Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-11-20
Hints in Landscape Gardening.
!. b. Peck in Rnral New YORKER.

This term as ] understand it, applies to the
planting and tending of ornamental or pleasure
grounds, and relates 10 the grounds a out
dwellings,, public edifceS, parks and cemeteries.
The manner In which they should be laid out
and planted depends much On their size, shape
anu surroundings. and no one can we'll make
one plan entirely suitable for any two pieces OF
ground; therefore. all special directions for
grounds In general are liable, If followed, to
produce effects in bad taste.
II is principle generally assented TO that
curved lines are more beautiful than straight
ones" There Is also another principle, not per-
haps so generally asSented TO, but OF equal
Torce that 1.-The beauty of thing depends on It's
perfect adaptation to Its use" In the arrange
1nent OF walks and drives these two principles
are often confused. and the latter Is ignored or
sacrificed to the insane idea OF adopting the
former in cases entirely homogeneous. Thus, a
public building situated In the center OF large
Enclosed plat and used only for pubic offices
has entrances from the surrounding streets at
each or its four corners from which walks to
the front and rear entrances are made In the
shape Of a crescent. thus increasing the dis
lance from 10 TO IS per cent. In case OF fire.
arc TO reach the burning building. Equally
inappropriate would be grounds devoted eXclu-
slyeIy TO ornament and pleasure, like public
parks, laid out In squares and parallelogramS
Tr1angles might be In good taste, but rarely,
and should be SMALL and there should plainly
appear a reason for that particular shape at
that particular place. A walk from the street
entrance to the front door OF the house should
DC III direct line; but branching from that
walks are In good taste, curY1ng around the
angles Of the house to the side or back door. In
public or private parks and cemeteries the case
Is different. There curved walks and drives are
indispensable to good taste.
There is perhaps no one thing that shows a
lack OF taste more generally than the selection
and arrangement Of trees for ornament and
shade. An almost universal error consists in
having too many, too studied regularity In
their arrangement, and too little variety. When
planted In the street, they must OF necessity be
In rows, and any deviation from straight line
there is a deformtty; but change OF variety
and or natural form gives TO each an individual
Straight rows OF one variety are only beautiful
In the distance as one object, while a diversity
OF form and foliage multiplieS the pleasure OF a
close inspection.
! am often panied at the efforts to distort
nature In the pruning and training or orna-
mental trees and shrubs. Nature has her own
form for every plant, and, though you may In
edged-tOol manipulations, as merely thing OF
beauty you cannot improve upon natures plans.
Such Is my own opinion OF pruning and training
for ornament. You may shear off the ends OF
the limbs Of q spruce or fir and make 1t look as
though 1t had been turned In lathe, the thick
wall Of its sides covering up its branches; but II
will always be too sharp at the top, and would
specimen OF what can be done In the way OF
outragtDg nature. Such tree Is % one Of
natures make what a wax doll Is to real baby,
II Is trGo that accidents may happen In Vegeta-
lloh, as Wen as In other matters. Ii tree
near building or too near other trees, Il Is la
ole 10 De misShapen. and its faults may OFTEN 0e
cSrrected oy pruning. branch may be broken
may start up. In these cases we can assist ma
| tuIe with the pruning knife.