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Define Boundaries: Boundaries are of many kinds. Never install one that gives any suggestion of being a spite fence.
Many American communities are characterized by a complete absence of fences, walls or hedges around front yards; and grounds of all houses on the street merge into one delightful park-like picture of lawns, trees and shrubbery. If you live in such a community think well before you introduce what is likely to be an incongruous note by sharply defining lot boundaries seen from the street. The mere suggestion of definition by the skill-ful use of a flowering tree, shade tree, evergreen or clumps of shrubs is the most.
WITH GARDENS a sense of enclosure is important. On small lots the boundaries may be those of the property or even plantings or other pleasant features on a neighbor's property, for when I speak of boundaries I mean not those of the lot but those that limit the view. On larger grounds the boundaries to views may be well within the property lines. The smaller the lot the more necessary it is, as a rule, to define boundaries its own margins. The extent to which they are emphasized depends upon a variety of circumstances as does the means of marking them. If you are fortunate enough to have good views of mountains, sea or pleasant country you certainly won't want to block these. By careful planting you can, perhaps, frame the views to enhance them and direct attention to them. In other places, it may be desirable to install solid backgrounds higher than eye level to block displeasing views or gain privacy.
WITH GARDENS a sense of enclosure is important. On small lots the boundaries may be those of the property or even plantings or other pleasant features on a neighbor's property, for when I speak of boundaries I mean not those of the lot but those that limit the view. On larger grounds the boundaries to views may be well within the property lines.
A number of official publications have been produced in recent years (NCC 1993; DfE 1994; SCAA 1996) reporting attempts to define boundaries the 'spiritual' both within and without a religious context, and to establish a place for religious education insofar as it addresses spiritual matters for the religious and non religious alike. Reading these papers is a bit like reading an account of the proverbial Blind men trying to describe an elephant, with references to 'the essence of being human', 'development of the inner life' and 'a response to God', the 'other' or the 'ultimate'. Trying to define boundaries 'spiritual' experience is similar to trying to define boundaries 'aesthetic' or 'intellectual' experience. These aspects of human experience are multi dimensional with a web of interconnections and potential points of emphasis and it may be vain to search for any specific factor that is identified as at the centre of the experience. |
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