The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-09-01
woMEx LANDsCAPE GARDENERS.
a PARK Omciai Tells Of Their Merits and
Their Limitations

Iucir IAuutAuous
The visitor looked through the long
vista Of the Park admirinsly.
Now said he. I'm bst Is that II was .
woman who designed this prospect
Tie Park official shook his head.
1t II a good thing ! am not a bettne
man. he said If I were you'd lose your
money. sure. There are no women among
Dur landscape gardeners.
TIE visitor looked disappointed.
Then YOU ought to be ashamed OF your
selves. he retored women make the
best landscape gardeners in the world
Tie official accepted the rebuke meeklv.
Il know it, he admitted. They are
frat -clazs on a small scale n II i had my
way about Il we would have IN or two OF
them In our employ. Nothing but politics
has kept them out. so far. and ~ matters
ever adjust themselves so that We can
manage our Affairs independent OF this
power l intend 20 see 70 u that we have
some women on the star. There are some
excellent women landscape gardeners In
New York and Its vicinity, but they are all
employed In n private capacity.
But although we have never directly
employed a woman there In one who has
worked for Va In q roundabout way and
some Of the most artistic designs In the
arrangement OF flowers we have ever had
In anv ~ our Iarks were the outcome Of
her planning This girls father was the
o-tensible artist. He had isen connected
With the parks for several years; Las,
summer he was authorized TO do his level
best In the beautifying OF one ~ our small
PARKS. but before lie had q chance to de-
vote any particular thought To the work
be fell III and his daughter took up the task.
The color schemes she evolved were s,fnpiy
gorgeous and ever since l saw what she
could accomplish In tho way OF nower
beds and winding paths and the like, 1
have heen soundly convinced that In the
matter Of planting flowers a woman who
has ts-n educated In landscape gardening
can beat n man all hollow.
when II comes Ia great reaches, how
over, | cannot saw 20 much for her. l have
seen some work Of women In private estates
and Il always strikes zoe a. having n dif-
tinctly feminine tone. Int large park. where
distances are a matter Of prime considers-
ton, viriity and reposs are necessary TO
the beauty 81 the general scheme. Some
how. most women lust miss these elements
when LAYING out great vistas.
They are too much given 70 cluttertng
M their material, They try "a crowd too
much into "a < "n area, Instead OF leaving
thosa open spaces which every byer OF
parks knows are 80 rcstful to the eye they
Insist upon setting up In Irritating multi.
plic'tv obiec'S which mav te beautiful
enough IL themselN -. such as q specimen
FNfh. ~ flutIll Ol VI AblANkt al VI
building. OF n statue, but which. II scattered
around too prnhis.ly. break the force OF
the foreground and rob the distances OF
half their tenderness aud mystery
This IL a defect that the earnest student
should easily be able to obViatc. u Ia prob-
ably due 10 unfamilisrity with nature. and
the athlstic life OF the modern woman will
no doubt breed 50 intimate an acluaintanos
with vast stretches OF forest and glade
that she will better understand relative
- - a. .s.t.. -. -. 1900.
and statues and gingcr-bread adjournment
either by doing away with them entirely
or distributing them around In unimprovod
pots 81 the parks. This fault u ~ trivial,
however, In comparison with the general
excellence Of the work Of women landscape
gardeners tina, IL seems unpardonably
hyJrrcritical To lav much stress upon II.
dIn another thing besides the orange
ment of flowers does the woman gardener
excel and that IA the grouping OF folia.
Tho best way TO learn the mysteries OF To-
liage that | know Of IL to make an exhaust
i've study OF half a dozcn OF the very best
paintings. While painting and landscape
gardening differ widely In some respects.
they are analogous Ia Others, and the more
one knows Of the technique Of the artist
the better results will hat person achieve
In Landscape gardening.
This Is particularly true In regard TO
foliage. TIL mOst uncritical observer can
not but see that many mistakes aro made
nowadays IN the planting OF trees ana
shrubbcry. Cultivation and importation
have produced 80 many new tints that fine
discrimination il required TO arrange the
gradations with artistic effect. Women
poss,Sss this sense Of harmony 10 a high
degree. and IL Is a gift which. alone. would
make them valuable a. landscape gar
denerS.
L, il a pity that there are not moro OPP
~portunities for women gardeners Of oxpe-
rience and ability 10 exercise their skill
Under present conditions there II but little
incentive for a woman with natural tastes
in that direction 10 cultivate her talents.
for 10 achieve a real success years OF study
aud experimenting are required as a pre-
training. and the chance OF re-
ward Tor all this application are ~ meagre
that. unless she feels herself irreeistibly
drawn 10 the work 10y sheer love Of IL, she
will scarcely find the game worth the candle.
However. since a number OF women who
had the hardihood TO pursue the voca-
ton have got a chance 10 make use % their
accomplishments in a private capacity
with like inclina;ions may be em-
boldcned 10y their example and get ready
for the time when their suggestions will be
valued In public improvements