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HOW TO PLAN
THE HOME GROUNDS
How to Plan
the Home Grounds
By
S. PARSONS, Jr.
Ex-Superintendent of Parks, New York. City
Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects
With Illustrations
drawn by W. E. Spader under the direction of the
author and of G. F. Pextecost, Jr., F.A.S.L.A.
NEW YORK
DOUBLEDAy/pAGE & CO,
1907
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Copyright, 1899, by
DOUBLEDAY & McCLURE CO,
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7
Xlo tbc /Ibemorg of
CALVERT VAUX and WILLIAM A. STILES
WHOSE WORDS AND DEEDS HAVE BEEN THE CHIEF INSPIRATION OF THIS
BOOK, AND WHOSE SINGULARLY FELICITOUS EXPRESSION OF THEIR
OWN PERSONAL FORCE AND CHARM SERVED EVER BUT TO
• EMPHASIZE THE TEW, SIMPLE UNDERLYING TRUTHS UPON
WHICH ARE BASED ALL MANIFESTATIONS OF THE
ART OF LANDSCAPE GARDENING, FROM THE
MOST RESTRICTED TO THOSE OFFERING
THE LARGEST POSSIBILITIES,
P
169621
PREFACE
THE purpose of this book is to set forth briefly some
simple basic principles concerning the processes
whereby home grounds can be made beautiful.
From the beginning it \\ill follow the various stages
through which may be gradually and naturally developed
the sensible, which is always the pleasing and attractive,
dwelling place ; for everything which is done according
to sound rational principles and common sense is bound
to be agreeable and beautiful. In as short a fashion and
as clearly as lies in the author's power, it \^ill seek to set
do\vn the few points which are to be kept always in mind
to properly work out and accomplish the permanently
satisfactory result. To make these points tangible, by
giving with the reason the example which makes that
reason evident, the author invariably reverts to the gen-
eral principles that should never be lost sight of in the
selection and arrangement of the territory intended for
occupation. These principles apply invariably to the
small as well as the large places. The statement cannot
be made too emphatically at the very outset, that it
is always just as simple and just as difficult to lay out
a small yard 25 x 100 feet as a gentleman's great country
place of many acres. There may be more details in the
viii PREFACE
large place, but the principles are the same in both, and
in the village lot the dainty finish and the perfect propor-
tion, where all things are so evident, may be more diffi-
cult to accomplish than the more massive and less
emphasized effects of the regular country place.
It is needless to dwell upon the necessity of having
entirely good reasons to control the choice of a place.
Should that be left to unrestrained fancy or whim, the re-
sult is sure to prove disastrous. Why the house should
stand in one place and not in another, is not and cannot
be a matter of fancy. Certain reasons govern it. Many
points have always to be considered. Everything is
interdependent. There should be a general scheme from
which everything naturally develops in its relative and
just order and place, and the basis of all design and of
all arrangements should be the natural conformation and
incidents of the ground.
It will be evident and natural that the existing land-
scape must control the general design, but, of course,
never to the point where danger threatens the actual
comfort of the householder by shutting out sunlight and
air, and otherwise making unhealthy and uncomfortable
conditions, such as low, damp ground and bleak exposure,
for art and beauty in such cases always go hand in hand
with common sense and reasonable comfort. The ar-
rangement and construction of roads and paths, whether
on large or small places, will then develop in a natural
fashion that will be practical and agreeable. Gardens
will be seen in their proper places and performing their
true functions under existing conditions. In the same
spirit, the location of ponds and streams and their con-
struction will be studied, as well as the health of wood-
lands and the retention of their most characteristic
PREFACE ix
beauty. The natural functions and adjustment of fences,
bridges, and summer-houses will also receive attention.
In no way does the author intend to advocate a special
style, whether Italian, Colonial, or what not, but only
such an arrangement as naturally grows out of the pecu-
liar conformation of the ground under consideration.
The list of the best trees and shrubs, one of the most
important features of the book, will be limited in number
of kinds discussed, because it is desirable to give it the
most general application possible, and the consideration
of rare species will be left out, as their employment
would naturally involve fancy expenditure and oftentimes
difficult and expensive care.
Finally, in illustration of the proper employment of
the principles set down and the trees and shrubs dis-
cussed, practical diagrams relating to the arrangement
of home grounds will be given.
