
together forming one harmonised scheme. This
principle is of the utmost importance. A formal
garden enlarged to extravagant dimensions has a
barren and hard effect which defeats its own object.

FIRST PRINCIPLES 19

On the other hand, an informal scheme is aimless
and wearisome unless the site is particularly endowed
by Nature, and is pleasantly broken up by majestic
trees and other natural features. The majority of
plants and flowers require a comparatively close
range of vision for full appreciation, and blooms set
in an enclosed garden or bordering a line of wall or
hedge will have a far greater effect than if they are
merely units in a wide and extended scheme. In
most sites the question settles itself from the practical
necessity of shelter, but the aesthetic point is of no
less weight. It is rarely possible to compose a
satisfactory picture, involving a large area to be seen
in its entirety from the house, and in any case it
will not have the same instant appeal that comes
from the sectional garden with its luxurious features
set in their proper background.

In advising the division of the garden, it is not
suggested that the perspective of distance does not
provide one of the most delightful pleasures to the
eye, when it is skilfully preserved. But distance,
unless it is the wide survey of many miles from a
respectable height, requires the help of gradation.
A long garden, giving on to a distant walk or avenue

20 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

which leads the eye to some landmark or to the
horizon, is a most dignified and always a pleasing
device ; and if its length is graduated by recurring
trees and other features, it is much improved. Such
a perspective is helped by a lofty wall, hedge, or
bank of trees, which, being above the eye, carries
an upper line to meet the converging boundaries of
walk and border. It is the bird's-eye view which,
though occasionally interesting, should be generally
avoided, since one soon wearies of seeing too
much, and of seeing it in an imperfect and indistinct
manner.

The most important boundary to be introduced
is that which separates the entrance from the rest
of the site. In many modern houses there is no
attempt to screen the private gardens from the road
or drive, and the planting is often discontinued
before the house is reached in order to expose and
display the grounds. The result of this is a complete
absence of shelter, the wind sweeps round the house,
and every one who walks in the garden is visible,
willingly or unwillingly, to the chance visitor.
Occasionally the aspect of an existing building, or
the difficult configuration of the ground, will make

FIRST PRINCIPLES 21

it impossible to shut off the entrance from the
pleasure gardens ; but the general rule, which can
nearly always be followed with the exercise of a little
ingenuity, should be a north entrance with the
gardens south, east, and west. If the entrance can
be made into a courtyard, with the help of
outbuildings, flanking walls, etc., so much the
better. A picturesque entrance is a great asset
to a house, but its qualities should depend on
graceful lines, good planning, and careful associa-
tion with one or two well - grown trees, rather
than on any attempt to combine it with the
gardens themselves.

Along the principal garden-front of the house
should extend the terrace or paved walk, which
forms the highway between life within and without
doors. Considerations of levels, existing trees, etc.,
will determine its width measured away from the
house ; but up to a certain point the greater the width
the better the effect. If the gardens are on level
ground and tend to be shut in, the space should be
extended as far as is practicable in the form of a
lawn ; but if they slope away, the stretch of level
terrace may be more contracted, though it is advisable

22 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

to have a good width to ensure a restful stability to
the appearance of the building.

This level platform is the key to the garden. It
can be prolonged either way into a sheltered walk,
covered or otherwise, which is thus easily accessible
from the house. From it other walks and paths
can be traced which shall divide the site into lawns,
flower-gardens, terraces, and formal enclosures to a
number equal to the fancy and resources of the
owner. The ultimate design and situation of these
apartments in the fairy palace of the garden will
depend on a thousand considerations ; but we must
never forget that to ensure privacy and to provide a
sustained interest, all the divisions must be self-
contained, sheltered, and generally unapproached
save by well-planned paths and archways — for the
purpose of revealing their beauties one by one, and
reserving the finest views and objects of most
delightful interest to be enjoyed severally and at
leisure. If the visitor sees everything as he arrives,
he may indeed be struck by the great display, but
his curiosity is not aroused nor is his imagination
stimulated as in those gardens founded on earlier
and surer principles, the attractions of which seem

FIG. 6. — Wrought-iron Gate beneath Trees.

24 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

to lure us to a continual round of discovery and at
the same time to defy exhaustion.

In this connection it is necessary to point out
the propriety of planning carefully the surroundings
of foreign features if it is wished to introduce them.
It is of undeniable interest to import various modes
of garden-making from countries other than our
own ; but these methods should not be allowed to
override the main scheme, which must be one which
is suited to English soil and climate, and is in
harmony with the best English tradition. A little
care in choosing the site of such experiments and
in making their situation one which will not compete
with the rest of the garden, will prevent any serious
incongruity from being felt.

Our third and last pair of considerations has to
do with a rational and purposeful plan of house and
garden together. There must be as much unity
between each part of the house and the adjoining
grounds as there should be between all parts of the
garden. This right relationship will be strengthened
if our planning is informed with some obvious
reason for every detail of its arrangement, and the
greater care we exercise the more likely is the plan

FIRST PRINCIPLES 25

to be permanent, adding beauty to beauty with
every year until it acquires that " old-world "
character which we all admire.

There are two ways of looking at the relationship
of house and garden, — first, the garden as seen from
the house ; and, second, the house as approached from
the garden. Both are of great importance from an
aesthetic point of view, although the former has more
claim to our practical consideration. The twofold
problem presents itself in many different ways,
being easier when we build a new house and plan
its garden, than when we have to adapt both build-
ings and grounds already in existence and fairly
matured. If we have a free hand from the start and
our site is a new one, we can give due thought to
our garden scheme in settling the disposition of the
house, the position of its rooms, and the precise
aspect of its windows. The general shape of the
house, too, and its outbuildings can be arranged
with a view to affording a background, the scale of
which will suit the garden.

To take this second consideration first, we
cannot be too often reminded how important a
matter it is. Many good gardens are spoiled by

26 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

the unharmonious or ineffective background which
the house itself supplies, and some considerable
architectural treatment of garden wall, arcade,
or other buildings is necessary to restore the
lost balance. The defect can be avoided by fore-
thought where a new building is concerned, but
when encountered in the case of existing buildings,
it must be put right before anything else is done.
For instance, we may find a beautiful lawn from
which a fine prospect is obtained towards the south.
Its boundaries west and east may be quite satis-
factory, marked, let us suppose, by lofty trees. To
the north, however, where the house lies, it has no
regularity, the building is high with no length to
form a fitting frame to the broad sweep of the turf ;
it is, moreover, placed awkwardly at one side, and
the whole picture is marred. In this case it is
necessary to make good with garden architecture
the faulty background provided by the house.
The straight walk between the building and the
turf must be made the full length of the lawn.
Pavilions or garden-houses might be built at each
end, and these connected as far as the house by walls,
pleasantly treated with brick and stone, or by an

FIRST PRINCIPLES

27

FIG. 7. — Elm Tree Farm, West Wittering.

arcade, a series of piers, or a pergola. By this
means the house is made to spread itself along
the ground, it is coaxed into performing its proper
function in regard to the garden upon which it looks,
and it is rid of the isolation which divides it from
its surroundings. The whole appearance is trans-
formed by the simple work of co-ordination. This
problem of the house as viewed from the garden,
and as an integral part of the design, must be
considered in the same way that an artist considers

28 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

the composition of a picture. What the abbey
church is to the cloister, what the back scene is to
the play, such is the relationship and harmony at
which we must aim. Standing in different parts of
the garden we must mark carefully the length,
height, mass, and projection of the building, and
determine what lines or features it is necessary to
accentuate or to moderate. And when the house,
with its adjoining buildings, terraces, and trees has
provided us with a background which satisfies the
eye, we can proceed with more certainty of success
to the other problems of the garden scheme.

This is one aspect of the unity which is required
between house and garden ; the other, the garden
as viewed from the house, we will now discuss in
detail under various types of plan. What picture
we shall prepare for each window and what devices
we shall employ for pleasant and useful access from
within to without doors, depend on the circumstances
of each specific problem, and may be more clearly
set forth by the examples which follow.

Ill

THE GARDEN PLAN

TO embark upon a successful argument our
premises must be sound, and before we
seek to lay out our garden we must make
sure that our starting-point — the house — is rightly
arranged for our enterprise. Let us therefore
retrace our steps a moment. There are sites which
present formidable difficulties of aspect, sloping
away and hidden from the sun, with their views
to the north, constraining us to do violence to
all the normal canons of design. The greater
number of sites will, however, allow us to place
our building towards the south, or a few points
east or west, to gain the full measure of sunlight
which the climate will afford. As far as possible the
southern, eastern, and western sides of our building
should be devoted to the garden ; all the best rooms,

30 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

both living and bedrooms, should look upon it ;
and the north should be reserved for the entrance,
for corridors, passage-ways, and offices. If the house
has wings, it is desirable that they should project
north rather than south, for the entrance courtyard
can thus be better defined and made more pictur-
esque, while the garden front is left open to light
and air. Projections, however, on the side of the
pleasure gardens, if not too close together, can be
made the occasion for many interesting arrangements.
A normal plan is seen in fig. 62, where the inter-
relationship of the house and its surroundings is
clearly shown. The drive is brought along the
northern side of the site to a courtyard, partly
sheltered by the eastern or kitchen wing of the
building. On the western side is a garage, which,
while being in the most convenient position for the
drive, extends the architectural background required
for the garden. The grouping of the buildings as
one approaches the entrance is of a picturesque
informality, with just enough symmetry to give a
dignified and orderly approach. The tall chestnut on
the right furnishes the courtyard and overhangs the
steep roof of the garage, which it unites with the

FIG. 8.— Plaish Hall, Shropshire.

32 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

house. The skyline and general grouping should
have in themselves the elements of beauty, and an
entrance should seldom require the help of flower-
beds or borders. Its own lines and disposition
should possess an attraction which is permanent and
always suitable to its special function. The southern,
western, and eastern sides of the house are thus left
in complete possession of the gardens, which are
effectively screened and sheltered from the drive.
The principle is illustrated further in the plans of
Stansted (fig. 59), Coombe Warren (fig. 60), and
Henley Hall (fig. 61).

It often happens that an old house will have its
principal entrance on the south side, and the gardens
will be hopelessly cut up and exposed to view.
This vital defect must always be remedied by divert-
ing the approach, an operation that will not be
found as difficult as it may appear. Pitchford Hall,
near Shrewsbury (fig. 2), a beautiful half-timbered
house of the sixteenth century, was sadly spoilt in
this way. The main building, with two long wings
stretching to the south, enclosed three sides of a
quadrangle, and a fourth side had been added in the
late eighteenth century. In the centre of this was

THE GARDEN PLAN 33

the principal entrance, approached by a drive which
crossed the rapid stream on the banks of which the
house is built. The drive has since been diverted,
and an entrance made on the north side ; the later
work is removed, and the quadrangle opened to the
sun. By bringing the lawn within this, slightly
terracing the banks of the stream, and arranging a
path bordered by cut yews between the timbered
wings, it has been possible to restore its gardens to
the house, with all the serenity and beauty of turf,
foliage, and water.

An equally striking example, but on a much
smaller scale, is shown in the plan of Little Lodge,
Newick (fig. 9). The original cottage was a par-
allelogram, having a living-room, kitchen, and two
storerooms on the ground floor, and three bedrooms
above. The entrance was in the flower garden, on
the south side, opening into the living-room, while the
kitchen garden was on the north, along one side of the
drive leading from the road. As it was desired to add
another sitting-room on the east side, it was necessary
to cut off a portion of the two storerooms (now
converted into one room) to form a passage, and
here was the opportunity to make an entrance on
3

THE GARDEN PLAN 35

the north side. An extension of the kitchen provided
the sheltering west wing, a little circular projecting
staircase added to the picturesqueness of the entrance,
and a cherry tree provided the centre for a paved
court. The entrance was thus placed more con-
veniently for the drive, between the kitchen garden
and the cottage, while privacy was restored to the
flower garden on the south side.

The gardens at Elm Tree Farm, West Wittering
(fig. 56), illustrate another method of surmounting a
similar difficulty. Here the house faces south, and
looks across a broad lawn to the road. The entrance
was on the south front at its western end, and there
was a drive which passed awkwardly from the road up
the eastern side of the lawn, along the front of the
house, and so to the stable-yard. It was not
practicable to alter the position of the door without
considerable expense ; the drive, however, was re-
moved and an ample carriage-way made direct from
the road to the garage and stables. Carriages could
thus set down within a few feet of the front door
without intruding on the garden. The plan and
view of Dalingridge Place, West Hoathly (figs.
10 and 57), show a circular entrance courtyard which

36 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

occupies the western side of the house, leaving the
south and east well screened from the drive and
approach.

There are very few gardens in which this principle
of privacy can be dispensed with, for there is nothing
more troublesome than to be unable to enjoy
security from interruption, or to be liable continually
to be seen by all who call at the house. Even in
small cottages the gardens of which lie between the
front door and the road, it is generally possible to
lead the path up one side of the plot and screen
it from the private walks. This is not always
necessary ; the time-honoured straight path from
the gate to the cottage porch, with the wide border
of flowers on each side, should not lightly be dis-
placed, for a hedge behind the border will protect a
useful part of the garden and increase the effect.
The cottager puts his whole display of flowers into
the borders along his front path, and uses the re-
mainder of the garden for vegetables. He gets in
this way the maximum of effect with the minimum
of expense. His plot is modelled on the kitchen-
garden, and, like it, it cannot dispense with the
middle walk edged with flowers ; his garden is

THE GARDEN FLAN 37

usually too small to afford the division of area
recommended for larger grounds.

We shall have a later opportunity for discussing
the entrance courtyard in detail ; our concern now
is with the main lines of the plan. We will conclude
that the entrance is set on the north side of the
house, and that we now have to consider the main
lines of the gardens proper.

The feature of first importance is the terrace or
platform on which the house itself rests. The
architectural character of a building practically
demands that it should be raised from a level base,
and that its immediate surroundings should have a
formality which will harmonise with its own vertical
and horizontal lines4 and set them off to advantage,
There is nothing that does this so perfectly as the
paved terrace or walk carried along immediately
adjacent to the principal garden front. The levels
of the ground will determine whether the terrace
will be raised from the surrounding garden, or
whether it will be merely a paved walk at the same
level. Equally suitable in tile or brick, York,
Purbeck, or old London paving-stone, it affords
an immediate dry walk when one steps out

38 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

of doors ; and besides providing the level platform
that gives dignity to the house, it becomes, if con-
tinued to a proper length, the base line for the
whole garden scheme. If the house is on a knoll or
raised very much above the main garden, it may be
necessary to remove the principal terrace some little
distance away ; but even then a short paved walk
next the building will be necessary, with easy access
from the one to the other. The same arrangement
may become advisable where the house is sunk
below its gardens — a situation which, though
difficult, presents many attractive problems. Nor-
mally, however, the chief paved walk should be
planned next to the building, with as many doors
as convenient leading to it ; and this should be the
garden highway, every pains being taken to make
it as attractive as possible.

Let us look at our plans again to see how
the idea may be carried out. In fig. 62 we see
the paved walk continued as a pergola both east and
west. The centre portion gives the level open
space so valuable for setting off the building ; and
its continuation each side being limited by the
boundaries of the open site, is given interest and

FIG. 10. — Bird's-eye view, Dalingridge Place, West Hoathly.

40 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

distance by the colonnade of roses. The walk
westward leads to the woodland and wild garden,
and the whole extends the length of the house to
correspond with the main width of the garden.
Wherever one stands, therefore, in the walks below,
one looks up to a background of which the house
occupies the centre and the pergolas the two wings.

At Little Lodge, Newick (fig. 9), the ground
was above the level of the floors, and the latter had
to be lowered still further to increase the height
of the rooms. The paved walk was therefore sunk
below the level of the garden and made very wide
to ensure the dryness of the house. It is of bricks
laid in small squares, varied by flagstones, and is the
full width of the enclosure.

At Elm Tree Farm, West Wittering (fig. 56), a
broad walk of the beautiful Purbeck stone is laid
along the front between the house and the lawn,
and with its level character increases the quiet
sobriety of the Georgian house. It is seldom,
however, sufficient to take the paving to the end of
the house, for all garden walks require distance and
a continuation of their lines. At Elm Tree Farm,
therefore, some outbuildings and planting were

THE GARDEN PLAN 41

removed at the eastern end, the south wall of the
house was continued in brickwork for some distance
and with it the paved walk, which with the ascent
of a few steps passed beneath some tall elms and
terminated with a seat against a return wall. In
this way a shady terrace was procured where shade
was needed, a pleasant entrance to the flower garden
was effected, and, most important of all, the walk by
the house was given length and the charm of a
graduated perspective.

The bird's-eye views of Dalingridge Place (fig. 10)
and Plaish Hall (fig. 8) show further examples of
the paved walk, the former being of London paving-
stone, and projected to lead to steps and a seat beneath
the fine trees at the west end of the terrace. A
similar treatment is shown at Henley Hall (fig. 61).

Beyond the principal paved walk it is not easy to
generalise on the further development of the plan,
as the conditions attaching to various sites are so
totally dissimilar. The division and subdivision of
the garden will depend so much on natural boun-
daries, existing timber, and numberless accidents of
view and aspect. Although by no means a rule
to be always observed, it is yet desirable to have a

42 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

stretch of lawn near the house, especially if there
are good trees to back it up on one or both sides to
group well with the house. The level, unbroken
surface of the lawn and its quiet colour give the garden
a sense of restfulness, and a sufficient area of turf is
of the utmost value to the architectural character of
the building. Care should be taken that this lawn is
not needlessly broken up by beds of flowers, nor
unduly intersected by paths. The continuity of the
green surface is its chief quality, and small patches of
grass are seldom effective. It is a different matter,
of course, with grass paths, which, either as long
narrow walks, or paths of equal width forming the
pattern of a flower garden, are- in themselves very
beautiful. Such paths can be easily mown on
account of their uniformity, and the broad surface
of a lawn presents no difficulty to the machine ; but
when it is cut up with " bedding out " it is a costly
and trying process to keep trim, and the results are
out of all proportion to the labour involved.

