The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1854-01-05
Hints on tho Management of Small Gar

Hints on tho Management of Small Gar
dens.
One Of the finest features in the coun-
try towns of tmerica, is that almost ev-
cry dwelling has its garden--small in
many cases it may be, but still a garden,
and capable of yielding many of the COM
forts and pleasures of gardening. The
most active improvers of our day, the men
who arc really doing most for the dilfu-
sion of a taste for gardening, are the resi-
dents of country towns and villages, with
their acre, half acre and even quarter acre
lots. Taking this view of the subject, we
naturally regard the management Of small
gardens with much interest; and therefore
propose, uow and hereafter, to offer few
hints, in order, if possible, to establish
more correct views in regard to the prin-
ciples which should regulate their forma-
ton and treatment.
From pretty extensive observation, we
have come to the conclusion that one of
the most serious and prevalent errors in
the management of small gardens, is at
tempting too much. This grows very nat
urally out of the desire that almost every
man feels, to gather around his residence
the greatest possible variety of interesting
scenes and OBJ bjects; in other words, to make
the most of his limited space. In laying
out garden, the design may be good,
and it may, in the first place. be properly
executed; but no sooner is this done than
new trees or plants are fancicd, and prob
ably a neighbor's garden suggests some
new walk or divisions-and thus one little
alteration after another is sintroduced, un-
til the original plan is effaced, and the
whole becomes piece of patchwork. We
have seen many charming little front gar
dens utterly ruined in this way. Now, the
beauty of small garden, and the pleas
ure it may afford, lies not in variety of
embellishments, put in simplicity and high
keepiy-few walks and few trees.
Numerous walks destroy the unity and
extent of small piece of ground, and add
very materially to the cost of keeping; and
as a regular gardner is seldom employed
in such places, the walks become neglec-
ted, and grown over with grass and wee
DIS, resembling more cattle path than
any thing else. The principle, therefore,
should be rigidly adhered to, of having
only such walks as are absolutely indis-
pensable, and these to be kept in the best
order. A good, wen-kept walk is not on
ly great beauty, but great comfort,
whereas nothing is se useless and ill-look-
ing as bad or neglected one. In most
cases single walk, and that foot walk,
six or eight feet wide, in proportion to the
extent of the ground, will be quite
enough.
The position of the entrance gate and
the course of the walk must be determin-
ed by the shape of the grounds and the
situation of the front door of the dwelling.
If the space between the house and street
be cnarrow-say twenty or thirty feet-and
the front door be in the center of the build
ing, the most convenient, and probably the
best, arrangement is the common one
having the gate opposite the door, and the
walk straight. 1t would be much better
if houses of this kind were so constructed
as to have the main entrance at one side,
so that the ground in front of the princi-
pal rooms might be kept in lawn, en-
bellished with afew appropriate trees. This
would be amore agreeable sight from the
windows than gravel walk, and persons
approaching the house would not be di-
rectly in front Of the windows. When the
house stands back sufficient distance,
even if the front door be in the centre fa-
cling the street, the walk should approach
itby as easy curves as possible from one
side, leaving the ground in front unbro-
ken. A curved walk, however, is not only
inconvenient. but obviously inconsistent,
in very limited space.
Box, and all other kinds of edgings, to
walks thatrun through grass plots, are not
only out of place, but add greatly to the
expense of planting and keeping. Such
things are only appropriate in flower gar
dens, to mark the outlines of walks and
beds. Hedges of Privet, Red Cedar OF
ArborV Vitae are occasionally planted along
the edges of walks, but are entirely super
fuous, and have bad effect, unless to
screen a wagon road to out-buildings, OF
to separate front garden or lawn from
the kitchen garden, or such objects as il
may be desirable to conceal. Such hedg-
es have also very good effect when place
Immediately behind low open front fence,
forming, in that case, a back ground to
the lawn, when viewed from the dwell
ing.
Planting, in most of our small gardens
is carried to such an excess, as to convert
them into miniature forests There must
be the universal row Of Horse Ches.nuts
y or sometime else. within the fance. and