The latter part of the book will be occupied with a
brief consideration of Parks, Cemeteries, and Railroad
Stations, as typical examples of the more extended devel-
opment of the principles on which home grounds are
naturally laid out.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I
PAGE
Preface vii
The Selection of Home Grounds 1
The Selection of the Site of the House .... 10
Roads and Paths 18
LAWNS 45
Flower Gardens 53
The Terrace 70
Plantations 79
Deciduous Trees 94
Deciduous Shrubs 107
Evergreen Trees 121
Evergreen Shrubs 124
Hardy Herbaceous Plants 129
Aquatic Plants 138
H-AUDY Vines and Climbers . 141
Bedding Plants 145
Pools and Streams 151
Woodlands 159
The Use of Rocks 165
Residential Parks 174
Fences, Bridges, and Summer-houses 184
List of Plants for General Use on Home Grounds . .195
Contracts and Specifications 204
xii TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART II
PAGE
Parks and Parkways 219
Church-yards and Cemeteries 225
Seaside Lawns 229
City and Village Squares . 233
Railroad Station Grounds . . , . . , , 240
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Village Lot of Half an Acre, Showing Suitable Location
FOR Small House 12
Lattice and Vine Protection for Drying-ground . . 13
Contour Map of Country Place of Eight Acres, with Steep
Contours 20
Same Country Place, showing Arrangement of Plantations,
Roads, and Paths 21
Section of Same Plan taken on Line across the Center of
Circle, House, and Terrace 21
Double Entrance, with Ante-park 22
Carriage Turn with Grass Plot, Showing Course Parallel
with House 23
Bad Line for a Road ; Good Line for a Road ... 24
Branching Roads in Large Place, Entering at Right Angles
TO Highway 25
Open Carriage Turn on Medium-sized Place ... 26
Open Carriage Turn for Small Place 27
Village Lot, Eight-tenths of an Acre, with Oltbuildings
AND Straight Walk System 29
Cross Section of Road with Sod Gutters .... 34
Village Lot, One-half of an Acre, with Straight Walks . 40
Formal Entrance of a Large Place 42
Treatment of Entrance Gate and Lodge .... 43
xiv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Village Lot, One-third op an Acre, with Open Lawn, Over-
looking Fine Southwest View 47
Contour Map of Same Village Lot, One-third of an Acre . 48
Example of Formal Garden, with Grass Walks ... 59
Corner of a Formal Flower Garden 60
Small Flower Garden, near House, with Straight Beds and
Grass Walks 63
Small Flower Garden, Rear of House, with Elliptical Beds
Arranged with Gravel Main Walks and Subsidiary
Grass Walks 65
Flower Garden with Bordering Beds, Interior Grass Plot,
and Shade Trees at Intersections of Gravel Walks . 68
Bird's-eye View of a Terrace on Crest of Hill, with Back-
ground of Woods 71
Ground Plan of Same Terrace 72
Cross Section op Terrace Shown on Page 71 ... 75
Pergola on Highest Point of Same Terrace on Page 71 . 76
Village Corner Lot, Five-twenty-eighths of an Acre, with
Bordering Shrubs and Flower Garden ... 80
Type of Tree Dimension for Elms, Maples, Lindens, Oriental
Planes, and Ashes, Suitable for Quickest Effect and
Healthy Growth 85
Village Lot, One-half an Acre, Located on Stream . . 155
Section op Same 155
Summer-house on Water 157
Treatment of Rocks for Stream and Bridge . . . 167
Bridge op Boulders 169
Bridge of Boulders, with Rock Treatment of Stream, in
Central Park, New York 170
Rough Stone Wall and Coping 171
Treatment of Steps with Rocks, Central Park, New
York 172
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xv
PAGE
Albemarle Park, Asheville, N. C, Showing Arrangement
OF Roads and House Lots 180, 181
Cross Section of Albemarle Park, Asheville, N. C. . . 181
Longitudinal Section of Albemarle Park, Asheville,
N. C . 182, 183
Ha-ha Fence, for Separating Pleasure Grounds from Farm
Lands 186
Iron Pipe and Anchor-post Fence 187
Summer-house, Central Park, New York . . . .189
Summer-house 190
Summer-house, Central Park, New York .... 191
Pergola, or Open Vine-covered Arbor .... 192
Plain Rustic Bridge in Gentleman's Country Place . . 193
Bow Bridge, Central Park, New York .... 194
Stone Bridge over Small Stream 194
Rural Park of Moderate Dimensions for City or Town . 220
Design for Band Stand in Public Park .... 222
Small Trl^gular Park in City or Town, with Playground
and Walk (Canal Street Park, New York) . . 234
Small Park of Four Acres for City or Town (Mulberry
Bend Park, Five Points, New York) .... 236
Treatment of Railroad Station Grounds .... 243
PAET I-
THE SELECTION OF HOME GROUNDS
IN attempting to select home grounds suitable for the
requirements of a home, one necessarily commences
\^'ith some more or less vague idea of what the place
should be. Generally it is a very vague idea, growing
out of partial experience or hearsay, or so-called personal
taste. Personal taste is admirable, but only when under
the discipline of full knowledge of the subject to which
it is applied.