A lawn, if of sufficient extent, is greatly enhanced
by rectilinear boundaries, but on one side at least
it may lose itself under the shade of tall trees. If
the limiting hedges and walls are too low, the

FIG. n. — Tower House, Appledram.

44 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

appearance may be flat and uninteresting ; but the
background of a long building, a high bank of trees
or a lofty yew hedge, will give it depth and richness,
and the shadows of foliage cast on the turf are
among the most beautiful effects which a garden
can show. A well-clothed pergola will sometimes
provide just the necessary strength of outline to
give to a lawn the beauty it should possess, and a
long herbaceous border, fully stocked with glowing
colour, is perfect when seen across the level green
plain.

The number of enclosures, more or less formally
arranged, which are to be set apart for flowers is
unlimited, and one or two choice flower gardens
should be planned close to the house, with special
reference to the windows of certain rooms. Where
the terrace and lawn lie along the principal front
towards the south, formal gardens can generally be
placed at the eastern and western ends. They may
also be set between the terrace and the turf, if
properly defined, and in this position their beauty
will be increased if they are slightly sunk in the
ground.

At West Wittering a formal garden is shown to

THE GARDEN PLAN 45

the west, just beneath the window of the principal
sitting-room (figs. 28 and 56). The same position is
similarly occupied at Ascott House (fig. 30), Henley
Hall, Ludlow (fig 6 1 .), and Coombe Warren, Kingston
Hill (fig. 60). A position has been left for a
formal garden to be seen from the drawing-room
windows at the east end of Dalingridge Place (fig.
57), and another adjoins the lawn at Plaish Hall
(fig. 8). In the plan on fig. 62 a rose garden is
shown to the west between the garage and pergola,
and two others below the pergolas on each side of
the lawn.

These little gardens, set in carefully chosen places,
do not derange the general lay-out ; they concen-
trate the gaiety and brightness of colour and form,
and the eye is led along the broad borders to expect
their repetition at no great distance. Lower levels
overlooked by terraces are readily treated in this
way and present a feast of colour, inviting us to
descend among them.

Where the whole area is small and there is not
room for much turf, or where the only lawn is to
be occupied by a tennis court and the rest of the
ground to be devoted to flowers, it is advisable to

THE GARDEN PLAN 47

treat the entire site as a formal flower garden.
Care, however, should be taken to keep the outlines
simple and to avoid the imitation of too architec-
tural or grandiose a design in so limited a space. A
certain amount of formal planning is essential to
give the flowers their full effect, and some fanciful
forms of cut yew, box, etc., are not out of place in
a cottage garden ; but formal design can be easily
overdone, and will thus defeat its own object. It is
an art which should conceal its art, guiding the
effect without obtrusiveness, introducing a quiet
orderliness without advertising its purpose too
loudly. Only in the town garden should the archi-
tectural lines be strongly predominant, for reasons
which will be discussed more fully on a later page.

One word more with regard to the general plan.
It must never be forgotten in our extensions of the
garden scheme that it is as necessary to co-ordinate
every part as it is to harmonise the house with its
surroundings. The idea of " composition " must
never be absent from our minds, and the connecting
links : — paths, walks, terraces, steps, arches, etc., must
be carefully thought out. It will be an advantage
if we can extend the garden gradually year by year,

48 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

for we shall then accustom ourselves to each addition
as it is made, and familiarise our eyes with the way
in which the whole composition is being formed.
For example, it will often be necessary on a sloping
site to correct the awkward lines of certain levels by
throwing out " bastions," or by excavating to reduce
the height of the ground. The levels above the
rose garden at Ashdown Place, Forest Row (fig. 58),
presented a formidable problem before they were
reduced to terraces ; and even then the general slope
of the surroundings rendered the result unsatis-
factory until the middle or cross terrace was ex-
tended, on one hand into the side of the hill, and on
the other to form a raised platform towards the falling
country. This cross terrace, or bowling-green, is
long enough to " steady " the whole composition,
and affords, moreover, a fine point of vantage from
which to command the view. The very wide flights
of steps (fig. 35) were specially designed to prevent
the imprisoned appearance which would otherwise
have been given to the rose garden, and the blocks
of cut yew at either end were devised to screen the
diagonal fall in the ground, and to give the appear-
ance of stability to the steps. A somewhat similar

THE GARDEN PLAN 49

terrace with bastion-shaped end is to be seen at
Dalingridge Place (fig. 10), where the direction of
the falling ground is also diagonal to the plan of the
house. These are but instances here and there
of a thousand problems which, if not squarely met
and solved, are sufficient to cripple the best schemes
and leave a lasting sense of dissatisfaction.

Having dealt broadly with the principles of
design, and with those considerations which should
determine the general plan, we are now free to
examine the details in their proper sequence. It is
an easier task, for it brings our subject within the
readier compass of our vision. Moreover, to
examine the garden seriatim is a more natural
process than to attempt to take its full compass in
one view. The art that should be concealed must
suffer from exposure even in a treatise, — howsoever
worthy the intention, — but every one may appreciate
such recommendations as apply to single features
or well-defined situations. Those, therefore, who
neglect our earlier pages may yet linger not unprofit-
ably for a few hints on points of detail.

IV

FROM ENTRANCE TO
COURTYARD

Entrance Gates and Lodges

IN choosing the entrance to our grounds, let us
seek the place where the trees are of the
finest growth, — where some giant oak or sycamore,
or better still some evergreen, ilex, or holly provides
a fitting arch of shadow and wall of green. Trees
to an entrance are like supporters to a coat of
arms ; they give dignity even to a cottage gateway.
Wherever possible, let the entrance be recessed, so
that the flanking wall or hedge may leave a margin
of well-mown turf against the roadside. The
entrance is the outward sign and indication of the
house within — to the passer-by it represents the
whole estate, to the visitor it is the prologue of
the play. It should therefore be well considered,

ENTRANCE GATES AND LODGES 51

and money spent upon it will always more than
repay the outlay.

The simple gateway will be discussed on a later
page, but there is certainly nothing more excellent
than a good wrought-iron gate and properly
proportioned piers of brick or stone. The illus-
tration in fig. 22, a design adapted from an old
example at Croydon, and the arched gateway at
West Wittering which forms the title-page to this
volume, show two methods of treatment. It
depends entirely upon the design and the method
of its execution whether such an entrance shall
have an inviting or forbidding aspect. Between the
present day and the more spacious times of the
eighteenth century, when the wrought-iron entrance
gate was brought to its perfection, we have had a
long period of shameful degradation. The gates and
railings of cast-iron, produced by the thousand to com-
mercial patterns, have been used ad nauseam in town
and country alike, and the dislike which they have
called forth is often too strong to be discriminating.
But let a simple design be prepared and the work
entrusted to an intelligent village smith, and we
may rest assured that the forged bars and scroll work

52 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

will be as attractive as the miserable cast ornament
had been repulsive. It is not that cast-iron is
unsusceptible of charming treatment in the right
place, but there are many reasons for excluding it
from garden architecture. On the other hand,
wrought-iron is a ready ally in our garden schemes ;
it is increased in beauty when near to masses of
foliage or flowers, and its fanciful lines of sombre
colour allow us to see beyond them and even invite
our view.

The character of the grounds into which the
entrance leads will have largely to determine for us
our treatment of the entrance itself. If we have
perforce to go straight into a garden from the road,
it becomes merely a question of choice between the
many types of gates and archways which we shall
discuss later. The chief consideration in such cases
is generally to prevent too much publicity, and the
arched opening in a high wall or hedge will appear
almost the sole alternative to a solid doorway. In
the latter case there are many quite simple and
attractive methods by which the entrance can be
marked and an architectural compensation provided
for the loss of prospect within. The solid door

54 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

should be of oak framing, moulded to suit the style
employed, and in any case should have an appearance
of strength and durability.

More usually however, if there is space to follow
the general principles already set forth, we shall enter
upon a forecourt, or a drive leading thereto, and
we shall not be hampered by questions of privacy
or exclusion. Indeed, the entrance is such a point
of vantage to survey the courtyard itself, or the
sweep of the drive through the grounds, that we can
afford to be generous to the passer-by and give him
as good a view as our opportunities will allow. The
aim should be, whether by simple or more elaborate
means, to invest the threshold of our estate with a
suitable dignity, the design of which may still be
picturesque and imaginative in quality. The day has
happily gone by when " rustic " lodges were fashion-
able at the park gates, and a perverted sentiment
refused a legitimate architectural treatment where it
was obviously demanded. From the beginnings of
its history, architectural art has never been more
fittingly applied than when used in the shaping and
embellishing of entrance gates and archways, and
although it will suit neither the purse nor the taste

ENTRANCE GATES AND LODGES 55

of every one to produce an elaborate design, it is
certain that the entrance loses immensely in char-
acter if the architectural idea is eliminated. If
the gates are linked with a gatekeeper's lodge or
other buildings, every opportunity is afforded for
pleasant grouping and a good effect. A simple
example of a lodge and oak gates is that at
Westerham (fig. 13), but here the lodge has been
treated as an isolated cottage. Wherever the build-
ing can be definitely joined to a brick or stone
archway or to piers, a variety of delightful archi-
tectural studies are possible in every phase of
the Renaissance from Jacobean to Georgian. To
gain symmetry the lodge can be repeated on the
opposite side — thus providing a second cottage,
which is often required ; and if the whole group is
built of a roughly worked stone or hand-made brick,
an effective composition is made easy. Above all
things it is important to avoid anything tame and
commonplace, without character or diversity of
outline. Mere originality and frivolous detail
should, of course, be shunned, for they also defeat the
essential qualities which are needful in the entrance.
Sturdiness and dignity, a composition purposeful

GARDENS IN THE MAKING

FIG. 14. — Brick Gateway.

yet restrained, a striking skyline in the grouping
of lodge and gates, — these, combined with scholarly
detail and good workmanship, are required for
complete success. A great deal can be effected by
the plan alone of the space before the entrance, and
a skilful arrangement will invest a simple oak fence
with interest. As a general rule, a strict formality
is a virtue, and as far as possible the domestic

THE APPROACH TO THE HOUSE 57

character of the lodge should be concealed or
merged into the expression of its more important
function as a sentry by the gate. The whole
entrance, even in its most modest phase, is in the
position of a frontispiece, and it should be worthy
of its public position and the place of honour
which it is its duty to fill.

The Approach to the House

The drive from the lodge gates, if of any length,
is little different from a beautiful country road save
in its privacy. Its course will be determined by the
contour of the ground, and it will have to be formed
in a substantial manner to stand the wear of heavy
traffic. Through an undulating park it can follow
the devious curves which the way of least resistance
offers, and it is permissible to fetch a wide circuit to
reach a fine view or pass through a beautiful glade.
The formality of the garden does not require its ex-
tension into the surrounding estate, which is nothing
more than an enclosed portion of the countryside,
and it is a laudable desire to make the drive through
the property as beautiful and varied as possible. In
a flat country there is more need of artificial aids to

58 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

obtain a good effect, and this may be done in various
ways.

A long avenue of lofty trees is the noblest approach
that a house can possess, but those who have the
courage to plant them will do so with the knowledge
that they will scarcely enjoy the fruits of their labour.
Fortunately we still have amongst us men who sow
for a future generation to reap, and indeed it is only
right when we think of all that we inherit from the
past. A fine avenue of trees is a priceless gift to
the future, and its long and lofty bank of foliage is
almost as beautiful, when viewed from the outside,
as from within the perspective of its narrowing walls
of green.

Where a house stands not far from the main road
a straight avenue is of great value. It adds to its
dignity, it makes the distance appear longer, and
while exposing the centre of the house it screens
the greater part of the building from the gate. Even
an avenue of comparatively low pollarded trees acts
as a charm, and a double line of fruit trees forms a
fitting approach to a farm-house. The thorn is also
an excellent tree for an unconventional avenue. Its
well-shaped heads of foliage are balanced on stems

THE APPROACH TO THE HOUSE 59

of variable shape, and from each season of the year
it claims a special glory.

As we approach the house from the longer drives
it will be well to introduce the formal character by
degrees. The last part of the road should be
straight, and preferably should lead direct to the
entrance courtyard with this side of the house in
full view, closing the vista. It is sometimes neces-
sary to pass into the forecourt in a direction parallel
with the house, and here great care must be taken
to screen the drive from the pleasure gardens and
the windows that overlook them. If possible, how-
ever, the drive should turn direct to the house, and
the eye be led by avenue, hedge, or wall to the
building towards which the road is leading. The
surprise at suddenly turning a corner and rinding
ourselves by the front door is not to be compared
in point of pleasure with the gradual approach in a
straight line.

As the drive nears its destination, it may first be
partly enclosed by planting, with banks of rhodo-
dendrons or other flowering shrubs, forming a fore-
ground in the final stretch of straight road. Beyond,
the lines can be taken up by sentinel Irish yews

60 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

spaced widely apart in a deep grass border on either
side. Further still some cut squares of yew, holly,
or box, some stone piers and perhaps an archway of
stone or brick will mark an added architectural
character up to the point at which will rise the roofs
of the house itself. 'All the materials are here for
a fine picture, which can be varied indefinitely in its
composition — an open country lending itself to large
effects and enclosed areas or heavily timbered estates
to well-defined and sheltered roadways. When all
is said a line of trees remains the ideal condition for
the approach to the house ; bordering the simplest
roadway they bestow upon it a quality and distinction
obtainable in no other way, and even in winter such
trees as stand by the carriage-way to Little Lodge,
Newick (fig. 16), invest the cottage with much of
their own beauty.

Courtyards

An enclosed space may by its fashioning be
the pleasantest place on earth ; it may also be the
dreariest. The courtyard of the manor-house, the
college quadrangle, or the cathedral cloister, the
Italian cor tile and the Spanish pateo^ — all these are

COURTYARDS 61

examples of the restful beauty which can be had by
a little skilful handling. Given the eye of an artist,
there are very few buildings which do not suggest
by their own arrangement or that of their surround-
ing walls and boundaries some easy conversion into
this, the simplest and most beautiful contrivance of
architectural planning. The essence of design is to
let the structure of the house or the conditions of
its site suggest an idea, and then to use our invention
and ingenuity in working it out to its own charming
conclusion, and if on no other side of the building,
that facing the entrance is almost certain to lend
itself to the courtyard treatment.

It will be remembered that in our ideal house
plan we have assigned the entrance to the north,
leaving the south, east, and west to look out upon
the pleasure gardens and private walks. The
windows of the principal living-rooms and bedrooms
will therefore be on the garden sides, and the entrance
outlook will be confined as far as possible to the
hall, corridors, offices, etc. If this arrangement has
been followed it is obvious that the forecourt and
the side of the house immediately facing it will
require a treatment in which dignity, restraint, or a

FIG. 15. — Stone Gateway.

COURTYARDS 63

formal precision is the chief quality. Without
perhaps going so far as to say that there is any
position in which flowers are out of place, it may
yet be conceded that the entrance court is not in
need of beds of flowers for its adornment. Indeed,
it is most successfully treated without their aid, and
the combination of wall, hedge, gravelled court, and
broad border of turf will be found to provide the
best material for its composition.

Although, in our aim at restraint and a simple
dignity, we may make a rule to dispense with flowers,
it does not follow that the forecourt should be
necessarily formal or rigidly symmetrical. A per-
fectly balanced architectural treatment can, of course,
be made very beautiful, and represents perhaps the
ideal method to be employed. But some houses
will not stand too much severity, and where the
building itself is not symmetrically designed, — a
succession, maybe, of ivy-clad gables of no particular
size or grouping, — there are many ways of ensuring
dignity and restraint without recourse to an unbend-
ing formalism. And even in the most carefully
prepared design, a fine tree, or group of trees, can
never be considered as an intruder. Trees that are

64 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

beautiful and well-proportioned in themselves can
stand almost anywhere in the garden design, and will
invariably increase the effect. Certainly they no-
where help the grouping so much as when they
stand comparatively near the building and throw
their shade across the forecourt, and the position of
a good tree is often sufficient reason to plan the
entrance courtyard so that its stem may be included
within the boundaries.

It must be our aim, then, to blend the house,
forecourt, and the surrounding trees into one satis-
fying picture, restrained in colour, but striking and
impressive in form. And how many compositions
are there which this enticing subject will suggest !
Here, we may see a timbered house of low pro-
portions, with steep pitched roofs of tile and soaring
chimney-stacks, combined with close-cut hedges of
yew, which themselves provide a deep green
entrance arch or sturdy piers with curiously clipped
finials. There, a stone manor-house worthy of
Inigo Jones, its orderly ranks of windows ranged
on either side of the doorway, and its hipped roof
set above a bold cornice, with its forecourt enclosed
by high stone walls, well coped and chased with

66 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

niched recesses, and entered by tall twin pedestals
crowned with vases of lead or stone. Again, a
mansion of Tudor outline — a crowd of brick gables,
oriels, lofty chimney shafts, and turrets — will wait
to receive us behind its gatehouse, where its turf-
bordered court is bounded by high trees or set
within a frame of low walls studded with pyramids
of yew. Or, the ample comfort of a house such as
Wren loved to build will furnish its forecourt with
fine wrought-iron work in a long screen with central
gates, and perhaps on either side a colonnade with
low pavilions. And so in endless variety we can
trace the underlying idea of an orderly and con-
ventionalised area set about the entrance door of
the house, partaking of its architectural character,
but at the same time proving itself an integral part
of the garden scheme.

