PLANNING THE GARDEN

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 139, 13 June 1936, Page 6 (Supplement)

PLANNING THE GARDEN

SELF-EXPRESSION, NOT FASHION, THE TRUE END. The mail who sets out to make a garden for himself is on the way to experience many joys; that of creation, exciting discovery, and of self-expres-sion which, we are assured, is the true end of life. If he has unlimited scope from the beginning, if he takes over from Nature, so to speak, the cultivation of his particular patch and has, moreover, a free hand in the selection of that patch, lie is as much to be envied as the adventurer who sets out upon a voyage of discovery. Many of the elements which go to the make-up of such an enterprise have their parallel in the making of a garden. Once it is established, his garden will afford him an absorbing interest which will last him through life and increase proportionately with the devotion he gives it. The wise gardener will stand out against the seductions of any prevailing fashion, and will refuse to follow it merely because it is the fashion. In his selection of a site for the garden, and in his adaptation of that site, he may follow certain authentic rules; but i:x the actual designing and stocking of that site he must take into account all kinds of eventualities that no former prescription can possibly provide for. Ask one man to design a garden, and he will draw up a plan 011 paper, or dogmatically expound his principles, with little or 110 regard for the situation in which the garden is to be made, lie will treat the problem as though site and soil and atmosphere and situation were of so little account that their consideration would be superfluous. One might just as well expect to design a successful costume without knowing the sex, age, proportions or type of the wearer. The actual design and embellishment of a garden must of necessity be governed by the character and formation of the ground at the gardener's disposal. Few people have an unlimited choice in the matter of locality in which to build their house and garden, but even though that scope be somewhat circumspect there are many things still to be taken into account. It is obvious, for example, that the various suburbs of even a small town differ very much in climate, in density of atmosphere, and in convenience,, so that in choosing a site for a garden each of these factors should be duly considered. One side of town is likely to present more advantageous features from the gardener's point of view than another, apart from the nature of its soil. The direction of the prevailing wind, to take only one example, dictates not only the steps lie must take to shelter his crops, but -also the presence or otherwise of smoke and fogs. It is wisest to selebt a site upon slightly rising ground which is not so high as to be difficult of access or to suffer from exposure. Fogs are more prevalent in valleys and low-lying hollows; and in valleys, too, owing to the slower evaporation, spring frosts persist until later into the year thaji they do 011 rising ground, and autumn frosts begin earlier. With tlie actual neighbourhood fixed upon, consideration should be given, to the nature of the soil which covers it. For both building and horticultural purposes such soil should be light and rather spongy in texture. Heavy, sluglish and impervious soils make gardening a very unprofitable business. They are not only difficult to work, but in wet weather bccome cold and greasy, hold the water, and promote the illhealth and decay of plant and vegetable alike; while in'hot, dry weather evaporation from them takes place so speedily that the surface cakes together and cracks, and the tender roots in consequence are starved. The atmosphere about such land remains cold and moist all the winter, making the house built upon it damp and unhealthy, while the labour involved to produce even the smallest satisfactory results in the garden is out of all proportion to that which would produce the same or, indeed, infinitely greater results from a garden whose surface and subsoil are ligl.t 'r and more pervious. The more dosir!. b!c kind of land, then, for gardening pin poses is that which is light in substan e and fairly loose in texture. -Such so 1 does not bccome waterlogged, and so the necessity for extensive artificial drainrge is obviated. In examining the nature of the soil, due regard mitst be given to the subsoil. This should consist either of chalk, loose gravel, or coarse sand. If the surface soil is shallow, a substratum of clay or close, unyielding gravel soon has its blighting effect upon large growing plants. Given, then, these good qualities of surface and subsoil, the whole art of simple gardening consists really in thoughtful adaptation in thinking out a scheme which will make the most of the natural facilities of the site, For example, the actual laying out of the garden determines to "a great extent the amount of labour necessary to keep it neat and flourishing.