The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1913-06-13
Essentials of Beautiful Yard

EVERY home should be surrounded
oy a beautiful and artistic yard AL.
most all of US appreciate this fact
and 1t Will not bear argument but
'nere Is considerable divergence OF
| opinion as to what can be done to
make the yard beautiful.
IN order to assist our readers to Sc
cure the most gratifying results posi-.
PIE, We VIII try to outline the essen
tlal features to be borne in mind when
planning landscape gardening at
home.
The one most important feature in
planting operations is harmony. This
is the keynote of all beautiful scenes
IL does not mean that we NAV not
employ contrasting colors and forms.
but that these features give a pleas
ing general effect.
II your house is of any particular
architectural style. let the shape of
your walks, roadway, flower beds.
SHRUBS and trees be of such a charac-
ter as to carry out the lines and spirit
OF the house as far as possible. The
formal house should be surrounded by
natural things of geometrical patterns
square corners. formal shaped
shrubs, straight walks, ETC., rather
than the graceful forms. The bunga-
low and the less imposing and rigid
type of building must be treated in
a decidedly different manner. as it's
lines are more On the graceful and
beautiful order, and the lines of the
surrounding grounds should carry out
the same idea. Curved lines, even of
a rather indefinite character, may be
used to advantage. Flowing shapes in
the trees and shrubs, profuse vines,
beds and banks Of wild flowers and
related subjects should be adhered to
largely.
Do not attempt to mix these two
distinct styles of landscape art. Moth
ing can be more unattractive than a
formal square house set in a woodland,
unless 1t be a graceful, unpretentious
country home in the midst of an Ital-
ian garden.
The house, while 1t is not really a
part Of the yard, is still the most i'm
portant feature of the whole scene,
from the standpoint of the person on
the outside. This is why we place
such special emphasis on the appear
ance and style of the building.
We take for granted that the impor-
lance of the lawn is thoroughly under
stood. The arrangement of the build
ings, walks, roads, and paintings will
determine its shape and exteAt, but it
is highly essential that the ground be
covered by smooth, velvety turf,
where not otherwise taken up for
some specific purpose.
City front yards are usually SO small
that all we can hope to do with them
is to keep them covered with a good
lawn. Suburban front yards are much !
more ample and are covered by the
general principles set down for city
back yards.
The first care is to join the house to /
to the ground in a natural and artistic
manner. The color of the house has a /
good deal to do with this, and the rest
can be accomplished by judicious
use of flower beds. vines or shrubs
lear the house.
In planting for the small yard, do
1ot put beds or shrubs in the middle
Of any stretch of lawn. Keep them
either along the walk and roadway, or
around the outer edges of the lot By
Using taller and more distinctly color
I'd and formal plants close to the house
ind smaller and less prominent vari-
'ties farther away we can secure an
appearance of distance in the view
rum the house, and this is a very i'm
,ortant feature in the effect of any
anoscape picture.
For the small city back yard the
'ouse must be ignored to a consider
Ible extent and the planting is largely
question of the gardeners individual
aste. Much more effective results
will be secured even on the smallest
OF, II the few simple rules here given
re carefully borne in mind