It is important that the entrance courtyard should
require as little labour as possible in its upkeep, so
that its appearance shall not suffer from any chance
neglect. In these days of motor traffic it will have
to be wide, and a circle of some 70 to 100 feet in
diameter is not too much to allow, if vehicles have
to pass in and return by the same road. It can be

COURTYARDS 67

relieved by a centre-piece for which it should not
be difficult to choose an effective feature. A square
of turf or stone paving, with a clipped tree set in
the ground or in a tub, a fountain with moulded
parapet, a figure of stone or lead or a maze of
dwarf box hedges will adorn the central space, and
will prove valuable in adding definition to the
quadrangular or circular treatment. It is often
necessary to sink the courtyard to a level lower
than the surrounding ground, and the necessary
retaining wall will provide excellent material for a
formal treatment of the boundaries. It is as well,
in such cases, to avoid grass banks or so-called
" rockeries " ; the grass slope is better confined to
the gardens themselves, and rock plants should
have a domain of their own with a background of
green to show up their masses of brilliant colour.

Courts other than those to the entrance provide
endless scope for an inventive fancy. Whether
enclosed on three sides or wholly within the
buildings it should be possible to make them
gay with flowers, with some special setting or
background to complete a choice and alluring
picture. Unless they are very large, it is difficult

o
U

o

COURTYARDS 69

to bring enough sunlight into such enclosures, and
it is therefore all the more important to repair the
loss by an excess of colour. When completely
enclosed the whole area should be paved, raised
beds, tubs, vases, etc., being arranged for the
reception of flowers, which can be introduced in
full bloom and be replaced as soon as the blossom
is over. Dwarf trees in boxes and a variety of
stone and lead ornaments are to be found, suitable
for mingling with the flowers, although care is
required in their choice and arrangement. Water
can be introduced in the midst, or a good central
feature may be formed by a moulded stone curb as
for a fountain, — circular, octagonal, or foliated in
plan, — but filled with a mass of flowers instead of
water from the midst of which a slender figure or
finial can emerge. Balconies above with boxes of
flowers and hanging blooms will give an added
beauty and will lighten the whole effect.

Larger quadrangles will admit of arcaded or
colonnaded cloister walks, wichuriana roses can be
trained up the pillars, and turf can be used in the
formal design of the ground. Here, however, the
whole resources of the formal garden are open

70 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

to us, and these will be considered on a later
page.

One point is worth mentioning in connection
with courts enclosed by buildings on three sides
only. It is often difficult to make any self-
contained arrangement which does not look mean
and insignificant. The fact that one side is open
makes it impossible to set one's own scale, for the
country beyond will immediately challenge it. But
a solution may sometimes be found in projecting
the width of the court some distance out into the
gardens by extending its parallel boundaries with
dwarf hedges, walls, or balustrade, furnishing it
the while with some feature of interest, — a seat,
arbour, steps, or other device. By this means our
court partakes of the garden, — a definite portion of
the latter is received into the court, and that which
cannot be treated satisfactorily by itself is blended
with a larger scheme and its deficiencies are
cancelled. The bird's-eye view of Dalingridge
(fig. 10) will give an instance of the idea in
practice.

V
GARDEN BOUNDARIES

Walls and Hedges

THE main business of garden design has already
been defined as a skilful division into many
gardens. Just as a house requires several apart-
ments, and as its usefulness depends on a careful
disposition of its rooms and corridors, so a garden
demands separation into its manifold parts. It is in
the art of this division and subdivision that we must
bring the whole store of our knowledge and all the
resourcefulness of our invention, for an initial mis-
take may mar our later schemes, and to alter it later
will set back the garden development and bring dis-
appointment in its train. There is plenty of scope for
wide differences of taste in this matter, but even
those who desire the broadest garden landscape must
sketch in the structural lines of their picture with

72 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

dividing walls or hedges. Such grandiose schemes
are, however, for the few, and in the majority of
both large and small gardens it will be found that
the division into self-contained and sheltered areas
provides the greatest charm, variety, and interest,
besides allowing the opportunity for an unlimited
variation in the style of gardening and in the natural
and artificial features employed. The chief need of
the garden — shelter, and its most elusive charm —
mystery, alike demand the dividing lines of wall
or hedge to separate its lawns and walks, and its
many sites for the concourse of leaf and flower.

The most important matter in building a garden
wall is to steer safely between two equally undesir-
able extremes. The material used must not be of
so unyielding a nature that it repels the impress
of time and weather, nor should it, on the other
hand, partake of that tasteless and formless character
known to misguided enthusiasts as " rustic " work.
The one is as fatal as the other. A wall is a piece
of building, it is architectural in its nature, and
should have that quality of precision in form and
outline which architecture demands. Yet it must
be of the garden, it must not intrude, and it must

.§

CO

I

00

u

74 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

readily yield to the natural processes which will
mellow and soften its surface. No amount of
architectural form or ornament need necessarily be
out of place, always provided it is well designed
and in a material which harmonises with the vegeta-
tion around it. In an old garden it is often the
most startling architectural conceit of the early
builder which pleases us most ; but this is because
his stone and his brick have long since lost every
trace of artificiality, until they have seemed a
natural growth, so transformed are they by their
dress of creeper, moss or lichen, or by the bufferings
of a century or two of storms. A good deal is
heard at the present time of " texture " in building
materials, and since it often represents a fad or
the desire for a false appearance of antiquity, we
are apt to give the expression a wide berth. It
remains, however, precisely the word to employ in
the matter of garden walls and buildings, for the
surface should have a texture sufficiently rough to
invite the action of the weather upon it, to aid the
growth of creepers and parasitic plants, and to
blend its colour and tone with the living vegetation
in the midst of which it is placed. Many otherwise

WALLS AND HEDGES 75

admirable gardens of the past century seem to lack
all the poetry and charm which we instinctively
desire, for the simple reason that the stone and
brickwork are of so finished and hard a character
that Nature expends herself in vain upon their
unresponsive surfaces. The immaculate stone
steps and terra-cotta vases, smooth red-brick walls
and heavy York-stone copings — these are enemies
in possession, there to subdue the light-hearted
gaiety of nature, instead of enjoying the gentle
conquest which might beautify and enrich them in
the end. This extreme artificiality had its natural
reaction in the " rustic " walls and " rockeries " with
which the past generation endeavoured to propitiate
the sylvan deities. Such attempts overdid their
intention, they out-Heroded Herod, and by their
coarseness prevented all the delicate colouring and
slow softening of outline — the nuances and half-shades
which Nature loves unaided to express. These
" rustic " extravagances point one moral — that the
design of a garden should be in the hands of a
trained artist, or should never be attempted until
its principles have been studied with care, and its
elements thoroughly mastered.

FIG. 19. — Oak Gate.

WALLS AND HEDGES 77

Wherever there is local stone no trouble should
be experienced in raising gardens walls. Ashlar
(that is, smooth worked stone in regular courses)
should be employed only where important archi-
tectural work is to be carried out, although softer
stones such as Ham Hill may be used more
freely in this form, as their surface takes on a
beautiful colour in weathering. Ragstone or even
chalk can be built up in roughly squared blocks with
irregular face, but the most pleasing method for
ordinary walling will be found in using laminated
stone in rough courses of two to three inches in
depth. The stone walls of the Cotswolds, often
built dry or with only a little mortar in the centre
of the wall, are among the most beautiful kinds to
be found. The long lines of irregular deep joints
separated from one another by comparatively thin
layers of stone, seem to give the wall a fine con-
tinuity, and the joints hold the shadow and diversify
the surface. A good many local varieties of stone
can be treated in this way, and as long as they are
provided here and there with piers, gateways, or other
features to furnish relief, these types of dry walling
will always prove the most fitting for ordinary work.

78 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

Purbeck, York, and other stones used for paving
lend themselves admirably to this method. In lay-
ing the stones, the courses may be irregular and
varying in thickness, but the bed of the stones
should be level ; random work with varying angles
is too disquieting to be satisfactory, and it will be
found well worth the trouble roughly to square all
large stones before setting them in the wall. At all
costs avoid the artificially rough face with tooled
edges which, fitting though it may be in the rusti-
cated masonry of a large building, is quite out of
place in its modern degraded form in a garden
wall.

When the wall is to be of brick, care should be
exercised in the choice of colour. The bright tints
of the flowers and the fresh green of the opening
yew will quarrel with the majority of ordinary red
facing bricks. It is much safer to use a dark or
brindled stock, for it acquires a neutral tint that
harmonises with the natural colouring. Dutch
bricks form a pleasant variation and are good in
scale and colour, while many successful combinations
of brick and stone or brick and tile may be made,
according to locality and circumstances. If old

WALLS AND HEDGES 79

materials can be obtained, it is a great gain ; for
Time is the garden's ally, and whatever has his seal
upon it has already a free passport into its friendly
community.

There are many ways of adorning a garden wall,
from the simple and utilitarian features of piers
and buttresses to the purely decorative devices of
moulded panels and string courses, of shaped open-
ings or terra-cotta medallions. There is no space
to stay over these details here, but there is one
feature in common to all walls which we cannot pass
over, for it combines a strict utility with a very
strong influence upon the general appearance. We
refer to the coping. Every wall should have a
proper coping set in cement, to prevent the penetra-
tion of rain to the masonry or brickwork below.
Numerous varieties can be seen in different parts of
the country, and few are without a certain charm of
their own. The simplest form is a double course
of roofing tiles (called tile-creasing) projecting an
inch or two to throw off the water, and a row of
brick " headers " above them to keep them in place.
This is quite as suitable for a stone as for a brick
wall, and gives precision to the skyline. Care should

FIG. 20. — Wrought-iron Hand-gate,

WALLS AND HEDGES Si

be taken to lay the tiles (which are cambered) with
their edges sloping downwards ; and where tiles with
" nibs " are used these may be left on the lower
course to add to the interest. A double course of
stout slates can be used in place of tiles, and the
coping-bricks can be rounded or chamfered instead
of being square. A moulded stone coping or one
of flat York stone is quite serviceable ; but it is
important when the stone projects to see that its
depth is not great, otherwise it will appear heavy.
Refinement in the projecting lines of a coping is as
important as refinement in the eaves of a building,
and although a cornice may be in certain positions
of considerable size it should be divided into several
members of which the one with the greatest pro-
jection should be thin and clear-cut against the sky.
Thus, there are many copings which are built up
like miniature roofs over walls, some thatched,
some tiled, and others of chamfered brick or stone.
In each case the same rule holds good, the part
defining the projection requiring a clear thin line.
A very thick wall will, of course, take a heavier cop-
ing than a thin one, but more judgment is required
in adapting the size to the varying heights than to

82 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

the thickness. It will often be found that a lofty wall
will look best with a comparatively slight coping,
for the greater expanse of its surface gives it a
slighter appearance. On the other hand, a low wall,
the thickness of which is readily seen, will stand a
heavy coping with several oversailing courses of
brick. An open balustrade of shaped tiles, brick,
or stone balusters is especially applicable to the latter,
and will be noticed in detail later on. Hand-made
ridge-tiles, whether circular or angular, combined
with tile-creasing make an excellent coping, and they
easily adapt themselves to positions where the wall
changes in height, placed either in crow-stepped
fashion or sloping down in a long straight ramp.

In laying out the direction of our stone and brick
walls, we should never be forgetful of the possibilities
of variations in plan. Instead of stretching the
wall in a straight line from point to point, we can
here and there recess it in square or circular bays ;
we can take it round an angle in a segmental or
elliptical sweep, or we can break it backwards or for-
wards to give definition to a change in the garden
treatment, or to afford greater prominence or beauty
to a tree or shrub. Moreover, we can change its level

WALLS AND HEDGES 83

for a similar purpose, and decrease its height at given
points for the advantage of the view or to discover
some fine mass of foliage.

More particularly do these considerations of plan
and elevation apply to cut hedges of yew, box,
beech, and the like ; for, pre-eminent as these
hedges are as division boundaries for the garden,
they are not susceptible of the same architectural
treatment as a wall of brick or stone. Nothing
gives greater dignity, even majesty, to the garden
than the giant hedges of clipped yew that we have
inherited from the past. And for the reason just
given we shall find that these hedges have been
planted in a hundred different ways to obtain every
advantage in plan and skyline for the interplay of
light and shade, by means of which so much beauty
is added to their ponderous masses of dark green.
It is thus important in planting these hedges to
have in view a definite aim which shall be fulfilled
when they come to maturity.

We shall return to the subject of the yew hedge
on a later page, to discuss its peculiar adaptability
to the shaping and fashioning of wonderful forms
which, though condemned by some garden lovers,

84

GARDENS IN THE MAKING

FIG. 21. — Hedge at Elm Tree Farm, West Wittering.

have yet endeared themselves to a greater number.
Here we would emphasise the ease with which a
hedge by the mere line of its planting can give a
rich variety and interest to the general lay-out. We
can plan the most elaborate of edifices, leaving
Nature to raise the walls herself in her own time
and complete our design ; — and even elaboration
will seldom appear overdone, for the living material
itself and the quiet tones of green which pervade it
will unify and harmonise all the parts and blend

WALLS AND HEDGES 85

every detail into a reposeful whole. Square cut
recesses sunk in the thickness of the hedge and
spaced evenly along its length form a fine back-
ground for a lawn ; others, curved on plan, range
from the slightest curvature to deep cusp-like or
scolloped recesses almost surrounded by the hedge
itself. Broad buttresses of green can be formed on
the face of the hedge, and when grown to a great
height give an appearance of immense strength to
these apparently massive walls. Arches can be
formed, imitating a long arcade, as those surrounding
the tennis lawn at Killarney (fig. i), — a most effec-
tive treatment when enclosing a lake or pool of
water. Hedges can never be of too great a thickness,
for all openings will gain in appearance if they re-
veal a depth of feet instead of inches. The broad
backs of the hedges can be cut square, sloped like a
roof or rounded, or again they may be cut into mas-
sive battlements. When it is possible to look down
from a height upon the walls and hedges, their
thickness and any variety in plan will be grateful to
the eye and will give an air of solidity and repose,
which is absent from narrower lines. Stone piers
with vases or projecting trees cut into shapes, placed

86 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

at intervals along a tall hedge, make pleasant features,
or the hedge can be planted to fill the recesses of a
stone screen, or again the skyline can be diversified
indefinitely with the topiary gardener's art.

It is an excellent thing at the outset to convince
ourselves of the beauty and utility of walls and
hedges. Such structural divisions will never be
regretted, and as the years pass the choicest parts
of the garden will be found within their shelter.
Their beauty will grow with time, they will cultivate
in us a sense of proportion, and the units of the
garden being thus clearly defined they will aid us in
dealing with the continual round of work. Like all
things of value, they are expensive in the initial out-
lay ; but money laid out in this way will repay itself,
not once, but many times over.

Gates and Gateways

Boundaries in gardens are made for us to pass
through, and the openings need only be limited by
such considerations of shelter and privacy as have
already been discussed. It is not necessary to
furnish our openings with gates, nor, indeed, to
mark them with any architectural feature. A

FIG. 22. — Wrought-iron Gateway.

88 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

simple break in wall or hedge, a tree or clipped
shrub, perhaps, standing near, is all that a modest
garden will require, and the choice of its situation
and the size of the opening will be the chief subject
of deliberation. Where, however, a little more
elaboration is desired, the arch or gateway provides
us with one of the most fascinating subjects in
garden architecture. Whether we look across a
lawn to the lofty hedge against which a broad
border of flowers heaps up its bloom, or pass along
a paved walk in the shelter of a high wall, it is an
equal delight to see a sunlit opening to the gardens
beyond, open to the eye save for a net of delicate
iron scrollwork fashioned after the beautiful models
of the early eighteenth century. The gateway as a
symbol has always had a supreme attraction for the
designer, and it is worth erecting a barrier if it gives
the occasion for all the pleasure of an alluring
passage through. How else shall we account for
the many archways of brick and stone, and the
elaborate and costly gateways hung to rich piers
with sculptured finials, which are the pride of so
many old-fashioned gardens ? They were not a
mere vain show, but were witnesses to the essential

GATES AND GATEWAYS 89

idea in the garden plan, of passing to and fro
between the many mansions of the garden paradise.

Much could be written about the proportions of
wrought-iron gates and of the handling of the
actual design. Almost more important, however,
is the treatment of the piers and their relationship to
the wall itself. Piers, whether of brick or stone,
or combined of both, should be sturdy enough for
their work, but should also avoid an unnatural
clumsiness. If they are brought well up above
the wall, as in the well-known examples at
Penshurst, and are crowned with a carefully
designed finial, they are susceptible of the greatest
refinement. The general skyline of wall and piers,
if well thought out, will be seen with keen pleasure
as much against the blue noonday sky as when it is
outlined before the warm tones of the sunset. The
gates themselves can be designed to follow the line
of the wall, to rise in an arch above it, or to sink
below and join the piers with a drooping curve.
The first is shown in fig. 5, and the second in
figs. 6 and 22 (the former based on a foreign
example), while the third is suggested in the little
hand-gate in fig. 20. A further alternative is to

90 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

enclose the gate within an arch, as at West Wittering
(see title page).

The wrought-iron gate is particularly suited to
the entrance of a walled-in flower garden and to the
enclosed kitchen garden, for there is an obvious
sympathy between the formalism of both. In other
places where the gates are omitted, it is still desir-
able to build piers, and these may be of many types.
Built of ashlar with classic cornice and plinth, or
formed of the irregular masonry of the garden wall,
or again of brick, flint, or tile, they may take the
usual square shape, or vary the lines by octagonal,
hexagonal, or circular plans. Rusticated piers (i.e.
those composed of projecting blocks of brick or
stone) form excellent features, or the face may
be panelled and enriched with carving of bold
character. A sundial attached to a gate pier has a
definite decorative value.

