One of the no-no's in planning a garden is to have a narrow ribbon that does not have a terminal at either end. If this is the case, then you have to consider having an approach and a destination of the path, such as a water wall fountain and a bench. The near end must be coordinated with the house door and this can be done by marking off a stretch of gravel immediately behind the house, from which the path may start its journey.

Such a device is convenient when the aspect is that assumed in the example, but with a north aspect the space about the rear of the house would be too valuable to waste as gravel, and another device would have to be employed. Though it is a good rule to make paths go direct to their destinations, an exception can be made and even be desirable in a long garden, where a single straight path would turn into a monotonous feature.

It is better to use some device which breaks the line, such as may be contrived by cranking the path or by introducing an expansion into its length. The cranked path gives the opportunity to allow the primary border to end in a transverse extension, by which the view is improved and a screening effect is obtained.

Assume that the path sets out from the gravel space immediately behind the house, threads through the borders, and ends at a summer house. The treatment of the space to the south of it may now be taken in hand, and in deciding how much to allot to the border you must use your sense of proportion and the value you set upon your grass plot. If space permits you may add a narrow border along the southern fence line.

This is the evolution of a small rectangular garden. The treatment is simple, as the case demands. As a plan, the design ensures a proper coordination of the garden with aspect, and so much variety as may be obtained within so limited a space without over-elaboration.

This particular treatment would not hold well for a plot with a different aspect, and for that reason it should not be copied unless the aspect is approximately the same as indicated in this example: as the gardener, you now have to build the picture skyward. This involves the use of such natural objects as trees, shrubs, and flowers, and of such artificial adjuncts as arches, pergolas, summer houses, arbors, etc.

Before deciding upon the placement of these things you should survey the site with your drawn plan with you. Take a stand in one place, such as near the house door, or in some central position from which you may hope in time to obtain a general view of the garden picture. There you can exercise your mind by building in imagination upon your ground plan, seeking to place such features as you may decide to introduce into the garden at a later date.

You can get suggestions from existing objects. For instance, the presence of a well-grown tree on neighboring premises may help the picture, enabling you to forget about planting trees on your own. On the other hand, you may observe some unsightly object which it will be necessary to endeavor to screen from view.