A dozen practical and important considerations may be
lost sight of, and one, such as mere beauty of scenery,
finally determines the selection of the spot. It is possi-
ble, however, to set up some general t}^e or model, the
characteristics of which will serve to illustrate the qual-
ifications to be kept in view in all selections of home
grounds.
In the first place, all home grounds, especially very
small ones, should be comparatively level. Considerable
variety of surface and a sky line can be secured by
grading and planting the la\\Ti, and the long undulating
contours that can be thus secured are more agreeable
and restful than the sudden curves of rugged country.
Breadth and simplicity of treatment are invited by level
or slightly sloping land, and these qualities are indis-
2 HOW TO PLAN THE HOME GROUNDS
pensable to the restful and pastoral effect which should
be sought as essential to agreeable home grounds.
The boundaries of home grounds or village lots count
much in the successful treatment of the territories. The
shape of the plot should best be oblong or narrow on the
street, or square, the latter form being preferable be
cause it admits of more convenient arrangement and:
subdivision. In the first case, one can lay down as
rule that the lot with seventy-five feet along the street!
and one hundred feet back can be treated with better
effect than if one hundred feet be taken on the street
and seventy-five feet back. Of course, it is always possible
to meet any kind of difiiculty in the shape of a lot, only
it is wise not to court difficulties if possible.
More important than the shape of the lot, we shall
find, is the character of adjoining property, such as low
marshy lands, undrained stables, and all kinds of nui-
sances to the eye, or ear, or nostrils. On the other
hand, one might well wish to be neighbored by a long-
tried friend, a noble grove of trees or a beautiful lawn.
The neighboring of a sunset sky over lake or ocean, or
of a wind-swept field of grass, increases many fold the
value of a building lot.
The interior of the place should be considered with
the same view to securing simplicity and breadth, for
trees will grow large, and houses, in order to carry out
the designer's ideas, often take much space. The terri-
tory of the home grounds, with the depressions and ele-
vations, must naturally be arranged with room enough
for breadth to abide. Tangles, so lovely in wild nature,
would be all out of place. They would shut out the
light and air, and give a sense of too much confinement ;
they would bury the house, and neutralize that sense of
dli
4
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THE SELECTION OF HOME GROUNDS 3
peaceful buoyancy that comes only with the presence
around one of abundance of open space and sky and
air. In deference to the necessity for the presence of
these essential qualities of breadth and repose, ordinary
trees, and even parts of the house, may have to be left
out. Perfect scale and proportion are essential on all
home grounds, and low, compact trees, like the Japanese
maple polymorphum, and the white birch and dogwood,
may be associated \\ith low shrubs like Rhodotypus ker-
rioides and s}Tnphoricarpus, and with vines like Rosa
setigera or R. wichuriana, giving the effect of a fine
miniature lawn picture where breadth and simplicity will
still reign in the open stretches of turf. The frame
of the picture, the softening of the angles and bare sur-
faces of the house with vines, may be made delightful on
the smallest place by the use of moderate-sized trees
and shrubs and herbaceous plants and vines.
To obtain and retain simplicity and breadth, it is well
to use a small number of kinds of plants, and to dispose
;hem in borders ^^^th slightly curving outlines. Deep
)ays and recesses of shrubbery, on a small place, may
produce an affected and sophisticated, or complicated
ind confused result, entirely destructive of all sugges-
ions of simplicity.
It is needless to point out that in considering the
vants of a country place, small or large, one must first
;hink whether the necessities for comfort and conve-
lience are properly provided for. Room of a suitable
character should be secured for vegetable garden, flower
garden, stables, chicken yard, and easy turns for wagons,
;o that the whole establishment can be run smoothly.