Wooden gates need careful handling in the
matter of design. They are often either common-
place in conception, or — what is worse — they are
bizarre and quite unrestful. The solid oak or
painted door will not, of course, give any difficulty,
for there are many excellent models to follow. It

FIG. 23. — Wooden Gate with Wrought-iron Panel.

92 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

is the pierced or open gate that requires care.
Here, turned or square balusters will always furnish
a good foundation for the design, the character of
the gate being shown by the shaped top rail. A
sketch of a wooden hand-gate, following an example
at Cleeve Prior, will be seen in fig. 19.

The heavier types of stone and brick archways
have already been illustrated. That shown on the
left of the sketch of the Orangery Walk at Coombe
Warren, Kingston (fig. 4), is in keeping with the
architectural character of the whole scheme. The
stone archway (fig. 15) is a sketch for the grounds
of a large estate, while the brick gateway (fig. 14)
illustrates a similar feature designed in harmony
with Tudor buildings.

So far we have spoken only of individual gates,
either standing alone or making a passage-way
through a wall from one part of the garden to
another. We must not, however, leave the subject
without a word on the larger aspect of iron gates
and wrought-iron screens as the principal feature of
interest in gardens of some size and dignity. At
the close of the seventeenth and the beginning of
the eighteenth century the craft of the smith was

GATES AND GATEWAYS 93

brought to very great perfection, and magnificent
compositions in ironwork were constructed as open
screens sometimes as the frontispiece of the whole
garden or again as a semi-background to a fine
scheme of garden colour. No one who has sat for
any length of time in the gardens of New College,
Oxford, can forget the exquisite effect of the screen
and gates which divide the College buildings from
the lawns. There the plan of the advancing and
recessed rails, the fine sweep of the delicate scroll-
work, and the rich outline of the whole design,
combine to invest the scene with an impressive
beauty. Nothing enhances the effect of flower and
foliage so much as this whimsical and graceful metal
work, and although it is, on account of its costliness,
within the reach of the few only, it is greatly to be
desired that the finest product of the smith's craft
should receive the encouragement and patronage
which it deserves.

VI
THE DIVISIONS OF THE GARDEN

Lawns and fowling Alleys

GREEN turf is the carpet with which we
lay the broad spaces of our garden floor.
Its presence near the house in an unbroken
stretch is one of the most essential conditions
of a reposeful and beautiful plan. Few can repel
its extraordinary attraction when seen in the
College gardens of Oxford or on the bowling
greens of many a country seat, and its consistent
beauty and texture would be a marvel to us were
we less familiar with it on every countryside and
over the broad downs. Yet turf is a great problem
in the garden ; it requires incessant labour to
maintain its perfection, and its charm is easily
destroyed by injudicious surroundings or by the
introduction of irrelevant and disturbing features.

LAWNS AND BOWLING ALLEYS 95

Its uses are very numerous. As a border it is
unrivalled, and it is equally adapted to the edging
of beds, paths, or buildings. The house that rises
from turf appears to stand upon a level lawn, and
there is no better base for the purpose of defining
the contour of its plan against the ground. Turf,
moreover, will allow of creepers and climbing plants
growing against the house, and will prevent all
untidiness. Narrow beds should be carefully
avoided next the walls of a house, for they are
small of content, difficult to keep in order, and they
spoil the lines of the building. On the other hand,
wider beds are also undesirable, for although they
are beautiful in themselves, they obscure the build-
ing and carry damp to the walls. Gravel paths,
too, are unsatisfactory against brick or stonework,
for the materials do not harmonise and the colour
generally clashes. Turf or stone paving makes the
best border, the latter being akin to the architecture,
and the former by its level character and fresh green
colour affording a grateful contrast, besides acting
as an absorbent of all damp and moisture.

Turf, then, may make our border between the
house and the main paved walk or terrace, and it

96 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

will be well to have grass on the outer side of the
walk as well. Whether the walk is paved or
gravelled, the fact that it is framed in green will
greatly increase its beauty, as all will admit who are
acquainted with stone flagged paths across a lawn.
Where the saving of labour is not the first considera-
tion, one cannot have too many turf-bordered paths ;
one may even consider the mown grass as the
groundwork of the garden, from which all the other
features have been cut out, and against which they
are outlined. More than this, the turf itself makes
most beautiful walks in dry weather, and the grass
path is a thing of quite unrivalled charm. It must
be kept in the very pink of perfection, soft and with
the springiness of velvet, with edges trimmed with
unerring straightness. These paths are often used
in kitchen gardens, but they naturally will not stand
a great deal of wear, so that it is advisable to have
the main paths paved for the passage of the
wheelbarrow. For the divisions of small formal
gardens, however, grass is well suited, especially for
such as are viewed from above and are not frequently
entered. Shaped beds thus cut out of the green
are admirable if properly enclosed with a dwarf hedge

98 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

or filling a definitely defined space (fig. 24). It is
only when they are dispersed in aimless fashion
about a lawn that both they and the lawn suffer
from the lack of order and of any sense of design.
A stretch of lawn is the better for a good back-
ground or boundary. To this fact it owes much of
its beauty when close to the house or against the
retaining wall of a high terrace. Unless it is flanked
by gradually rising or falling ground, or a bank of
trees, it should be furnished with rectilinear boun-
daries, or with outlines based on the curves of a
geometric figure, for the eye is directed across the
level area of the lawn and beyond ; if, then, the
immediate boundary is indefinite and characterless,
the lawn itself is depreciated. In such cases a low
hedge or wall, or perhaps a stone balustrade with a
garden house at each end, is sufficient to give the
required definition without checking the view, and the
whole effect will be immeasurably improved thereby.
Whenever possible, high boundaries — formed of
hedges, walls, pergolas, or lofty trees — should be
given to the secondary lawns in a garden and
especially to bowling greens and alleys, tennis and
croquet lawns. Should they be situated, however, on

FLOWER ENCLOSURES AND BORDERS 99

terraces this is not always necessary, since the vary-
ing levels, with their banks and retaining walls, give
well-defined limits — as, for example, the bowling
greens at Ashdown Place (fig. 58) and Dalingridge
(fig. 57), where the hedges are low. But even in such
a position the enclosed lawn is an improvement from
the point of view of its own appearance as apart
from the general scheme, a good example being Lady
Kenmare's tennis lawn at Killarney (fig. i), which
is set on the hillside, the view being preserved by
the series of arches in the hedge.

One word should be added on the subject of
grass banks. These are an inexpensive method of
treating different levels, but they are difficult and
expensive in upkeep. Moreover, if they lose their
shape they easily become unsightly. It is therefore
worth while, where stone or brick is procurable, to
build a retaining wall, battered or sloping if pre-
ferred, from the foot and crown of which the level
grass can spread.

Formal Flower Enclosures and Borders

The height of the walls or hedges which sur-
round the formal gardens of flower beds will be

lllilfiiiUiflB^^

FLOWER ENCLOSURES AND BORDERS 101

determined by the size of the enclosure, for the
beds must not be thrown too much in the shade.
Quite low boundaries are sufficient where the
garden is sheltered, so long as their outline is
clear ; and such formal gardens as are sunk below
the level of the surrounding turf will probably need
nothing more than the bank or retaining wall which
marks the change in level.

The principal reason for providing formal gardens
for the display of flowers, is the fact that the colour
and general beauty of the blooms are intensified by
their association and by massing them together. It
is not, of course, necessary to shut the beds in, or
to hide them from their surroundings, although the
completely enclosed garden has a glory quite its
own ; there is room for many degrees between the
box-bordered beds arranged below a friendly terrace
and the high-walled rose garden with its aristocratic
privacy. The effective massing of flowers is, how-
ever, common to all such arrangements, and to the
same end the broad or herbaceous border should be
cultivated against wall and hedge, and down the
whole length of the turfed and paved walks. Each
flower should appear in a profusion of its own kind,

102 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

and in the deep borders or formal beds a large
variety of species can be planted with room for each
in abundance. A succession of brilliant colour
combinations, showing all the contrasts of contour
and growth, can thus be easily effected, and an
occasional failure will hardly be seen. The result-
ing picture, whether observed from near or far, will
be a vivid one, and we shall feel above all that our
garden is fulfilling its purpose.

Let us suppose that we have hedged around a
square plot of ground, and have provided each of
its four sides with entrance gates or archways.
Within the hedge we can measure off some eight
to twelve feet for the border with which to surround
the garden ; next a flagged path, and within the
square thus formed we can trace a geometrical
pattern of flower beds all leading to the centre,
marked by a dial, a fountain, or a lead figure. The
border and the beds can be edged with box or
dwarf yew, or a curb of squared stone, tile, or
brick, thus keeping the walks trim and giving
the design a soft but durable distinctness. With
the lines thus laid we can fill the beds almost at
random ; the eye is satisfied with the limits set

FLOWER ENCLOSURES AND BORDERS 103

FIG. 26. — A Formal Garden and Avenue.

and does not desire formal planting or "bed-
ding," which will overdo the effect and exhibit
mere artificiality. The unrestrained growth of
the flowers is attractive within the limits of the
borders, although there can be no rigid law in this
matter, and the taste of each gardener will have a
different aim. A number of small beds can have
a special colour assigned to each, and it is possible
to arrange a pattern of different colours in one
division. The latter, however, looks best where the

104 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

flowers are such as have a soft and free growth
mingling easily one with another. Do not accen-
tuate the stiffness of stiff flowers by forming hard
patterns ; mingle your tulips, disperse your hya-
cinths, and encourage a luxuriant growth in your
geraniums in pots and urns, instead of ranging
these brilliant blooms in uncomfortable ranks and in
an unnatural discipline.

The materials of a formal garden are thus four-
fold. First, the external boundary with its gates or
archways ; second, the lines of stone, brick, box,
or yew which trace the varied forms of the pattern ;
third, the filling of paving, turf, or flowers for the
walks and beds ; and fourth, such features as
emphasise the points of the design : — a sundial,
vases, standards, or cut trees and shrubs in pots.
So numerous are the variations which can be played
or the changes sounded with these simple instru-
ments that it is impossible even to indicate a tithe
of their potential beauties here. The simplest
arrangement of rectangular beds will have its own
charm, while the most intricate designs, skilfully
placed, will not tire the eye, but will engage it with
a rich maze of colour. A sunk garden is perhaps

FLOWER ENCLOSURES AND BORDERS 105

best laid out with quiet lines, especially if the paths
are paved with stone, and if the centre is formed
with a square or oblong pool of water. On the
other hand, a garden enclosed by high walls or
hedges needs a concentration of design and will
stand much elaboration, the more so if the beds are
edged with yew or box, which lend themselves to
fanciful curves and re-entering angles. There are
a host of formal beds and parterres which can be
composed entirely of box or yew, traced in knots
and labyrinths and adorned with ornaments cut
from the same growth ; but these belong more
strictly to the topiary art, and will be described on
a later page. The repetition, however, of borders
one within another, as in the circles shown at St.
Alban's Court (fig. 45) or in the formal patterns at
Killarney (fig. 25), provides excellent material for
variety, while in nowise detracting from the exhi-
bition of the flowers.

The remarks of a former page will be found to
apply to the boundary hedge and wall of the en-
closed garden, but it may be added here that wher-
ever a formal treatment is prepared in a confined
space it is possible to attempt a much greater

FLOWER ENCLOSURES AND BORDERS 107

elaboration and to introduce more fanciful features.
The top of the wall or hedge can be adorned with
pinnacles or cut into grotesque figures, or again
can be shaped along its whole length in a series of
curves, indentations, or pierced openings. Central
features or special treatments for the angles of the
garden will occur to the designer, and nothing will
be superfluous that adds to the sense of rarity and
richness that should pervade the almost sacred
enclosure.

Once the formal treatment of flower beds is
appreciated it will be found to be the simplest and
most effective method of display, and its application
to every part of the garden will present no difficulty.
Waste space in a garden should be an unknown
quantity, and as long as there is sunlight and air
the most irregular figure will yield to the formal
treatment and provide a home for flowers. We
must, of course, avoid, from practical considerations,
too great a proximity between our flower beds and
the trunks and roots of trees. Yet we shall do
well to remember the immense value of forest tree
and thick shrub, which by their association with the
boundaries of the enclosed gardens give them a new

io8 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

beauty, add to their respose, and make an effective
contrast with their playful formalism and exactitude.
The formal rose beds at Dalingridge (fig. 32) are
greatly enhanced by the trees of the wild garden
beyond and the azalea hedge to the left. If trees
are lacking some other feature — a terrace wall, an
orangery, a garden house or dovecot — will perhaps
provide the anchorage which is such a grateful
element in the design. But no such help is needed
where clean and close-cut divisions of yew rise
from the perfect level of turf as at Penshurst, form-
ing as effective a frame and background as could
be desired to the brilliant gaiety of the flowers.
Looking out from the windows of those stately
galleries we could wish for no other form than
that presented with so much skill. The flowers do
not lose, but even gain in brilliance, while these
geometrical borderings make us remember that
they bloom on the estate of an ancient manor, and
express the delightful unity and kinship between
the old walls and the renewed life of the summer
flowers. The function of the formal garden may
thus be the most valuable in the whole range of
garden-craft.

PAVING AND ITS USES

109

FIG. 28. — Formal Garden, Elm Tree Farm, West Wittering.

Paving and its Uses

In the paved walk beauty meets utility, and
when skilfully devised neither can claim pre-
cedence. Nothing makes the garden so serviceable
as the paths and terraces on which you can always
walk dry-shod ; nothing, on the other hand, is more
restful and beautiful in our garden architecture
than the flagged ways across its turf or between the
deep borders of its flowers. Stone, quarried as it

1 10 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

is from the native hillside, is the material most
readily assimilated by the garden scheme, and trees,
flowers, grass, and fern all find that their colours
harmonise with its pale and neutral tints. As
durable as picturesque, not more useful than pleas-
ing, the roughly jointed slabs of stone always
remind us that they are the natural product of the
soil itself, and are sure to be growingry responsive
to the softening influences of the weather and the
years.

Many as are the forms of paving and diverse as
the materials can be, nothing will excel the hard
stone flags which are quarried in various parts of
the country, the best being of Yorkshire stone or
from the famous Isle of Purbeck. But paving-
bricks and tiles are excellent in certain situations,
especially in covered or shaded walks, and in loggias
and summer houses. We must beware, however, of
tiles with a glazed surface — those in common use
being distinguished only by their utter unsuitability
to the garden both as regards their texture and
colour. The ordinary red quarries, 6, 9, or 12
inches square, should be chosen, for their surface is
rough enough to give a firm foothold, and their

PAVING AND ITS USES in

colour — a deep and quiet red — is not discordant
among the bright and mingled tints of Nature. A
very durable but rather expensive form of paving
can be made of roofing tiles set on edge in cement ;
these tiles are useful when mingled with brick or
stone, and they can be easily formed into simple
geometric figures — much as the Romans used to
employ their tiles to reinforce their concrete.
They lend themselves to any shape, and are par-
ticularly effective when they are made to describe
circles or to trace a variety of curved outlines.

Stone paving may be laid with roughly squared
flags or with broken stone of irregular shapes pieced
together like a puzzle. The surroundings will
generally give the key to the form which may
best be employed. The squared stone looks more
in keeping with strictly architectural features or
in paths across a level lawn, the random type
being best in irregular areas or within less severe
boundaries. When squared stone is used it is as
well to break joint as much as possible ; but if some
joints are to follow through — i.e. when several
stones adjoin one another with their edges in a
direct line — let these joints be at right angles to

FIG. 29. — Formal Garden, Henley Hall.

PAVING AND ITS USES 113

the longest direction of path, or terrace. In a path,
for instance, it does not matter how many joints
reach in a line from side to side, but care should
be taken to break all joints running the same way
as the path itself. In a broad terrace it will be
found advisable to select stones which are roughly
of the same size for the outside edges and to fill
the central area with the extremes of large and
small slabs.

The insertion of simple geometric patterns in a
slightly different type of stone, and all natural and
haphazard methods of introducing colour and variety
such as millstones, bands of brick and tile, etc.,
furnish matters of pleasant experiment. Tesselated
pavements, parti-coloured glazed tiles or mosaic
should be very rarely used save in specially designed
surroundings, and then only with the greatest dis-
cretion. It is not that the brilliant colours of these
materials are unable to blend with those of sky and
flower, but rather that our English climate does not
favour the effects which are common to Southern
Countries, and we are therefore largely unpractised
in the art. The decorative methods of within doors

lose their meaning when brought into competition
8

1 14 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

with the altered conditions of the open air, — but in
some carefully selected court or on a terrace where
the sun is a constant visitor, we may essay a composi-
tion wherein bright colours — fine blues and greens
mingled with white — form the keynote of the design.
Normally, however, the quiet, rough, serviceable
materials of stone and brick will be found the most
friendly to the purpose we have in view.

Paving is the ideal method of treating practically
all paths in a garden, although considerations of
cost will generally confine its use to certain limits.
Gravelled paths are not so dry or durable, and,
more than this, they lack the beautiful tone and
picturesque jointing of the stone flags. The colour
of gravel is never really welcome in the garden
picture, and any extent of it is apt to put all else
out of harmony. It cannot be compared with
stone when used across a lawn or next to strips of
turf.

