Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1911-01-20
FINE THINGS FOR GARDENS.

The special value Of the Japanese
garden in this country lies in its
availability for small areas, says q
writer in a Craftsman magazine.
Nowadays, when man wants a gar
den, he plans for some definite land
scape effect. Often the size Of his
lot precludes the possibility of an
Italian garden or maturalistic treat
ment after the English American
plan. But Japanese garden may be
had in all completeness in space
where one would have said there was
scarcely room for flower bed The
Japanese garden adapts itself to lack
Of space. Other systems copy nature
on only one set of terms, those OF
life-size, but the japanese method
while it can be and often is develop
ed on a large scale, may ;i.so be reg
duced from natural size tn. ough Alf
stages of tiny miniature.
If you have a n1ne-foot sqXare of
ground you can have an axfistically
perfect and complete Japanese gar
den, while the oppoi Unity offered
by a city lot would be- all that an ex-
pert gardner would demand for an
elaborate production. Lafcadio Hearn
describes a garden not over 80 yards
square, which, seen through a win
dow shutting out the surrounding
country, seemed am actual natural
landscape viewed from a distance.
Aside from this great advantage.
the JAPANESE garden has other quail
ties which make it valuable for adap-
tation by American gardeners. It
furnishes a new note for those seek
ing original treatsr emit Of their places.
It has a beauty ghich grows upon
acquaintance, a. here is no kind of
garden which. has about it a richer
amount Of sentiment and tradition
than the Japanese. Every hill, tree.
rock and flower has its own special
meaning and place in the picture and
although the religious significance
which attaches to these things must
Of necessity be lost, the charm Of
the symbolism still remains.
In laying out a Japanese garden
the maker should not only aim to
copy nature, but to reproduce a par
ticular aspect or mood of nature.
Such an end is essentially artistic
and does something no other garden
attempts. A Japanese garden may
be the only garden of a place. or
in the case of a large ceuntry estate.
some part Of it is usually set off and
developed on the Japanese plan. For
instance, Central Park, Isl of course.
primarily a naturalistic park, but a
section is treated in japanese style.
Once Japanese garden has been de-
termined upon, the method Of treat
ment under Japanese rules must be
decided. The flat and the billy are
the two main types of Japanese gar
dens. For the billy type, which Of
fers the best possibilities for varied
development, it must be remember
ed, it is not necessary to have ma
tural life-sized hills. A hill may be
a hill. a large hillock. good sized
mound, or perhaps 4 rock with
shrubs planted about 1t, or even
shrub cut in the shape Of a bill. A
hill garden would initiate a noun
tain scene Or some other ASPECT OF
nature in which rocky or broken
country predominates. Recognized
types are the Rocky Ocean, imitat-
ing an acean inlet; Wide River in
which a stream issuing from behind
a hill runs into lake; Reed Marsh
style, which copies marshy pool
overgrown with rushes, set among
low, rounded sand dunes, bordering
on a moor. An essential for the
billy type is mountain or hill plus
water in some form. For flat gar
den, the gardner has the floor of
valley, a moor or some
rural scene for model.
Water, a Japanese would declare
Is an absolute necessity to a Japan
ese garden. What the lawn is to the
American system, water is. to the
Japanese. Around it, as the CEN
trail object, are grouped the other
features Having imposed this in
flexible condition, and while one is
what effect of water one
can manage on suburban lot and II
every Japanese dwelling is equipped
with lake or stream, the japanese
removes the difficulty with Oriental
ease. There being no natural water,
gravel or sand may be raked and
spread to initiate any desired body Of
water. This gravel stream flows
about rocks in its course and must
be spanned by bridge or crossed by
stepping stones. But more to be gre
lerred and not necessarily costly is
The creation Of water effects by ar
,ificial means. Water must never be
lead; that is, must have an outlet
and an inlet visible.
In regular Japanese gardens the
open spaces. those unoccupied by
;rees, water, etc, are rarely covered
with turf. Sand that is kept damp
Ind raked in patterns takes the place
If turf. To protect this from foot
marks, stepping-stones are placed at
,rossing places. These must never be
'egular in shape or placed at regular
intervals, for this would not be copy
ng nature. Various flat shapes and
sizes, as would happen If chance put |
hem in their places, are always |
lsed. Turf is, however, often used |
h American adaptation Of the Jap
lnese garden. Trees assume great |
in the Japanese system,
tut they are seldom planted in
groups, except where the group itself |
s considered unit. Each tree is
aiken by itself. Published trees may
,e used in large gardens, but dwarf
rees trained to picturesque individ-
lality are needed for the smaller
scale. There is usually a main tree,
which occupies the center OF the
landscape.
SALE NETS GOOD SUM