Designs
The art of taking plans or Designs of objects should, according to Loudon, be considered as part of a gardener's general education, since none who aspire to any degree of eminence in their profession, ought to be ignorant of the first principles of geometry and drawing. A Design of the whole or any part of a garden, as, for instance, a flower - bed, intended as a working plan, should, above all things, be accurately drawn. It is impossible to correctly transfer an intricate Design from paper to show itself in a given space on the ground, unless the boundary of that space has been previously measured, and it, with all the arrangements of the enclosure, carefully prepared on an equal scale throughout. In the case of a garden, the full size being known, and the scale determined (as large a one as practicable being preferred), the positions of any permanent features of the inside, such as large trees, glass structures, &c., either those already existing, or others contemplated, should be marked, and the scale attached to the Design for reference. A plan of a flower-garden or carpet - bed should have the same rule of drawing to scale measurement applied, as the position and space to be occupied by different plants can be previously arranged, and the proportion of colours properly inserted. A glance at this, when bedding time comes, will at once indicate the positions assigned to all the plants, and so prevent much confusion that would otherwise prevail. Intricate carpet-bedding Designs are often worked out by marking the lines with white sand; others may be shown with stakes or small pegs. Designs for glass structures vary according to the requirements of the plants for which they are intended; but each should show, in the same proportion, all the working details it is proposed to introduce.