Every garden is the better for a liberal allowance
of paving. It is required in many places, and forms
the most effective embroidery to garden architecture,
providing, as it does, a groundwork which makes
each feature blend with its surroundings. Orangeries

ii6 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

(fig. 4), garden houses, statuary, even balustrades
and steps, look isolated and artificial unless one can
lead up to them with a square of paving or a stone
path. Pools with paved margins, seats with stone
platforms, gateways with broad stone thresholds all
look the better for its ministration. But chiefly it
is valuable against the house itself, — for a stretch of
paving, as at Dalingridge (fig. 10) or West Wittering
(fig. 56), adds immensely to the restfulness and
dignity of the building. Spaces between projecting
wings, verandahs, loggias, and other recesses or
specially defined areas, call for a paved floor, and
are improved if the stone is extended beyond them
to link them with the garden itself. Particularly is
paving adapted to the enclosed garden, the small
quadrangle, cloistered court, or to the confined
garden of the town house, where both grass and
flowers are difficult to rear. In such enclosures the
stone path will be the basis of the design, and in its
shape and arrangement will lie the interest and charm
of the whole idea. It is a subject that allows of
infinite elaboration, and the designer need have no
fear of exhausting the devices to which it lends itself,
alone or in combination with other features.

PAVING AND ITS USES 117

Very much will depend on the method of laying
the stone, which can be easily made to look either
commonplace or unnaturally odd. In water gardens
and in certain quiet walks it is permissible to leave
wide cracks and broken angles for small flowers and
rock plants to flourish. But, as a rule, it is well to
avoid making our path a flower bed, and our paving
should be justified by its own beauty without extreme
precision or obvious defects. As in other things,
the mean is the best course, — extremes will not give
us a lasting satisfaction or permanent pleasure.

VII
THE TERRACED GARDEN

Terraces and Balustrades

THE term u terrace " has come to be applied
more particularly to a walk or platform
which is raised above the surrounding country,
but in a broader sense it may serve to describe
any piece of ground which has been levelled and
defined in relation to a building or other important
feature or part of the garden. It forms an essential
part of the general scheme as outlined in these pages
and, as we have already pointed out, its chief function
is to give stability to the whole design, correcting
awkward levels, affording the stage or platform for
architectural features, and generally providing the base
or axial lines on which the entire lay-out depends.

The treatment of the terrace will not, of course,
be the same in every position, but it will usually
retain at least one open side, where the boundary

118

TERRACES AND BALUSTRADES 119

will be kept low and the view left uninterrupted.
It is essentially a place of prospect, open to the air
and sky, although it may often be prolonged into
sheltered walks and covered ways. The potentiality
of the terrace as a subject for design is very great,
and in the past it has provided the opportunity for
widely varied types of arrangement. As an outdoor
" room " it can be paved and furnished with seats
and every variety of garden furniture and ornament.
As a platform or place of vantage from which to
enjoy the view, it requires the help of a retaining
wall crowned with balustrading, a parapet of brick or
stone, a low hedge, or a fence curiously contrived of
wrought-iron. Such features combined with a flight
of steps to a lower level can be made into a delightful
composition as viewed from below. Again, pro-
longed as a walk, the terrace may lead the eye to a
beautiful vista, through trees, or over lawns, up or
down the sloping ground, to a distant view on one
hand or terminating in a garden house on the other.
Once we have set out the lines of our main terrace
and pondered upon its possibilities laterally and at
each end, we shall find that the rest will largely take
care of itself and fall into line.

120

GARDENS IN THE MAKING

FIG. 31. — Terrace Balustrading

On a sloping site it is important that the ground
immediately adjacent to the house should be levelled
to a sufficient distance from the building to give it
stability and restfulness. The whole of this depth
need not necessarily be given up to the paved terrace,
but part can be occupied by lawn as at Dalingridge
(fig. 10). An overdose of paving or gravel on the
garden side is rather apt to remind us of the
entrance courtyard, without its dignity. In point
of fact our efforts should be directed towards making
the paved terrace when adjacent to the house as
welcome and habitable as possible for sitting out
of doors. On a steep slope where the level platform

TERRACES AND BALUSTRADES

121

and Garden House.

is small we can easily achieve this result, for the
balustrade or parapet will frame the terrace, and
since it will be separated from the remainder of the
garden by its elevation, we shall be compelled to
furnish it to make it attractive. There is no reason,
however, why we should not repeat the treatment
on a level site by marking off a reasonable area with
a low balustrade or hedge and adorning it with seats
and tubs or urns for choice flowers and dwarf trees.
The outlook from this terrace is much the same as
from the house itself, and if we have taken infinite
care and thought in providing walks, avenues, and
good views of our lawns and flower gardens from

122 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

the windows, we shall enjoy them equally from the
outdoor apartment thus prepared.

Beyond our main terrace will be others, arranged
as far as possible to provide the best standpoints to
view the gardens. On the single slope of a hillside
our whole garden may have perforce to be a suc-
cession of terraces broken here and there by a planted
slope, a line of trees, or a bank too steep to level.
Such a garden is expensive in its groundwork and
walling, but if well carried out it may be made a
veritable enchantment. Here is an opportunity of
blending the formal treatment with a complete
abandonment to Nature ; stone balustrades linked
to archways and summer houses can alternate with
retaining walls covered with creepers and bushes.
Here and there the terraces can be taken some con-
siderable length, at other places they will be broken
by deep hollows in the side of the hill, dells rilled
with trees, undergrowth, bracken and fern. Such
a garden effectively conceals the art by which it is
produced ; it does no violence to Nature, but re-
inforces her own untamed beauty and brings it all
within the reach of our enjoyment.

In some situations the terrace motif can be over-

I

124 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

done, and where the gradient of the ground is not
very steep it will be advisable to accept the slope,
and correct it only at intervals where a level walk
seems most desirable. Terraced walks are appro-
priately placed round sunk gardens, pools, and
lawns for tennis or bowls, or they may follow the
line of a fine wall separated only by the proper width
for an herbaceous border. Wherever they are found
they will promote the most commonplace lines to
an appearance of dignity and beauty. Moreover,
the key to the treatment of many a difficult and
apparently hopeless site is to be found in cutting a
terrace right through the troublesome area, which
soon is brought from chaos into order.

The stone balustrade is by far the most beautiful
finish to the retaining wall of the terrace, but it has
suffered at the hand of many a caricaturist and
traducer, and its reputation has been much tarnished
thereby. Let the balustrade, however, be in good
freestone with its surface left somewhat rough ; let
the balusters themselves be of good pattern, full in
outline and sturdy in design, and let them be placed
well apart with more than their own width between
them ; and finally, let the stone rail or coping which

TERRACES AND BALUSTRADES 125

covers them be low in section but broad in its width.
These conditions fulfilled, you will not regret your
choice. A balustrade looks at its best when seen
from below with the sky behind it ; then the ad-
vantage of the wide spacing is evident and the quality
of the shape of each baluster tells. If you have a
deeply sunk garden with a walk at the end at a
considerable altitude above it, crown the retaining
wall with these stone balusters and your garden will
gain instant charm. Avoid square-turned balusters
set close together, and be sparing in ornaments
placed above the stone rail. A flat level character
is the best to seek, — the stone piers should be wide
and of the same height as the balusters ; and if
diversity is desired, it should be sought in variations
in plan, with curves and re-entering angles arranged
in the wall itself.

A low terrace wall (some sixteen inches high, a
comfortable height if used as a seat) can be treated
in a variety of ways, while lengths of plain unpierced
walling alternating with one or two balusters give
a very pleasing effect. Some difficulty may be
experienced in giving a satisfactory finish to a
balustrade when it does not terminate against a

126

GARDENS IN THE MAKING

FIG. 33. — Terrace Wall and Flagged Path.

building or a higher wall. A length of solid wall,
with a stone vase, or a long scroll-shaped console
carved in stone will provide a simple solution.

There are many interesting forms of balustrading
that can be made of brick and tile work, pierced
strapwork and simple geometric designs being fairly
easily arranged with shaped tiles. Miniature arcades
after the Jacobean manner can be formed in stone,
and if not cut with too much precision will
harmonise well with a building of Tudor or Early
Renaissance character. In all these types it is
important that the designs should be simple, the
shapes easily grasped, and the material not too hard,

TERRACES AND BALUSTRADES 127

nor the workmanship too precise for the conditions
which we have laid down for garden architecture.

Before leaving the subject of the terrace and
garden walk it is necessary to touch for a moment
on the subject of the projecting terrace. It is
often of value to bring out a kind of promontory
at right angles to the main walk, as a pier pro-
jects into the sea, to screen some part of the
garden or to afford a special standpoint for a
view. Such features have already been referred to at
Dalingridge (fig. 10) and Ashdown Place (fig. 58).
A simpler application of the same principle will be
found in the bastion-like projections which can be
made along the length of a terrace, diversifying its
outline and giving interest to its wall and balustrade.
Variation in plan is of the utmost importance in all
garden design, and where terraces are concerned such
innovations will be found of great value. Along
a broad walk, too, the bastion-like projections in
hedge or wall will give a gradation and scale, beside
a pleasant variety, to the whole design. The
occurrence and shape of these features will depend
upon their situation, but it will seldom be found
that a garden can do entirely without them.

123 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

Steps and Stairways

Changing levels constitute the garden's cadence,
and the steps and stairways form the bridge by which
we descend from the highest to the lowest notes of its
song. It is not enough for us to terrace the hillside
or plant the valley — we must make the communica-
tions between them, and thanks to the limitations
of the human footstep the size of each stair is
fairly constant and becomes a valuable unit of
scale in garden architecture. A flight of steps is
a graduated walk, broken at regular intervals by
the vertical and horizontal planes ; it is thus a
place of light and shadow ; it suggests, moreover,
the poetry of motion, and yet remains a stationary
link between an upper and a lower stage ; perhaps
its chief delight lies in its open invitation to ascend
or descend, and its promise of a changing view and
varying prospect.

Yet, in spite of its essentially attractive qualities,
and although its potential beauty as an architectural
composition can scarcely be rivalled, the stairway is
commonly treated as of little account in the garden,
as though it were an object of mere utilitarian

STEPS AND STAIRWAYS 129

purpose and not worth a moment's thought as to its
shape, size, colour, or position. None of these
points should be neglected ; the shape of step and
balustrade should be graceful and quiet in outline ;
the size, both in width and general proportions,
should be suited to the parts of the garden which
the stair unites ; the materials should be chosen
with due regard to colour and texture ; and above
all, the position of the steps should be selected with
the greatest care.

There are two general points which it is helpful
to bear in mind when arranging garden steps. The
first is that where the steps are few in number they
should be given as great a width as possible, while
conversely, where there are a great number of steps
they will look well if proportionately narrow.
There is a natural compensation between those two
dimensions of a stairway which require the width
and length to vary inversely ; and although there
may be a number of exceptions, the above will be
found a good working rule in the majority of cases.
The second point is that the appearance of a stairway
is greatly improved if it is buttressed by some
prominent feature at its side. Take your steps
9

130

GARDENS IN THE MAKING

FIG. 34. — Terrace Stairway.

down by a group of trees, a high wall, or yew hedge ;
plant a holly alongside, or lead them beside a
building or the projecting "bastion" of a terrace ;
wherever it is possible, group your steps with some
outstanding mass of foliage or architecture and you
will find their charm increased immeasurably.
Most garden features are improved by association
with one another, but stairways are particularly in
need of the companionship of a protecting neighbour.

STEPS AND STAIRWAYS 131

Unless an elaborate architectural composition is
attempted — and even this requires its proper theatre
— an isolated flight of steps will need great care
to look well. In such a position a low block of
masonry or brickwork, or a cube of cut yew on each
side, will give it an anchorage, or we must try to
strengthen it by a wide parapet kept low and
skilfully turned or built into a square of paving
which will bind the steps to the ground and make
them look as if they have grown in their present
position.

Let us consider the steps which are suited to three
different situations : — first, the descent from a walk
or terrace of some size and dignity, where the
architectural treatment requires some elaboration.
Second, the descent from lawn to lawn, or from
one garden to another, where the difference of level
is not great, and where the positions for steps will
often vary. And third, steps in random paving,
and those informal and long stairways which will
climb the wooded glade or the slope of the wild
garden and the " wilderness/'

First, then, with regard to the more elaborate
structures. Provided there is some little depth, the

132 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

descent from a terrace may be made into a composi-
tion of great beauty and dignity. The steps can be
led down in two broad flights, turning in opposite
directions to unite below, or may unite on a central
platform and then turn to land at separate points.
With fine balustrades, statuary, or vases to mark
the sweeping curves or returning flights, the most
remarkable effects can be obtained. The retaining
wall between the twin stairways, or flanking them,
will dominate the composition with the level lines
of its balustrade, and below a fountain or pool
can divide the approaching or receding steps and
introduce a new element of charm. Innumerable
types, with the same underlying principle, can be
devised from the most elaborate subjects for
sculpture to the modest double flight in brick and
tile. They all depend on the balance obtained by
the repetition of features, and their variety is made
possible by the nature of the stairway and the ease
with which it is turned in every direction to suit the
fancy. In all such examples the architectural detail,
however simple, should be well chosen and handled,
for the most excellent scheme and the most ingenious
fancy are quickly ruined by an unskilful interpretation.

134 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

The second group of stairways may be described
best by referring to the illustrations. The sketch
of Ashdown Place (fig. 35) shows a useful method
of descending from one terrace to another where it
is desired to avoid the sharp vertical boundary of
the retaining wall. The steps are arranged in pairs
with turf levels between them, and their great
breadth preserves the open character. Fig. 34
shows an isolated descent from a terrace through
a deep herbaceous border. The flowers on either
side give a kind of moral support to the steps, and
the vases with cut trees relieve the comparative
poverty which would otherwise be inseparable from
so small a feature. A similar service is rendered
by the clumps of grasses which are shown in fig. 2 1
on a simple grass bank, but the finest supporters
on either side of a broad flight of steps are un-
doubtedly to be found in Irish yews, trimmed or
untrimmed, standing like giant sentinels outlined
against the sky. As a rule it is better to arrange the
stairway at each end of a terrace or series of terraces
rather than in the centre, since the stair provides an
interesting architectural finish or flanking feature, as
well as being rendered more effective in itself by this

STEPS AND STAIRWAYS 135

position, where it has the support of a wall or some-
thing that serves the same purpose. Sometimes the
terrace wall will terminate under trees or against
planting, and here some curved steps around a
circular landing — the upper concave and the lower
convex — will be found both convenient and pictur-
esque, as in the example from Dalingridge Place
(fig. 36), where the stairway lies under the shadow
of a fine azalea hedge of irregular shape.

Wherever the stairway is not treated in a strictly
architectural way with stone balusters, vases and
figures, we should guard against too finished a sur-
face to the stonework. Steps by themselves without
architectural detail should appear to be formed from
the ground itself, and should be roughly jointed and
not rigidly level. They can be curved in plan and
made to assume a number of different shapes, but
in all this they should keep an air of simplicity and
a restfulness in outline, with low stone walls
and piers to give them balance and substance.
The old efforts towards "rustic" masonry were
based on a misconception of the true method of
modifying architecture to harmonise with nature.
They resulted only in producing irregular forms

136

GARDENS IN THE MAKING

FIG. 36. — Circular Steps, Dalingridge Place.

which were as far away from natural beauty as the
most conventional of architectural features, and
they were composed of materials which refused to
surrender themselves to the action of wind and
weather. As we have said before, the forms should
be simple, decorous, and well-defined, for only by
the careful choice of a material and surface which
will not withstand the hand of time may we hope
to modify their artificiality and allow Nature to
effect her conquest.

STEPS AND STAIRWAYS 137

The foregoing remarks apply with particular
emphasis to the last group among the stairways
which we have enumerated — those formed in walks
laid with broken flags and up wooded and secluded
slopes where the foliage is partly cultivated or wholly
wild. Nothing will suit such positions better than
steps composed of flat stones, with irregular open
joints and having as deep a tread and as low a
rise as possible. If the stones themselves are some
four inches thick, their front edges can be roughly
undercut to hold the shadow which looks so well in
an ascent of many steps ; as a rule, however, paving
stones will be about two inches in thickness, each
step being formed of two stones, the upper of which
may overhang the lower and give the required
depth of shadow. The degree of steepness in the
slope will determine the number of steps and how
far these will have to be in one or many flights, or
perhaps divided into groups of threes and fours.
Such steps will often not require a parapet, but can
finish against a bank of flowers or ferns, or an
irregular line of stones arranged as a curb.

The parapet or retaining wall for steps forms too
large a subject for detailed treatment here, but it

138 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

may be said in general that a low flight is better
with a solid wall, while the open balustrade is at its
best when high enough to show sky and foliage
between its stonework. The sloping balustrade is
not invariably satisfactory, and it can be replaced in a
variety of ways. Perhaps one of the simplest is to
carry out the side walls enclosing the steps at the
level of the top step, since a stairway always looks
well between walls, especially when the latter are
not carried higher than the upper ground level. A
few steps with a curving parapet wall is an excellent
device to turn the direction of a path, and an up-
ward flight of stairs, even if only two or three, will
give point and interest to a long walk when seen
from a distance. There is, indeed, no end to the
usefulness in our garden design of the 'simple feature
of the stairway, and its value is not in any way im-
paired whether it is treated with economy or with a
fine disregard of cost and a single eye to its effect.

VIII

GARDEN FURNITURE AND
BUILDINGS

Seats and Arbours

THE garden seat might claim almost the sole
monopoly of the term garden furniture
were it not that many adornments, which exist
only for display, have become included within
the title. The seat, however, is the one piece of
inevitable furniture which is indispensable to any
and every garden ; and since it has to perform the
same function as its cousins in the hall and drawing-
room, and yet at the same time must be in tune
with the scheme of outdoor life, it will readily be
seen that its design merits some careful con-
sideration.