>ees, rocks, hills, and hollows, on many tracts, group
hemselves in such a way as to make it evident to the
4 HOW TO PLAN THE HOME GROUNDS
prospective householder that he had better seek else-
where for what he wants. The spot may be charming
and tempting in the beauty it exhibits, but if it does not
readily offer on its unchanged conformation the particular
features he requires, it would be much better to leave
it alone. It is difficult, and often really hazardous, to
undertake to change by grading any spot into the sort
of place one wants, where at the very outset the natural
peculiarities do not suggest the special form of treatment
which is sought. There is a forced note about all such
work that may mar the quality of the undertaking, be it
ever so skillfully carried out. It must be confessed that
we are naturally drawn to many lots unsuitable for us to
live on, that are in themselves beautiful with hills, rocks,
and running or still water. The charms of certain attrac-
tive features enthrall us, and we return again and again,
in the vain hope that we may be able to think of a w^ay
to force its beauty and picturesqueness into the limita-
tions of our home necessities. Finally, perhaps, we yield
to the temptation, and buy the fascinating spot. At
first it is enough for us to show our friends the many
attractive features of knoll and grove and water, but
later on, when we start to actually arrange the place
with a distinct view to the comforts of daily life, we soon
begin to realize the difficulties of our undertaking.
In the first place, where one would naturally seek a
building site, it will be found to stand directly on the
street and be peculiarly subject to dust and public expo-
sure. The next knoll that has some semblance of suita-
bility for the house will probably be too small, and require,
if it is to be used for the purpose of a house site, to
have its rounded contours broadened and flattened. But
the difficulties will not stop here, for when a course is
THE SELECTION OF HOME GROUNDS 5
sought for the road that is to lead to the house, it will
; be found, perhaps, that some knoll prevents its entrance
on the grounds at the best point. When the course of
the road is continued farther, contiguous knolls may
again make it \dnding and difficult to traverse with a
horse and wagon, and the selection or adoption of some
|steep grade becomes necessary to reach the house. It is,
'moreover, a dangerous thing to attempt to radically
change the natural contours of any territory, so our way
out in building roads and paths and locating houses in
such places is not an easy one. In these lands of hills
and dales, water will - be apt to collect in pockets and
threaten us with unhealthy conditions.
Finally, as years go on, we ^^ill find that the la\\Tis will
not be as enduring under the stress of drought, and the
banks more liable to wash, on picturesque hill lots than
Isewhere. Indeed, the problem of selecting a home in
nigged regions becomes often so hard to solve that an
expert may easily make mistakes, for even our greatest
irchitects make them in their most approved city build-
ngs. Common sense, therefore, and a general feeling
n favor of economy of effect should prompt us to seek
he line of least resistance, and establish our houses and
pounds where the conditions readily shape themselves
our hands.
The author does not wish to imply that all lots on
â–ºicturesque broken ground are objectionable, but sim-
â–ºly to explain some of the difficulties that are likely to
xise when an attempt is made to create a home on such
and. There is little doubt that a level lot is better
uited to the general purpoees of a home than a hilly
â– ne, but, all the same, the reader may come across a
iroperty, rugged and broken, which does in the most
6 HOW TO PLAN THE HOME GROUNDS
happy manner fit into his needs for a comfortable and
delightful home ; only let him be sure he has taken into
account all his desires and necessities in this respect, for
it is all too easy to forget some of them in the presence
of a charming valley or distant view. Yet if he is en-
tirely convinced that he has found such a place, by all
means lose no time in securing it and building a worthy
house and home.
By selecting a comparatively level open lot where the
limitations of the surface are not unduly restricted, the
exercise of an intelligent imagination and skill is bound
to develop a variety of charm of skyline, lawn contours,
and groups of trees and flowers that would at first seem
impossible. It is wonderful how much can be done, in
this way, by erecting the house on a terrace by means of
the earth excavated for the foundation, by lifting the
plantations on slightly elevated territories, and by keep-
ing the roads and paths above or below the surrounding
ground. Variety is doubtless indispensable to genuine
charm, but, on a comparatively level place, it is evident
that it may be readily associated with repose and sim-
plicity. On a level lot it is, moreover, easier to shut
out disagreeable objects and to develop pleasing vistas (
and outlooks, and on a square plot the beauty of the '
exterior as well as the interior effects can be brought ,
out better than on a lot of any other shape. It may
take more time to secure the variety and seclusion at all
points on a square level lot than on a hilly one, but the
trees on a level lot can be placed just where they willj
produce the best effect as screens and barriers, while the
hills, when you commence to plant, are apt to come ex-|
actly where you do not want them.
