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

Landscape Gardening

Coniferous species, such as pines and spruces, make fine avenues where they can be well grown; but unfortunately there are few circumstances in which they will succeed. Only in fairly rural parks, away from dust and factory smoke, on country estates, or on specially favorable country highways, can plantings of these species be undertaken with any confidence.

Rather strangely it happens that California, Florida and the extreme southern states generally, find it more difficult than the central and northern states to grow really effective avenues of good trees. Suitable species seem to be wanting. Eucalyptus and cypress do well along irrigation ditches in rural places. Pepper trees are used in more cramped city streets, but they are by no means free from objection. The black acacia makes a very good effect when well grown. Of course palms are sometimes used, but they are seldom satisfactory and are not much planted for street use by experienced gardeners.

Lawns

The star-enchanted long falls through the air From lawn to lawn down terraces of sound.
Harold Monro.
Turf is peculiarly English, and no turf is more delightful than that of our downs—delightful to ride on, to sit on, to walk on. Sir John Lubbock.

It has already been remarked that the lawn is, in a double sense, the foundation of the garden. There are countries, as is generally known, where lawns do not flourish, and there are paved courtyards where grass is impossible; but the practically universal demand for lawns is no more than proved by such exceptions.
The first problem in lawn making is to shape the ground. Some lawns show sweet, gentle flowing curves; others are lumpy and ugly. The designing and grading of lawns is very much of an art.

Where large areas are involved, as on golf grounds, country clubs, large estates or parks, it is desirable to begin with an accurate topographic survey and proceed with a careful design on paper. This design is afterward surveyed back to the land, grade-stakes set, and the operations are governed by the design. On smaller places it is safe to trust to the eye, particularly to an experienced eye. But even an experienced gardener will be assisted by setting stakes, stretching white twine strings or otherwise checking up on his imagined grades. Finally minor corrections, not necessarily unimportant, may be made while the grading is in progress.

These grading operations must keep in view another objective besides that of shaping the surface; they must provide a substratum in which grass will really grow. This implies a good layer of loam or topsoil, mixed with manure, on top. This layer should usually be at least 16 inches thick.