The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

Art Of Landscape Architecture

Apart from this enclosure, which is necessary for protection, it is obvious that every interesting feature of the distant landscape should be included in the park, all outer rays con- centrating into this focus. Distant views of great extent lying way beyond the actual grounds give an appearance of measureless extent. When such op- portunities are skilfully utilized they greatly surpass the reality. They must, however, be so managed that one should never become aware of the intervening park boundaries. Moreover such special features should never be seen twice in the same way. For instance : many partial glimpses may be given of a distant hill, but only once should the hill be revealed in its entirety. The same applies to the town or city. Such effective planning, affording glimpses which tempt one's imagination and excite the pleasure of anticipation, and compositions in which each part is interde- pendent, are far more difficult to achieve than full revelations. When people stumble on a remarkably beautiful view and, after lingering long, remark,' What a pity that great tree stands in the foreground, how much more grand the view would be if it were absent '—they would be much astonished if one did them the service to hew away the condemned tree. They would have a stretch of country before them, but no more picture—for a garden in the great style is really a picture gallery and pictures demand a frame."' The appearance of a fence made of picturesque looking stones or a vine-covered iron wire has real value as a landscape feature in itself. The use of the vines and the stone, or the wire, are however chiefly a means of making known the existence of a boundary line. Consequently the blending of boundary plantations, trees and shrubs and vines, should be so complete as to largely confine itself to the suggestion of the presence of a limit to the place. There would naturally be views here and there, out and beyond, except on occasions when discordant elements need shutting out. The "hedge" sensation should be eliminated, and the border plantation made after the type which in the case of trees and shrubs and flowers is intended to apply to the composition of every part of the place.