In order to overcome the element of time on the level
THE SELECTIOX OF HOME GROUNDS 7
lot as much as possible, large rapid-gro\^ing trees may
be used, at many points, with excellent effect. There is
a limit to this transplanting, however, if it be allowable
to admit as much in face of various successful removals
of very large trees all over the world. Experience has
taught men to fix an age and size beyond which it is not
wise to move a tree even though previously and lately
transplanted and root-pruned. The exact nature of this
limit varies almost \\ith every species of tree, and even
with different specimens of the same species, where there
is a marked difference in \igor of branch gro^^i:h and
multiplicity and freshness of small root fiber. In a gen-
eral way, it may be said, however, that the large trees
of considerable \igor, like maples and elms, may be moved
successfully, especially when they have been root-pruned
two or three years before, of the sizes of four to five
inches in diameter of stem a foot from the ground, and
fifteen to twenty feet high, provided they are healthy
and full of sap, and not stunted or in any way decadent.
On the other hand, there are trees, like the hickory and
pepperidge, that should be set out, after transplanting, of
a size not exceeding one or two feet ; and the magnolias
and oaks, that grow readily only when moved of the small
size of six to eight feet. It is necessary to remember,
in order to understand somewhat the anomalous results of
transplanting trees, that it is not sufiicient to make a tree
live, but it must grow, to satisfy us. For this reason,
one often sees large trees, which have been transplanted
ten years, that have scarcely gro^\Ti a foot ; although no
one can say that it is not possible to move the largest
perfectly healthy trees with a practically unlimited
expenditure of time and money. In any case, however,
it is a good idea to move trees as large as their nature
8 HOW TO PLAN THE HOME GROUNDS
will readily permit, since the maximum effect is in this
way produced in the shortest time, and variety and seclu-
sion obtained in a year or two on an ordinary flat place.
It might seem at first that the presence of woodland
on a lot of ground would make it more valuable for
establishing home grounds. The shade and natural wild-
wood effect doubtless constitute a desirable attraction,
but even woodland has its decided drawbacks. We may
lie on the turf and enjoy the densest shade, for we will
readily catch lovely glimpses of the blue sky and flicker-
ing sunbeams, but it will be most of the time damp,
the grass will be sparse, and instead of young trees
and shrubs will spring up brambles and briers. The
engrossing presence of the woodland will also tend to de-
stroy that simplicity and breadth that we ought to value
so much on home grounds, and surely its sombre monotony
of general effect will be apt to mar the place's cheerful-
ness and variety. It is, moreover, a positive advantage
to be able to set out all trees and shrubs freshly in the
beginning, for we shall secure thereby more exactly the
effect we are seeking, and the time will be comparatively
short before the desired effect is obtained. This may
seem contrary to the general view of seeking a place
which will have trees, houses, rocks, all ready made as
it were ; but the kind of place on which a home can be
best made exhibits originally few incidents of house,
trees, or rock, and as few variations of its surface and
boundaries as possible. Like a blank page of a book, it
will then be ready to receive the full and unrestricted
inditement or depiction of the ideas of its owner.
One of the most important practical considerations,
and one that should have much weight in the selection of
home grounds, is the Quality '^f the soil. A dry sandy
THE SELECTION OF HOME GROUNDS 9
loam \\ith a sufficient admixture of clay will give the
best results of all kinds for the la\vTis and gardens of
home grounds. Clay suffers from drought, and stony
soil is difficult to cultivate in the first place, and in the
second place is liable to wash into gullies.
Finally, the author finds himself confronted in the
selection of home grounds with the importance of living
among people, and of securing the conveniences that tend
to make human and kindly everyday existence. Nat-
urally, every one must settle what are his needs, in this
respect, in accordance with his owti taste, for it is just
here that personal convenience asserts itself, and most
justly, in perfect freedom. Among such outside conve-
niences may be mentioned churches, railroad stations,
highways, water, street-lighting, and sewerage.
In the present days of many \\ide-spread advantages,