Perhaps the most widespread mistake in regard

to garden seats is that they are made too light for

139

140 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

FIG. 37. — Oak Seat, Pitchford Hall,

permanent use without doors and for their proper
harmony with the walls and hedges of a garden, and
at the same time too heavy for easy transportation
into the shelter of the house. It must always be
remembered that light furniture, such as cane or
deck chairs, can be brought out whenever the
summer weather invites us to rest beneath the open
sky. The fixed garden seat does not enter into

SEATS AND ARBOURS 141

competition with these instruments of ease and
idleness ; it is there for other reasons, and the con-
ditions of its existence being more rigorous, it must
be designed and fashioned on more permanent lines.
Moreover, as a fixed feature of the garden it must
have its architectural character ; its platform or
shelter must be specially prepared for it, and its
position must be chosen with due regard to the
design of the garden, and must have nothing of
haphazard in the way it is placed.

In common with practically all things in the
garden scheme, position is the most important thing
to determine first. The seat must be put in the
right and desirable place for use, and this place must
be also made appropriate to the design. The
necessity for seats, therefore, should not be over-
looked when we begin to outline the general idea
of the garden, and success in this detail will depend
upon the appearance of purpose thus obtained. All
open terraces provide excellent situations for seats ;
they can be arranged in recesses in the walls, either
at regular intervals or grouped in a projecting
" bastion " or platform where such features exist.
These projections will be especially valuable where

142 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

the terrace looks upon a good view, for since the
seat must not have its back to the prospect it is
important to be able to place it at right angles to
the walk, where the seats can be in pairs facing one
another. Another, and one of the most charming
of the many positions available, is at the end of a
terrace or long walk. Here the treatment will
depend upon whether the seat closes the vista or
whether the end of the walk gives upon a further
view. In the latter case the seats can be at each
side as described above, within such dwarf hedges
as are shown at the end of the bowling greens at
Dalingridge (fig. 10) and Ashdown Place (fig. 58).
In the former they should face the walk, and be
backed by a shaped hedge or wall and supported,
perhaps, on either side by dwarf piers, vases, or pots
with cut trees to give them some little distinction.

Although an open situation (with a proper back-
ground and setting) is desirable for the seat, yet
there are innumerable places in the garden plan
which invite some means for resting and enjoying
the beauty of the scene at leisure. On lawns, in
enclosed gardens, beneath the shade of a fine tree, or
in some secluded part of the wild garden, the desire

SEATS AND ARBOURS

143

FIG. 38. — Circular Seat, Ascott House.

will be felt. No one looks upon an unsheltered seat
as serviceable in all weathers, but as long as it is
built well and strongly framed it will serve its
purpose in the proper season. It is important,
however, that a good platform should be provided,
of paving preferably, to ensure a dry situation.
Seats require some attention, too, in keeping them
clean and in good condition, and unless they are of
oak or teak they should be painted every second
year.

It is often possible to devise some shelter which
shall not rise to the rank of a garden house and
yet will not rob the seat of its own character. An

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GARDENS IN THE MAKING

FIG. 39. — A painted Seat.

arched recess in a wall is shown in fig. 40, and an
open recess can be roofed with interlacing timbers,
pergola-fashion, to form an arbour (fig. 3). In fig. 44
a niche in a yew hedge answers the same purpose,
and treillage lends itself admirably to a similar
treatment. In such cases care should be exercised
in keeping the interior swept and clean, leaving the
outside to be covered by the random growth of
creepers or climbing roses, or by the trimmed out-
lines of the yew.

The material to be used and, the type of design
to be selected for seats is a somewhat vexed question.

SEATS AND ARBOURS 145

It is the rule rather than the exception to see the
inappropriate thing in both cases.

The stone seat is naturally less adapted for use,
as the material is not so dry and clean as wood.
Yet it undoubtedly harmonises more easily with
the garden picture. The chief point to observe is
the importance of linking a stone seat with its
immediate surroundings. However ornate and
beautiful in itself, it will be in danger of looking like
an exhibit in the grounds of a museum if it is not
properly buttressed by wall, hedge, or other sufficient
feature. Where there is a curved wall of brick or
stone, or low piers with balustrading, the simple
stone slab set some sixteen inches high will look
perfectly natural and unaffected. Link it with the
structural lines of the garden whenever possible,
and if it must stand by itself prolong the seat at
each end to form a dwarf stone wall and finish with
stone tubs for small trees or flowers.

Wooden seats are not really less dependent on
their surroundings, but being more obviously a
type of furniture, and being numerous on account
of their greater usefulness, they are susceptible

of a wider freedom in design. Hard woods such
10

GARDENS IN THE MAKING

as oak and teak are the best materials, whether
left with their natural colour or painted, but selected
deal or pine if frequently painted is quite serviceable.
Trellis of interlacing or jointed bars, from its long
association with garden architecture, will provide
the best types of design for the backs, and some
care should be taken to obtain lines of sufficient
strength, beauty, and comfort in the legs, arms, and
rails. The seats at Ascott (fig. 38), Pitchford
Hall (fig. 37), and those shown in figs. 39 and 33,
give some suggestions of varying size.

Loggias and Garden Houses

The garden shelter, under which we may include
verandahs, loggias, garden houses, summer houses,
and temples, presents a subject of the utmost import-
ance to those who desire to make their garden really
useful, and at the same time to give it the complete-
ness and the architectural finish which it undoubtedly
requires. Of the usefulness of these shelters it
would seem almost unnecessary to speak, were it
not for the general reluctance to devote sufficient
thought and money to them. The loggia and the
verandah tempt us from the rooms of the house

LOGGIAS AND GARDEN HOUSES 147

FIG. 40. — Seat in a Brick Recess.

and invite us to view the garden and to feel the
sweetness of the air ; the garden house persuades
us to go further, and to walk at least as far as its
shelter. Without either, the hospitality of the garden
is impaired at those times when its influence might
be most refreshing although the weather conditions
may be uninviting. Moreover, in the more distant
enclosures the garden house is the representative as
it were of the main building, and is a sign of our
occupation. Nothing furnishes a garden more
completely than a well-designed summer house ;

148 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

nothing impresses so much upon one the feeling
that the owner and his friends live here, and like to
rest among the flowers and foliage. This is not a
merely fanciful suggestion, but is part of the whole
presentation of the garden plan as discussed in these
pages. It is part of the principle that the garden
should bear the stamp of design in every detail, that
it should not be a forced imitation of Nature, but
the product of man's own love of carefully con-
sidered and ordered effect, and that it should be
fully equipped for his use and possession. It is
the plea of the architect for garden-architecture, — a
plea which, however much it may be discounted by
its source, is yet, we think, amply justified in
practice.

We have already referred in passing to the value
of such garden buildings in close proximity to the
house, to their usefulness in wedding the house to
the garden and in affording a better scenic back-
ground for the general design. The Elizabethan
practice of a raised terrace with a " banqueting
house " at each end is capable of much variety and
charm, and is a surprising addition to the pleasure
to be derived from our domain. Indeed, the garden

O

rt

O

150 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

house has a curiously close relationship with the
terrace, wherever it may be placed ; and whether
seen at the end of a paved walk or from the lower
levels over which it appears raised as an integral
portion and a crowning feature of the retaining wall
(fig. 31), it is sure to make an admirable composi-
tion. Whether square, circular, or many-sided on
plan, its bulk is usually a rough cube, and its steep
conical or pyramidal roof always provides a welcome
feature. With the trees and gateways it breaks
the skyline and dominates the scene in which it is
placed.

The essential requirements of a garden house
are few and simple, yet they are capable of a very
wide diversity of treatment. From the timber
buildings, taking their inspiration from the mediaeval
period, to the prim and quaint essays in miniature
classical architecture which were the joy of the
eighteenth century, we can draw on a very extensive
choice. As long as we avoid the extremes of too
great a finish or too obvious a " rusticity," and make
the outline simple and the detail good, we cannot go
far astray. The architects of the time of James i.
possessed perhaps the greatest felicity in this kind of

LOGGIAS AND GARDEN HOUSES 151

design, the playfulness of Jacobean detail being
subservient to quiet modelling, while the mouldings
and carving were kept broad and even coarse, — to be
softened but not obliterated by time. Pyramidal tile
or lead roofs (figs. 3 1 and 41) are generally the best ;
but even here there is scope for much fancy, and
an oak lantern with a vane forms a pretty terminal.
Two enclosed garden houses are shown in figs. 41
and 42, the former having a sheltered verandah
before it, both being definitely architectural in
design. Another type is shown in the two designs
for a garden shelter at Ascott, each being arranged
as an alcove for a seat at the end of a broad walk.
In that in fig. 18 the roof is supported by columns,
but in fig. 3 the main structure is a semicircular
wall faced with tiles and crowned with a balustrade,
shaded by open timbers for climbing roses.

The close connection between these little buildings
and the garden walls is seen in numerous old ex-
amples, where the roofs of the former add a seeming
stability to the brick and stonework of the latter,
and give to them an additional beauty. The
river wall which divided the Thames from the old-
time gardens along its northern bank from the

152 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

FIG. 42. — Another Garden House.

Temple to Chelsea was studded with similar build-
ings, and their effectiveness in the angles of a court-
yard, the sides of a formal flower garden, or the ends
of walk and terrace, should bring them back into
favour. The present generation is regaining some
of the past skill in picturesque grouping and is
reviving those artless lines of beauty, which despite
their seemingly accidental effect are really the result
of much thought. But it will not be until the need
for the garden house and its type of buildings has

GREENHOUSES AND ORANGERIES 153

really returned that we shall get back to the peculiar
charm of the seventeenth and eighteenth century
garden. The art of the past lapsed into artificiality
and then passed away, and now we have to regret
that we impatiently discarded too much of the old
spirit, and lost the good with the bad.

Greenhouses and Orangeries

The rival aesthetic schools which counsel us on
the one hand to hide all useful things where
" appearances " count, and on the other to
expose them on the assumption that real useful-
ness connotes beauty, need not seriously trouble
us. To the plain man there are many things
of utility which are not easily brought into
harmony with his ideas of what is lovely to look
upon, and yet to the artist the ugly and useful
thing tempts him to try and fashion it anew.
The problem is no small one at times, and it is
certainly not an easy one in the case of hothouses,
where the expanse of glass rebels against any
attempt to coax it into line with the architecture of
either house or garden.

In large grounds there will be ample space for

154 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

glass in connection with the kitchen gardens (see
fig. 60), and where it is customary to raise choice
flowers in long ranges of hothouses, these can be
in a properly defined area screened at the end by
treillage or walls through which the visitor can enter
and pass through each house. The difficulty
becomes a real one when the greenhouse is attached
to the house itself, as must often be the case in small
property and wherever there is a desire to have
plants under glass approached from the rooms.
Many attempts have been made to " beautify " these
buildings, often at the expense of their utility and
more frequently at the expense of good taste. The
safest course to pursue is to avoid ornament, to
build the greenhouse in as straightforward and
substantial a manner as possible, and then to plan its
immediate surroundings with the greatest care. If
it is treated as a lacuna in the scheme of solid
buildings and walls, and is kept quite simple, it will
scarcely assert itself. Set between formal walls, and
behind a dwarf hedge or paving with square tubs,
it will fall into line with the general plan.

It is quite different with orangeries and bay
houses. Here the glass can be arranged in long

GREENHOUSES AND ORANGERIES 155

Georgian windows, and the fronts of these buildings
afford one of the most inviting opportunities for
garden architecture. The sketch of Mr. Devey's
orangery at Coombe Warren (fig. 4) shows an end
treatment, but the length of these buildings as a
background to a formal garden or broad terrace is
quite ideal, and will bear the presence of fairly
elaborate detail.

IX
SOME OLD-WORLD FEATURES

Arcaded Walks and Pergolas

WHETHER or not the "pensile or hang-
ing gardens of Babylon " were an
early form of pergola, there is good reason for
believing that the most primitive types of gar-
dening included the raising of timber frames for
the support of climbing plants. And the love
of the ancients for the simple architecture of the
colonnade would suggest their familiarity with
this beautiful method of guiding foliage and dis-
playing bloom. The " alleys " of mediaeval and
later days were aiso often enclosed about with a
framework for roses, for well these lovers of gardens
knew that their riotous luxuriance could not be
better shown than on the formal lines of post and

crossbar.

156

ARCADED WALKS AND PERGOLAS 157

The pergola is garden architecture far excellence ;
it is not architecture in the garden, nor garden
products superimposed upon architecture — it is
the simplest form of construction completely con-
quered and possessed by plant and flower. Yet it
retains the qualities of architecture — the strength,
stability, and rhythm which proceed from regularity
in setting out, simplicity in design, and the repetition
of its ordered parts. It follows, then, that the pergola
can perform a most useful part in promoting the
marriage between house and garden, it carries a
structural significance with it, and wherever it can
be schemed as an appendage or prolongation of the
building itself it is of great value. This quality in
the pergola makes it important that it should not
stand alone ; like other garden features, it requires
connection with the salient lines of the design, and
more than they, it needs either a definite point of
departure, or a termination in a wall, garden house,
or gateway. It forms a light and beautiful substitute
for a building, wall, or cloistered walk, wherever a
lawn or terrace calls for such a background, and its
height and shadowed recesses give an air of shelter
and privacy in positions which otherwise would lie

158 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

too open or form too flat a picture. If a long path
traverses several enclosures in one line, it is worth
while forming a pergola over one section of its
length, beginning and ending with a boundary ; for
without disturbing the direction of the walk it breaks
the distance and diversifies the vista.

The variety of situations in which a pergola
may fittingly be placed, is rivalled only by the
number of types and methods by which it may be
constructed. Leaning against a lofty wall or cross-
ing the open court, enclosing a formal garden or
built on a terraced hillside, descending by steps the
gentle gradient of a sloping garden or surrounding,
in a circular or many-sided figure, the walls of some
cool retreat, in all these and many more positions it
will be found appropriate and useful. And as to its
materials and form, we can almost select at pleasure.
The nearer the house, the more solid and archi-
tectural should be the construction, although the
heavier types need by no means be confined to this
position. The horizontal supports for the foliage
will, of course, be of wood ; and where heavy beams
are used, the standards should be built of solid piers
of a generous size. Old stone columns, if procur-

ARCADED WALKS AND PERCOLAS 159

FIG. 43. — A Timbered Pergola.

able, are excellent ; but stout piers of stone, brick, or
tile if built with raked-out joints look very well,
especially if varied in plan, square alternating with
round or hexagonal sections. Where timber is
used for the posts as well as the flat roof, we can
use all the devices of the old mediaeval carpenter,
and should not neglect his rules. The appearance

160 GAKDENS IN THE MAKING

as well as the reality of strength is needed, and
timbers must never " sag " but rather curve upwards,
and braces, struts, and dragon-ties may be employed
to bind and beautify the structure (fig. 43). In this
way quite light material can be effectively converted
into a useful pergola, and larch poles properly braced,
with an interlacing trellis above, will answer perfectly
where the surroundings do not demand a more solid
erection.

The colonnaded and flat- roofed pergola is first
cousin to the arcaded walk. The latter, the arched
form of which is more easily built with light iron
hoops, is adapted to the narrowest as well as the
widest of paths ; and the series of arches when
connected by stout wire, forms a veritable tunnel
over which can be trained all manner of climbing
plants or fruit trees. Such features are the essence
of a garden, they are the concentration of flower
and fruit in such general assemblage as shall enchant
the sight, and whether viewed from within or with-
out are equally a treasure-house of charm, "an
infinite varietie of sweet smelling flowers, colouring
not onely the earth, but decking the ayre and
sweetning every breath and spirit." Those words

TOPIARY AND THE LABYRINTH 161

of William Lawson, who wrote in the reign of King
James i., tell us what the English gardeners of an
earlier period felt ; and why should we, who surely
love our flowers no less, discard the beautiful old-
fashioned methods of display ? Let us have wide
pergolas and long arcaded walks, circular temples
and pillars for roses, and let us not fear that Nature
will fail to dress them with beauty, nor that in her
luxuriance she will show herself ungrateful for the
support and guidance of our formal craftsmanship.
If we lead she will follow ; but if we fail to give her
the opportunities she had of old, only ours will be
the loss.

Topiary and the Labyrinth

In his terse way, Lord Bacon dismissed the art
of the topiary gardener when he wrote : " I, for
my part, do not like images cut out in juniper
or other garden stuff; they be for children," and
there have been many since the famous Chan-
cellor's day who have agreed with him. Opinion is
certainly sharply divided upon the question of the
desirability or otherwise of adorning the garden with
cut hedges and artificially shaped trees. We shall
ii

1 62 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

not here attempt to arbitrate between the two
opposing tastes, but shall frankly confess our delight
in these " children's " toys, asking the graver sort
among our readers to overlook our weakness with
a kind indulgence.

We share with by far the greater number of the
gardeners of old time the love of all that is fanciful
and picturesque, provided that the materials thereof
and their method and disposition are in full harmony
with the garden atmosphere. Our art is akin to the
making of poetry, which in its lyric moods is
beautified by quaint conceits, and in its epic passages
is peopled by heroic forms and structures of strange
and fairy type. We set out to make of our garden
a palace of delights, and the more the imagination is
stimulated by these simple variations in mass and
outline the more completely do we attain the end in
view.

The appropriateness of using such close-growing
foliage as box and yew in fashioning the decorative
features of the formal garden does not lie wholly
in the facility with which they can be clipped and
trained. It is the fact that they are of the very
growth of the garden, and that in colour and texture

1 64 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

they possess the essence of its harmony, which, added
to their suitability for assuming the conventional
forms of art, make them so valuable to us. Nothing
gives finer character to a garden than boundaries of
massive yew hedge, nor. has the brilliant colour of
flowers a better foil than dwarf borders of yew or
box. And so much is this true that we need never
be in danger of planting in excess, for with a little
skill and judgment every additional hedge or
parterre will bring a measure of increased richness
and beauty.

