To ensure that the shapes are the same on the ground the method of marking out consists of dividing a boundary line or similar datum into measured divisions 6 to ioft(2 to 3m) apart and from these points measure at right angles to the outline of the proposed bed 0 path and mark the shape with pegs and string (see Fig.3). To digress briefly, it is appropriate to mention here, in the context 0 design, that when a new lawn is sown on a light soil a considerable time elapses before the roots of the grass have consolidated sufficiently for an edge to be cut without the soil crumbling away. This can be avoided b laying a single line of good-quality turf to follow the shape of the beds, will then be possible to cut a firm edge and will at the same time give an immediate outline to the lawn. A small, empty plot less than 5oft(i5m) long by 2oft(6m) wide and fencec in on three sides may not seem to offer the best prospects for garden making, but size has little to do with what can be achieved. Indeed, it is sometimes easier to make a garden on a piece of land which might be described as "featureless", for then the designer has full scope to impose his or her personality on the layout and a completely free hand in the choice 0 plants which are grown. LINE, BALANCE AND SCALE Continuity of line, balance and scale are basi factors in garden design and one of the first things to observe is the nature and height of the sky-line. It might be tall trees or buildings in the near 0 middle distance or a landscape extending for a great distance over open country. If the outline is broken, giving a deeper and wider view of the sky the eye will be carried to that point and this may influence the design. If th garden is open to a landscape of special interest or beauty then the plantin would probably be arranged as a frame to a picture with the view (or views becoming, in a sense, part of the garden. At an early stage of planning it should be determined where the longes view will be created. This will usually be orientated from the terrace and th house. This is illustrated in Fig.4, where the living rooms are facin south-east and it is a relatively short distance from the house to th boundary. Full use is made of the unusual shape of the plot by extendin the grass in an outward flowing curve and backing this with a hedge. In th border opposite the house a narrow conifer and fastigiate shrub, whic could be Mahonia 'Charity', are planted well forward to produce the effect 0 greater distance at the shortest view-points in the garden. It is an acceptec practice that if an elevation in the form of a tree or piece of sculpture i placed in front of a background such as a hedge or fence, the distanc between the two will appear to be more than actually exists. This is showi again in Fig.5 where the aspect towards the north is foreshortened and th lawn extended in a diagonal direction to create a paved area for tables antchairs in the sunny part of the garden, away from the shaded side of the house.