Evening star., 1926-05-22
Landscape Planning
For the Home Owner
BY ROSE GREELY.
Landscape Architect.

The owner of the small lot. who
wishes TO enjoy his grounds TO the ut
most. finds himself confronting
uroblem at the outset. What use
shall he make of the ground! Shan
he dedicate it to beauty, with a lawn
md flower garden? Or shall be con-
sign it to practical use, with VeSe-
table garden and small fruits! II
seems to him a choice between the
pleasure of the eye or the palate. ne
feels there is a sharp line of demarka-
tion between the two and tnat ne must
cast the dice one way or the othef.
He is mistaken in his first premises
in condemning useful things as nee
essarily ugly. He must often have
admired the beauty of things usually
grouped in the useful class. Per-
haps it was.a peach tree in flower or
an apple tree heavy with ripenlng
fruit. Perhaps il was the fne fohage
of growing carrots or the noWerlns
growth of asparagus past its cutting
sea son.
TO the man who is seeking to make
the most of a small plot of ground
this should be significant. If he can
plant for double yield. Weld or
both beauty and produce. he is max
ing his ground count twice.
Let us assume that he wishes TO
grow vegetables, but wishes also
garden that shall be pleasing to the
eve. His wife would like a few flow
ers for the house. and he promised y
spare her a narrow strip for flower
border. The first requirement for such
a planting is careful preliminary !
study For either produce or beauty
one must plan, and combination or
the two requires more than twice the
care.
First a carefully designed garden
plan must be made, plan well or
ganized, but simple enough to be in
keeping with the simplicity OF the
plant material in which it is to be car
ried out An appropriate design is
shown. with a central feature and
two cross paths cutting the garden
into four even beds. The feature in
this case is a small pool planted, not
with water lilies. as it might be in the
flower garden, but with watercress
and mint. An oldfaShioned sun dial
substituted for the pool. would be
quite as appropriate and less eXpen-
sive. The garden could be attractively
developed without any flowers. but
since there are to be borders of cut
ting flowers. they are used as ribbons
Of color through the center.
The plan of the garden must be
considered as only tenta tive until one
has decided also upon the planting
materials. The owner must make a
list of the things which he wishes
to grow. and then he must edit the
list from the point of view of beauty.
This is not in order that all items
cluded. but that the classification may
help to place each where it will count
for the most in the Identification of
the garden.
Considering the common vegetables
not for their use but for their artistic
merit viii be found an interesting ex-
pertinent. They will group them.
selves into classes similar to classes
from which a flower garden is
planned. Some will be vines. requir-
ing a support which may be made
decorative. Some will be tall growing
plants, good for background pla nting.
some will be effective as specimens.
and some will be low growing with
attractive foliage. suitable for edsing
the beds. There will, of course. be
some plants. perhaps the ma jority.
decorative, but must be used in the
body Of the garden. where they are
not too conspicuous.
Pole beans. the tai Hest growing of
the vine vegetables. become an inter
esting garden feature if they are
trained on slender. ba rk covered poles
set at regular intervals around the
garden, or on a simple trells making
an effective garden inclosure The
usual garden beans nave pretty white
flowers. but II more effective blossoms
are desired the scarlet runner bean
may be substituted. A single row
OF low, or of the tall growing peas
trained on wire, forms an excellent
hedge.
Tomatoes. nipped back 20 Two buds.
and with the two long vinesiEe stalks
trained on crossed stakes NAV be
used down each side Of path with
delightful effect. Their bright green
foliage and scarlet fruit are stunning
against blue painted posts Except
Tor such special feature keen the
tall vegetables in the background and
MI the center of the garden with
the smaller ones, radishes beets,
caulifiowers. lettuce and cabba ge-Der-
haps the lovely red cabbage 50 pouu-
lar in France. ClumpS Of rhuoarb
may be used. as peonies so often are
IN the flower garden. to mark Tho cor
ners of beds, and carrots wi;n their
teathery foliage oi chives with gross
like foliage and attractiv flowers may
form an edginc to the beds
This is only the beginning OF the
artistic possibilities of the veeetabl
garden. the few simple things that
owe their effect to planning and do
not make the garden noticeablv more
difficult To maintain. If one wishes
tn take II as a hobby, to drape grape.
vines and train fruit trees like those
in the kitchen gardens of Europe. the
possibilities are endless.