Topiary work, though unending in its possibilities,
may be divided into three main divisions : the
treatment of hedges, the shaping of isolated trees,
and the network filling for formal gardens which
ranges in size from the simple parterre to the
elaborate maze or labyrinth, covering a very extended
area. Of the yew hedge we have already spoken,
of its arched, buttressed, recessed or battlemented
forms. Loop-holes can be made through it, while
cresting, finials and a thousand cut shapes can vary
its skyline, their number being restricted only by
the size of the hedge and the amount of labour
available. And with or without these extra adorn-

TOPIARY AND THE LABYRINTH 165

ments the hedge can be massed into central or flanking
towers of green with which we can vary the scenic
background indefinitely.

Detached trees cut into simple pyramids, cones,
cubes, or spheres, planted alone, in pairs, or in a long
series, form excellent material for the designer. To
mark and graduate the long terrace or walk, to
emphasise the salient points of a formal enclosure
or lawn, to furnish a flat, level site which would
otherwise be bare and featureless, and to stand as
green pillars beside a gate or archway, a seat or
flight of steps, — for all these purposes they have
no rival. And where some further licence is
permitted, we may group our clipped yews, uniting
them in single arches, open cages, cross hoops,
pagodas, and terminate them with a finial of bird or
beast, such as used to adorn the stone gables and
oak stair-newels of the Early Stuarts. Grown out
of the natural tree, these shapely forms elude the
restrictions of our artificial scale, and look well
whatever their size or bulk. The giant sentinels
at the cottage gate do not dwarf the low whitewashed
walls, nor do a full assembly of these sombre forms
impair the enclosures of the largest garden.

1 66 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

FIG. 45. — Formal Garden, St. Alban's Court.

The labyrinth, maze, or the smaller parterres of
geometric design in yew and box are a welcome
variation to the enclosed flower garden. Their
even appearance of quiet green rests the eye, and
however eccentric the forms which the topiary
artist may display in his filling, the repose is still
there, for ' the shapes are conquered by the soft
colour and yielding texture. Simple geometric pat-
terns, scrolls, and knots, interwoven lines imitating
embroidery, severely square forms or fat round

TREILLAGE AND IRONWORK 167

shapes, lend themselves equally well to fill the
borders. The fancy may let itself go in suggesting
roughly the outlines of crouching bears, Indian gods,
mushrooms, pots, cup and ball, and a hundred
varieties of a similar nature. It is a kind of green
jewellery spread upon the ground, and readily fills the
space allotted to it. All topiary work requires much
care and labour ; but wherever it appears, whether
in a single tree or in an elaborate series of gardens,
it rewards the gardener with a peculiar sense of
satisfaction ; it is a witness to the thought and
time expended upon it, it weds the garden to the
human fancy, and is one of the fullest and most
delightful embodiments of the idea of garden
architecture.

Treillage and Ironwork

Those of our readers who are ready to appreciate
the importance and charm of architectural forms in
the garden, and who feel any sympathy with the
principles which we have tried to set forth, will not
be surprised at our advocacy of a more general use
of treillage than is to be seen at the present day.
The French treillageurs who, under Le Notre and

168 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

Mansart, brought this art to perfection, were only
elaborating a custom which seems to have existed
from the earliest days of garden-making. If we
accept the principle that gardens must be laid out
in orderly array, and that the outlines must be pre-
pared which Nature herself will fill in good time,
we are in need at once of an effective method of
setting out the garden and indicating its future
development. The light and inexpensive character
of trellis-work lends itself most readily to this
purpose, and its adaptability to almost any shape
enables us to raise a pattern in a few days of the
boundaries and features which will take years of
growth and attention to mature.

From this practical use treillage has developed
into an even greater importance, and has come
to fill a complete department of garden design.
Practically every kind of architectural structure can
be imitated in trellis, and curiously enough the
imitation often adapts itself to the garden scheme
more perfectly than the original itself. A garden
enclosed by a trellis screen, with arches, pilasters,
arbours, etc., of the same material, may be made a
place of great delight, but it will depend very much

i ;o GARDENS IN THE MAKING

on the forms employed : the idea must be well
conceived, and the detail must be worthy of the
conception. Trellis may easily become common-
place or tawdry, and unless it is to be entirely
covered with foliage its structural lines should give
the appearance, as well as have the reality, of strength.
There are many places in the garden where
treillage can be effectively introduced, and it can
generally be safely employed wherever our im-
mediate forebears would have been tempted to use
the so-called " rustic " type of woodwork. Temples,
arbours, summer houses, screens, enclosures for
tennis lawns or paved gardens, the backs of seats, all
these are easily formed of this material. Although,
however, it is a useful method to employ here and
there, it is better, if possible, to make such features
a definite part of a treillage scheme, and to link a
seat or shelter to a screen of trellis, self-supporting or
fixed to the face of a wall. Treillage gives a definite
character to the garden in which it is employed, and it
is invaluable on new sites and in town gardens, where
well-grown hedges and trees are absent. Yet its
beauty is greatly enhanced by a background of trees,
which can be seen through its semi-transparent wall.

TREILLAGE AND IRONWORK

171

Where expense is no object, a garden adorned
with treillage architecture is a most desirable
addition to the grounds, and provides a beautiful and
quite harmonious variation to the other enclosures.
The woodwork can be varied, too, by wrought iron,
after the delightful models of the eighteenth century,
though the outlay is, of course, much increased, and
the painting and repair of the smith's craftsmanship
form a serious part of the general upkeep.

FIG. 47. — Garden House of Treillage.

X
WATER, STONE, AND LEAD

Pools and Fountains

THE picture of the garden domain is cer-
tainly not complete without the grateful
presence of the pool or fountain. The three ele-
ments of water, earth, and sky, when the sun is at
its height, form a unity which is sadly broken when
the first-named is lacking. Not that water is
essential to the garden, for where the site does not
provide a stream it is often a difficult and costly
matter to introduce it. Yet it is worth having
whenever possible, for the sake of the companion-
ship between it and the flowers, and of the cool
freshness which pervades the atmosphere wherever
the still surface of the pool or the restless move-
ment of the fountain is to be seen.

Where a stream runs through the garden, or is

172

POOLS AND FOUNTAINS 173

near enough to provide a rivulet which can be con-
ducted through the grounds, we can make use of it
in various ways. If there is an appreciable fall in
the ground we can scheme a cascade both at its
entrance and its departure from the garden, leading
the water in a single spout to fall into a circular
pool. Where the volume of water is small, a little
stone-edged canal may be formed along the centre
or the side of a lawn or flower garden, enlarging
itself into square or circular pools at various points,
and left clear or planted with flag and rush at
pleasure. The narrow, straight line of water
between its stone margins is a pretty feature in a
formal garden, and is a simple method of conduct-
ing the water towards and away from a central pool.
Where the stream is of larger dimensions, it will
be well to treat it architecturally for some part of
its length at least. The natural winding bank of a
river is, of course, delightful in its passage through
meadowland or wooded glades, but in the garden
the straight margin is the more appropriate, and has
in it greater possibilities of beauty. The various
types of wall and balustrading described in our
earlier pages for terraces will make an excellent

174 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

boundary along the bank and will be reflected
pleasantly below, giving, moreover, convenient
points for bridging the stream. Bridges show in
common with other features of garden architecture
the necessity for some regularity of form to ensure
success, the absence of which sufficiently accounts
for the failure of the " rustic " types. In large
gardens the roofed " Palladian " bridge of stone
provides the opportunity for the most dignified
compositions, and even in smaller sites a roofed
bridge of timber (connected, perhaps, with a garden
house or water pavilion) combines an orthodox
treatment with real picturesqueness. The bridges
in figs. 49 and 50 show two simple designs, the
one a wooden bridge with stone abutments, the
other — wholly of stone — built in the mediaeval
manner.

Of pools and fountains there are an enormous
number of historical and modern examples from
which to choose. The fish-pond near the house is,
in itself, a thing of beauty, as at Brickwall, Northiam
(fig. 48), but it monopolises a good deal of space.
The more favourite form of pool is either the
brimful type edged with a simple stone margin

1 76 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

level with the ground, or the balustraded form
which is, protected by stone balusters following its
outline. The former is equally suitable to the
centre of a lawn, a formal paved court, or an
enclosed flower garden. The pool in the formal
enclosure at Ascott House (fig. 30) is of this type,
and it is surrounded by turf, immediately adjoining
the stone. A level stretch of stone paving or turf
is, indeed, the ideal setting for water, variety being
introduced by the size and shape of the surface. A
great number of designs can be made, all of simple
geometric outline — long, square, circular, elliptical —
with the addition of a few re-entering angles, scrolls,
twists, or curves that serve to give them interest
and variation.

Garden fountains are usually best arranged when
spouting from the centre of a pool, though there
are naturally many positions where the isolated
basin supported by an architectural or sculptured
base will be desired. Unending ingenuity has been
expended in the invention of wondrous fountains
and cascades for the princely gardens of the Renais-
sance, and there is infinite pleasure to be obtained
from fine combinations of sculpture and spraying

FIGURES AND VASES OF STONE AND LEAD 177

water. The simple jet, however, can be used with
remarkable effect in many positions in the garden.
It brings life and gaiety wherever it appears,
whether flung from the centre or sides of a pool,
or from amidst a mass of flowers, or issuing
perhaps from a lonely wall, where it makes a gentle
music ever ready to surprise and gladden the ear.

Figures and Vases of Stone and Lead

Garden figures, vases, and the like, appear
to some people as merely the stage properties
of the outdoor scenic artist, and the same pre-
judice attaches to them that we have noted
in the case of all architecturally guided design.
It is true, of course, that many examples of these
ornaments, both on account of their poor quality
and ill-devised position, are deserving of censure ;
but it is no less true that, properly disposed,
they are inhabitants of the garden domain as
welcome as the very trees and flowers themselves.
They represent one of the many ways of introducing
the human element, — the product of fancy, of the
poetic imagination, and of the love of symmetry and
graceful outline, with which it is man's part to

12

17*

GARDENS IN THE MAKING

FIG. 49. — A Stone Bridge.

endow those garden enclosures wherein he weds
nature to art. The sculptured vase? the urn, the
figure in lead or stone, — each is beautiful in its
contrast with the foliage and bloom of the garden,
and yet it has a secret kinship and sympathy with
its surroundings. It is a symbol, a sign of man's
interest in nature as a whole, and an indication of
his appreciation of the fact that the unity in the
isolated work of art is a reflection, however imperfect,
of the greater unity in Universal Nature herself.
This at least is the mood in which we contemplate
these silent inhabitants of the garden, and for this
reason we hold that they should be as perfect in

FIGURES AND VASES OF STONE AND LEAD 179

FIG. 50. — A, Stone and Timber Bridge.

form and as exquisite in workmanship as possible,
always remembering that the material must be such
as lends itself to the softening influence of time.
Marble and terra-cotta should, as a rule, be avoided,
since the former loses its first beauty, and the latter
resists all the efforts of the weather to tone its
harshness. But freestone and lead are materials
which are capable of the most delightful modelling,
while both submit themselves to the increasing
charm of age.

The vase and urn, unless of unusual size, are
commonly an accessory to some more important

i8o GARDENS IN THE MAKING

feature. They tend to be mean and superfluous if
placed along the margin of a lawn or walk, but in
conjunction with a balustrade, a flight of steps, or a
low retaining wall they may be of great value. In
paved enclosures or on a flagged terrace they are
especially appropriate, and seem to be the natural
growths of the level stone floor ; it is for this
reason that they are often the staple part of the
design for town or roof gardens. But they are also
of great charm when in close proximity to masses of
foliage or even to the untamed growth of climbing
roses and similar plants. Thus they are beautiful
finials to gate piers, isolated pedestals, boundary
walls, and in many situations of a somewhat deserted
nature they are ready to recall to us our own human
ideals and to give a sense of comfort and companion-
ship.

The whole class of architectural ornaments, which
includes vases, urns, and various forms of the
sculptor's art, lies ready to hand when we wish to
provide a central feature, to give some emphasis to
certain points and situations in the design, or again
to add some subtle element of beauty which will
not easily come otherwise. Sculpture per se, that is

FIGURES AND VASES OF STONE AND LEAD 181

to say, the figure — alone or grouped — is an expensive
matter, and it pertains to a high and rare form of art
which does not admit of anything second rate.
There are, however, certain figures which are toler-
able, even when not the work of an undisputed
master, — subjects which are perfectly adapted to the
garden and equally attractive when carved in stone
or cast in lead. Among these, the most charming are
figures of children, — whether impersonating Cupid
or exhibiting any other particular quality, good or
reprehensible, it is no matter. In a courtyard or
amid the flowers, on a gate pier, in a niche of yew
or brick, or emerging from the waters of a pool, the
naked child is always a fresh and vigorous figure.
Peasant children in their costume are not inappro-
priate,— they look at home in the garden, — but the
easiest selection will be made from the animal world,
from which every situation can be supplied with
something interesting and fitting. It is not, how-
ever, every artist who can best serve the requirements
of the garden in this matter of sculpture. The
modelling should be robust and full, for the outline
will have an exaggerated importance seen against
the sky or a background of green. Garden sculpture

FIG. 51. — A Wall Fountain.

BOXES AND TUBS FOR TREES, FLOWERS 183

has its own qualities, and very charming they are
when the artist catches the right spirit and produces
something in conformity therewith.

Boxes and Tubs for Trees and Flowers

The artificial receptacle for the growth of plant,
tree, or flower takes a leading part in the equip-
ment of the garden. The common garden pot
is the most essential part of the whole practical
machinery of gardening, and when we would put
the pot and its occupant in some special place
in our design, we should exchange it for a some-
what bigger, more adaptable, and more present-
able form. There are many things which can be
made to hold enough soil for this purpose : vases
and urns, other than those designed for pure
ornament, wooden circular tubs, square framed
boxes, well-heads, and lead cisterns. The last named
are well adapted to a position in the centre of a pool
or stream (fig. 30), from which the flowers can hang
to the water's surface. Tubs can be built up of
brick or stonework, and a succession of these
elevated beds will make an appropriate change in
certain situations.

1 84 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

All boxes, tubs, and urns which are to hold
plants or dwarf trees should be of ample size, and
be either set upon the ground or upon a good
structural base. Nothing of a small or flimsy
nature should be admitted — for it is neither practical
nor comely. As in our flower borders it should be
our aim to provide the means for the most luxuriant
growth, so nothing but a mass of colour or a finely
shaped head of green should give the excuse for the
presence of these similar but isolated features.

The box and tub pertain to courtyards, to paved
terraces and walks. They may at times take the
place of the mere ornament on a stairway (fig. 34),
or each side of a seat. But their most obvious duty
is to bring colour or greenery into those places
where the paved surface precludes planting, and to
bring it in a manner which fits with its formal
character. Hence their value in town or roof
gardens, and in courtyards surrounded by buildings.
When filled with flowers, they can easily and quickly
be replanted, or when furnished with choice trees
they can be brought out or removed into shelter at
will. The monotony — if it exist — of a paved
terrace along the whole front of a brick or stone

BOXES AND TUBS FOR TREES, FLOWERS 185

FIG. 52. — Pool in an Enclosed Garden.

house is never so effectively dispelled as by a row of
orange trees, or plants of clipped box, etc., which,
ranged against the wall, complete a most desirable
picture. In the same way any amount of colour
can be introduced on a terrace or along a walk.
The tub or box is a movable flower bed, and has
all the possibilities which its mobility gives it. And
because it is in itself a unit which can be multiplied
indefinitely, it is one of the most useful factors in
the formal garden. Placed at the angles of the
geometrical designs, emphasising the salient points,
relieving the squares of paving, it has the merit of
raising the flowers and foliage to a higher level, and

1 86 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

thus introduces an important feature into the design.
Alone, in series, or in quantity, it is an instrument
which cannot be disregarded, but used with care and
tastefully filled it will bring to the garden an amazing
amount of joy and gaiety.

Sundials

The sundial, the most popular of garden orna-
ments, is in danger of becoming too frequent a feature,
and of losing its own poetic character in a display of
affectation of which it is sometimes the sign. We
are well aware that to a number of people, yet
unconvinced that " landscape " gardening is not the
most fitting method of laying out our grounds,
the whole teaching of formal gardening appears a
transient pose and mere affectation. We have,
however, tried to show that this teaching rests on
sure foundations, and that architectural principles and
garden design must go together if we are to get re-
sults at all befitting the beauty and importance of the
subject. It is therefore our aim, while encouraging the
fullest expression of the artist's invention and fancy,
— as long as it yields to the discipline of the simple
rules of the art, — to avoid the inclusion of features

FIG. 53. — Enclosed Garden and Sundial.

1 88 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

or designs which are clearly anachronisms, and of ob-
jects which have not a real value in the garden scheme.

But the sundial in its essence is a very practical
affair. It is a dial to tell us the hour of the day,
though as such it has long been superseded by the
clock and watch. In earlier days, sundials were
put up wherever people met together, in the market
place, on the village green, or on the church wall.
Moreover, as with all useful things in the days
when art was a common possession, it was invested
with a simple beauty, and to people whose souls were
full of symbolism its mission had a genuine appeal
until it seemed to personify the spirit of time. So
it comes about that we, who live in a materialistic
age, are apt to find the sundial, with its old associa-
tions, a more poetic instrument than the clocks
and chronometers of the present day, though perhaps
the latter are more entitled to our contemplative
thoughts than the imperfect dial of the past.

