New-York tribune., 1908-09-03
Of Interest ~
< TO Womer.
LANDSCAPE GARDENING
Tdriety of Things a Woman Mast
Knosc Who Takes Up This Work.

There are about half dozen women In the
United States who have created national rep
utation landscape gardeners architects.
and considering that in the American Society OF
Landscape Architects made UP Of members of the
profession who have national reputation,
there only fifty names Of men and women
together, this cannot be considered bad showing.
Three OF these women New Workers.. Miss
Beatrix Jones' the dean OF the corps; Miss Marion
Coffin and Miss Martha Brown. The most pron1i-
of her in the profession. and also the
could truly be called landscape architect,
is an English woman. Miss Wilkinson. She is
official adviser OF the London Board Of Public
Works and designs squares and parks. Miss Jones
mas done q little of such work. too, but she is
chiefly employed IN laying out gardens on the great
private estates of the country, her clients being
scattered from Maine to Virginia.
Landscape gardening seens charming pro-
fession for women. Women have always made the
flower gardens since the world began 1t is for
women mainly that greenhouses and florists shops
exist What natural than that the new
in searcL of a gainful pursuit should turn
TO gardening? But she who elects TO become
Landscape gardener finds that the word gardener
in this connection is misleading, and usually she is
appalled, by the difficulties in the way At least
four wears solid preparation IS required and this
should be followed by year of travel in Europe.
until recently it was exceedingly difficult to
get this preparation. No school offered such
course women. and firms of landscape gardeners
did not care 10 take them as apprentices
1t was only through the favor Of male friends and
relatives that they could get chance Now, how
ever women are admitted TO such courses in Cor
nell and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The training is strenuous and the work not at
gil OF the nice and pretty sort.
WHAT SHE MUST KNOW.
.rYou have 10 know everything TO be 4 success
ful landscape gardener said one Of the members
OF the New York guild.
IN the first place, you have to understand thor
1irl-p md srh0riCulture,
ex.ry Forestry is purely economic, while land
ecape gardening is most efficient way OF spend
ing money. not making it But you have 10 nave
q wide thorough and minute knowledge of trees
shrubs vines and flowers their culture. the proper
soil for them. the way TO plant and take care OF
them the place get them, the way they VIII
look and the effects they viii produce when they
are grown up. You have TO understand road
building, how make good substantial dura-
ble road and the kind OF road suitable for olf-
yerent lands and different places. You have TO
understand al least simple variety OF bridge
building and a considerable amount of archl-
lecture. else You'll he putting terraces about
that don't correspond with your house. You
nave 70 have a thorough comprehension OF the
slhiect Of drainage Such a lovely profession
for woman. people say 10 me. They seem TO
think all I have DO is TO sit down on camp
stool in the middle of ten-acre lot and say I'll
have a rosebush here and nasturtium there
wonder how they'd like TO go out in a waterproof
and pair of rubber boots day after day super
tntending the draining of piece Of land. MAX
ing lot OF stupid obstinate men. who all think
they know more than you DO just because you're
woman. do their work right.
WHEN THE PATRON KNOWS IT ALL
This business includes a great deal OF ex-
posure 10 all kinds of weather alternating with
days spent IN q stuffy Office when you doing
your designing 1t also includes more positive
s4rudsery in the way of bookkeeping and letter
writing than any would imagine But the
worst feature of all is the brain Gag consequent
upon your endeavoring to carry ctfJ your ideas in
opposition the preconceived notions of your
patrons On side you knows your business
You know that such and such things right
and will produce the right results. On the other
side is your client, who is determined to have
things he wants them. You know that II you
do as he wants the result viii not be right You
know that IL will not be credit TO you. win
the respect of the profession. and that the client
himself will like it after 1t is done, espe-
cially after he il criticisedz7 Then he Will
around and blame you. But7Iyou can't say
these things 70 him. You've got TO get him
sround TO your way Of thinking in other
way. Consequently, the brain fag. 'snch charming
pursuit for a woman" they saB No
should go into it unless she has the constitu-
zion Of OK"
This particular landscape gardener did not in
the least resemble OK, being slim and willowy
young aspen tree with delicate high bred
here and there with diamonds on the corsase,
and drainage canals. 1t was the rubber boots
and drainage in the background, however, that
1T is life of horribly hard work and very
heavy expenses" she continued. THE woman
She may take in s. 300 but to do that she's got
80 travel all over the country. and her expenses
,nto such dreadful profession? Oh, that's an
satisfied 10 do anything else in the world
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