Still there is this to be urged in favour of the
continued use of the sundial — its construction and
material are both eminently fitted to its place out of
doors, and it makes use of the natural movements of
sunshine and shadow which are part and parcel of the

SUNDIALS 189

garden and all that grows therein. If, therefore, we
decide to include the sundial in our gardens, let us see
to it that it does its work, that it is set in the sunlight,
and that its dial is properly calculated for its position.
The pedestal dial is the most attractive form, and
the simple or enriched baluster the best pattern,
when placed on a lawn or in the centre of a formal
enclosure for flowers (figs. 24 and 53). A plain
stone platform level with the turf is enough to rest
it upon, and it should seldom be made to look
pretentious. But there are other dials which should
not be neglected. The sundial on the wall or on
the vertical face of a tall pillar was more common
than the pedestal dial in days gone by. The pillar
is a beautiful feature amid the flowers, for it can be
raised to a good height and lends itself to charming
design. The wall dial, too, has a wonderfully
decorative value, and on the sides of the house, of
a garden shelter, or of a gate pier, it gives that added
touch of interest which is often so valuable. Lastly,
the dial with figures of box or yew planted in a
wide circle on the turf is a feature which will bear
repetition, and is worthy of a more frequent inclusion
in the topiary work of modern gardens.

XI
SOME SPECIAL GARDENS

The Kitchen Garden

THE kitchen garden is the one enclosure which
has retained a large part of its ancient for-
mality, in spite of opposite tendencies in the
recent fashions of flower borders and lawns. Here,
where utility bears undisputed sway, the old-time
beauty has sheltered under her wing, and has laughed
securely since no one thought the homely and
serviceable lines of the kitchen garden were worthy
of the -attentions of the landscape gardener. Thus
we have come to know, and feel an affection for, the
high walls round a plot four square, the long
straight paths dividing up the area into rectangular
divisions, and the borders of flowers, the intrusion of
which is never forbidden or regretted.

The contrast, then, which of late existed between

190

THE KITCHEN GARDEN 191

the kitchen garden and the remainder of our pleasance
will, we hope, disappear, and with the return of the
main gardens to the older methods, there will be a
harmony between the useful and charming qualities
of both. Our only aim will be to preserve and
confirm the simple lines which were set out so many
years ago.

The kitchen garden requires shelter first and fore-
most, and this can be satisfactorily obtained only
by high walls. This initial outlay must be met, and
although, in small gardens, hedges and fences may
often be made to serve, they cannot vie with the
solid wall in efficiency or in general usefulness. The
wall, unlike the hedge, takes no nourishment from
the ground, and it will yield a fine harvest of fruit
from the trees trained up its sides. Proper economy
of space in vegetable and fruit growing requires
method and a formal arrangement in straight lines ;
for this reason the enclosure should be rectangular,
its walls should have few openings in them, and
the general character of the boundaries should be
as restful and solid as possible. The walls, of
a height from seven to twelve feet, should have
a projecting coping to throw the rain clear of the

192 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

fruit trees, and the effect will be improved if out-
buildings and other structures outside the boundary
but linked with it be utilised for additional shelter
and for varying the skyline of the enclosure. With
good gates, preferably of wrought iron, between tall
piers or hung beneath an archway, and with any of
the pleasant variations in the character of the walling
or in the direction of its outline, the whole frame-
work of the garden can be made extraordinarily
attractive and picturesque.

The plot itself, if of ordinary size, can be divided
into four squares by two central paths crossing one
another at right angles, and another path can be
carried round the garden separating the beds beneath
the walls from the main area. Along the two inter-
secting central paths there can be a border of gaily-
coloured old-fashioned flowers, making a brilliant
cross, the arms of which reach from the centre almost
to the boundary. And in the middle an open tank
of water, with curb of brick, stone, or lead, is the
most fitting feature wherein, moreover, some little
adornment may be indulged, some enrichment of
modelling or even a lead figure. And as to the paths,
stone or brick paving is the best ; but gravel,

THE KITCHEN GARDEN

193

FIG. 54. — Wall of Kitchen Garden, Dalingridge Place.

sand, or ashes can be used. If these are many, the
byways can be turfed, thus adding greatly to the
garden's beauty, but the main walks should be of
a material hard enough to bear the traffic of barrow
or trolley.

Of fruit trees, the larger sort should be assembled
in their own orchards, or as single trees they may be
placed in the most favourable positions, and not
necessarily in the kitchen garden itself. We have
already spoken of the arcaded walk and pergola of
fruit trees ; they are never out of place in the flower
13

194 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

and pleasure gardens, for at all times they are objects
of beauty. The smaller sort, however, espaliers,
canes, and bushes, are best kept together, and need
an effective protection from birds. This can best
be obtained, and in a manner quite consonant with
the formal design, by wire netting raised on a square
framework which will enclose and roof in one end
of the garden. Thus, within methodical and regular
lines the kitchen garden will furnish a show of
natural wealth and unrivalled charm, and will tempt
us to walk within its borders with the same pleasure
which we feel among the other parts of our garden
territory.

The Town and Roof Garden

The problem which the town garden presents is
one of a very particular kind. It is circumscribed
in space, and it is limited by the difficulty of rearing
many trees and plants which languish in an atmosphere
of streets and houses. From the latter consideration
a greater importance attaches to the architectural plan
and to the structural features of the garden, and more-
over, it suggests the propriety of planting out and
placing flowers which have been reared elsewhere in

THE TOWN AND ROOF GARDEN 195

tubs, urns, and raised beds where they can flower and
be replaced by others from the same source. The
limitation of space practically imposes upon us a
severe formality of plan, with an added care in
respect of a design which stands alone and perma-
nently before us, and is easily scrutinised in all its
detail.

But the conditions of the town garden plan, how-
ever difficult they may be, are in fact the source of
its unique beauty. There is no plot, small though
it be, which cannot be made into the most enticing
miniature paradise ; and although, of course, a certain
amount of expenditure is entailed, it need never be
as great as in a larger area, and no part of the effect
is lost. The first thing to remember is that the
important view of the garden is from the house, —
this is the permanent view, observed at all times,
and it should be set as a scene in a theatre, the
house occupying the position of the auditorium.
The problem is that of the formal garden, viewed
chiefly from one end. It is also conditioned by the
main principles, discussed in our earlier pages, which
should guide the relationship of garden and house.

The plan in fig. 55 shows a small town house

196 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

with a garden some 1 15 feet long by 60 feet wide.
The house was to one side of the plot, and by a
happy chance a fine hawthorn, about a third of the
length of the garden from the house, was in line
with the outer wall and divided the width into two
parts — one of the same dimension as the building,
and the other coinciding with the distance of the
house from the boundary wall. This suggested
and facilitated the division of the area, lengthways,
into a wider portion on an axial line with the house
and a narrow strip suitable for a side walk. A
reference to the design will show how the former
or main portion was treated. The chief floor being
several feet above the ground level, a stone terrace
was planned with a double flight of steps merging
into one flight below. This led into a small
flagged garden with shaped beds, bounded by a
stone balustrade. In these beds any amount of
colour could be introduced, and the balustrading
divided this, the foreground of the picture, from
the larger portion beyond. The main area was laid
out with a geometric pattern of narrow stone paths
across turf, with a small pond in the centre. A
border for flowers or shrubs with scolloped edges

FIG. 55. — A Town Garden.

198 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

was carried along each side, the points of the curves
being emphasised by cut trees in boxes. At the
end a wide flower border, banked up to the wall,
completed the view. The long walk, also paved,
was marked on either side by a series of cut bushes,
set, towards the garden, in the curves of the
scolloped beds which were repeated to correspond
with the main design. The path terminated with
an elliptical figure, communicating with the lower
end of the garden, having a seat between yews to
close the vista.

This plan illustrates but one method of treating
a small rectangular plan, although it indicates the
value of a division of the area into separate portions
when the garden admits of it. One of the most
successful backgrounds is to be found in a garden
house, designed with a certain amount of definite
architectural character and supported by an ex-
tension either side in brick or stonework. The
whole intervening space between this and the house
can then be filled with formal beds edged with box,
or by turf and paving ; and tubs, boxes, and urns for
flowers can be put at various points to graduate the
distance. We may perhaps refer in this connection

THE TOWN AND ROOF GARDEN 199

to a beautiful little garden designed by Mr. E. L.
Lutyens for Sir Hugh Lane at Chelsea, where an
overhanging tree is reflected in a circular pool in
the centre of a lawn which is intersected by paved
walks. The two side paths terminate each in a
beautiful little architectural composition in brick,
having niches for figures, these being the main
features in the composition.

The town garden requires furnishing to a much
greater degree than the grounds of a country house.
The setting, too, is all-important, and a pleasant
architectural treatment of the surrounding walls,
with appropriate recesses, summer houses, alcoves,
or standing-places for figures in lead and stone, will
solve the whole problem, leaving the central area
to be paved or turfed in a simple way and
brightened by some beautiful flowers set in re-
ceptacles prepared for them. A comparatively
inexpensive method of obtaining the same effect
is to surround the garden with well-designed
treillage, which, if carried to a proper height and
relieved by some interesting features, will provide
the required shelter and set the fitting scenery for
the little stage. The analogy of the theatre suggests

200 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

itself most readily, but it is not to be thought that
the aim is towards anything implied in the term
" theatrical." The position of the site in the town
requires an architectural setting, but the effect
should be quiet, orderly, and dignified, with as much
interest as is compatible with these qualities.

Roof gardens should be controlled by similar
principles, but on a smaller scale. Treillage and
ironwork form the best boundaries, and a simple
form of paving the most appropriate field. Into
these box beds, tubs, vases, and urns can be
introduced for flowers, and at various points arches
or cages can be erected for climbing plants. Seats
are the more necessary where space for walking is
limited, and their arrangement will depend on
whether there is a view to look upon, or whether
they are to be set to avoid an unpleasant prospect
and to concentrate the attention on the garden
itself.

Rock Gardens

We close this brief resume of the principles of
garden planning with a few lines on what has been
to too many a stumbling-block in their progress

ROCK GARDENS 201

towards a rational plan. The delight of the creep-
ing plant and the thousand species of alpine and
other close-growing and gaily-coloured flowers, has
led almost every type of gardener to strew some
part of his ground with formless debris and trust
to its being covered in time with the glory of the
flowers. The " grotto " of the late eighteenth
century became the " rockery " of the nineteenth,
and we have not yet grown out of this pertinacious
habit which creeps in at inopportune moments and
ruins an otherwise good scheme.

First, then, we would suggest that a rock garden
is so beautiful a thing that it is worth doing well.
It should take its place as one of the definite
divisions of the garden, and should have a worthy
approach and a fitting setting. Second, let the
stones of which it is to be composed resemble in
some degree the natural stratification of the quarry,
for Nature seldom tosses her material in a confused
heap, save in her angry and volcanic moods. And
third, there is no reason why the rock garden
should not possess a certain regularity of lay-out, and
conform to the general principles of our plan. The
flowers themselves require no restraint, they will

202 GARDENS IN THE MAKING

multiply, and throw a riot of colour over the banks
of stone, whether these latter follow a coherent
design or are placed in merely irregular array. The
mass of colour is indeed more often effective when
it surrounds a sunk garden of a roughly symmetrical
shape than when it is broken up into disordered
parts. The habit of mind which connects the rock
garden with a pile of stones, is apt to regard it as
a feature applicable to any position where it seems
to get over a difficulty or an odd corner. Let us
regard the rock garden seriously, and honour it by
giving it, as well as all other things in the garden,
a proper place, and let us face the difficulties of each
part of our plan courageously until we find the right
solution. Est locus in rebus should be our motto,
or as it might be written for us — est locus in hortis ;
and if we make this our guiding principle, we
shall find our plan coherent and our garden truly
beautiful.

Double Page Plans

Fig. 56
Plan of Elm-Tree Farm, West Wittering

Fig. 56.— Plan of El

ee Farm, West Wittering.

Fig- 57
Plan of Dalingridge Place, West Hoathly

Fig. 57. — Plan of Dalin

ge Place, West Hoathly.

Fig. 58
Plan of Ashdown Place, Forest Row

Fig- 59
Design for Stansted Park

Fig. 59. — Desig

Stansted Park.

Fig. 60
Plan of Coombe Warren, Kingston Hill

Fig. 60. — Plan of Co<

e Warren, Kingston HilJ.

Fig. 6 1
Plan of Henley Hall, Ludlow

Fig. 6 1. —Plan c

n'ey Hall, Ludlow.

Fig. 62
A Typical Plan for a Small Garden

Fig. 62.— A Typic

"i""f f T J\ T "T f'* ^° ^

Scafe ef fee?

//. /la /j, M. /f, /*.£>. yx. /jo

an for a Small Garden.

Fig. 63
PJan showing an Arrangement for Planting

Scafe vffee?

f • \ [ • >

Fig. 63. — Plan showing

\rrangement for Planting.

INDEX

Alterations to old houses, 32-35
Appledram, Tower House, 43
Arbours, 9, 73, 143, 144, 147, 163
Arcaded walks, 160, 161
Architects and garden design, i, 4,

5, 1, H8
Ascott House, 9, 45, 73, 106, 115,

143, 146, 151, 176
Ashdown Place, 48, 99, 127, 133,

134, 142

Aspect of house, 29, 30, 61
Avenues, 58-60, 103

B

Balustrading, 120, 124, 125, 126,

132, 138, 176
Banks of turf, 67, 99
Bowling greens, 98, 99, 133
Box-edging, 105, 164, 189
Boxes and tubs for flowers, 69,

152, 154, 183-186, 198, 200
Brickwall, Northiam, 175
Bridges, 174, 178, 179
Building materials, 17, 72, 74, 77,

78, 135, 136, 159

Coombe Warren, Kingston Hill,
*5> 32> 45» 92> 1SS

Coping for walls, 79-82
Cottage garden, the, 36, 165
Courtyards, 60-70
Courtyards enclosed on three sides, 70

D

Dalingridge Place, 35, 39, 41,45,
49, 99, 108, 116, 120, 123, 127,
135, 136, 142, 193

Drive, the, 30, 57-60

Entrance courtyard, 21, 32, 61-67
Entrance gates, 50-57
Entrance to house, 20, 50-70

Flower enclosures, 99-108. See

Formal Gardens
Flowers, position of, 17, 42, 44,

63, 101-104, 107, 108, 183-186,

192

Foreign features, 24
Formal gardens, 18, 44-47, 96, 97,

99-108, 109, 112, 115, 163, 166,

167, 169, 185, 195, 197
Formality in garden plans, 4, 5, 19,

47 . 59
Fountains, 174, 176, 177, 182, 185

205

2O6

INDEX

Garden design, an art, 2, 61
Garden design, principles of, 8, n,

12-28
Garden houses, 9, 26, 73, 121, 146-

iS3» '71
Gardeners, 2
Gate piers, 89, 90
Gates, 76, 80, 86-93, 193
Gateways, 15, 18, 23, 50-57, 62,

86-93
Greenhouses, 153, 154

H

Hedges, 83-86, 105, 107, 164
Henley Hall, 32, 41, 45, 46, 112
Herbaceous borders, 44
House as background to garden,

25-28, 148
House and garden, unity between,

13, 24-28

I

Ironwork, 51, 52, 66, 80, 87, 88,
9*> 92> 93' lll

K

Killarney House, Killarney, 3, 85,

99, 100, 105, 169
Kitchen garden, the, 36, 90, 96,

190-194

L

Lawns, 3, 42, 94-99

Lead figures, etc., 179, 181, 183,

199
Little Lodge, Newick, 33, 34, 40,

60, 64

Lodges, 55-57
Loggias and verandahs, 146

M

Maze and labyrinth, 164

N

Nature, her ready reponsse to
guidance, 4, 8

O

Orangeries, 15, 114, 154, 155

Paths, 16, 22, 42, 95, 96

Paving, 15, 37, 40, 96, 106, 109-

117, 126, 196, 197
Penshurst, 89, 108
Pergolas, 38, 44, 756-161
Pitchford Hall, Shrewsbury, 6, 32,

140, 146

Plaish Hall, 31, 41, 45
Plan, the garden. 29-49
Planting, 14, 16, 59, 60
Pools. See Water

R

Rock gardens, 200-202
Rockeries, to be avoided, 67, 75,

201

Roof gardens, 200
Rose gardens, 123. See Formal
Gardens

St. Alban's Court, 105, 166

Scale in gardens, 10

Screens, wrought-iron, 92, 93

Seats, 9, 73, 139-146, 147

Stairways. See Steps

Stansted Park, 32

Statuary, 177, 180, 181, 199

Steps, 6, 48, 128-138

Stone paving, joints of, in, 113,

117

Summer houses. See Garden houses
Sundials, 97, 186-189
Sunk gardens, 104, 105, 163

INDEX

207

Tennis lawns, 3, 98

Terrace, the principal, 21, 22, 37-

41, 119-121

Terrace, the projecting, 48, 127
Terraced garden, 122
Terraces, 9, 48, 73, 118-127, 130,

141, 142, 148, 150
Tile paving, no, in, 113
Tiles glazed, 113, 114
Topiary, 86, 161-167
Town gardens, 47, 116. 194-200
Trees linked with boundaries, 14,

63, 64-107
Trellis, 146, 167-171
Turf borders, 95
Turf paths, 96

Vases and Urns, 69, 104, 130, 177-
183

W

Walls, 72-82, 105, 107, 151
Walls, retaining, 67, 124, 137, 150
Water, 6, 105, 106, 115, 172-177,

183, 185
West Wittering, Elm Tree Farm,

27, 35, 40,^44, 51, 84, 109, 116
Westerham, The Mount, 53, 55
Wild gardens, 17, 40

Yew. See Hedges and Topiary

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