* 



G A R 



tic more than copying after the French, whofc taflc 

 v.as in making lon^; avenues, ftrait walks, fliff regu- 

 lar flopes, cabinets, fret-work, tall hedges cut into 

 various fliapcs, jets d'eau, fountains, &c. lb that there 

 was little of nature ftudied ; but, on the contrary, all 

 the geometrical figures introduced in wildcrnefs-work, 

 as alfo in the parterres, and other compartm.ents ot 

 the garden : nor is it fo much to be wondered at, that 

 this tafte prevailed in France, when the defigns of all 

 the principal gardens were there formed by arcliitefts, 

 who were as ftudious to have the fymmctry of the op- 

 pofite, or correfponding part of the garden, as exact 

 as the apartments of a habitation •, nor has length of 

 time, nor the improvements already made in other 

 countries, amended their tafte, or convinced them 



of its abfurdity. 



As the gardens of Verfailles, Marli, and others, were 

 extolled for their magnificence, fo the plans of them 

 were almjoll univerfally copied -, the defigners, orim/i- 

 tators rather, only varying the parts according to the 

 fituation or figure of the ground j and this was prac- 

 tifed for feveral years, at a time, v/hen great fums oi 

 rnoney were expended in gardens, which niight have 

 rendered tliis country the moft beautiful of any in Eu- 

 rope, had a natural taile then prevailed in the defign- 

 ino; of g-ardens ; which is the more to be lamented, 

 as the plantations then made, have been many ot 

 them rooted out, to make way for the alterations 

 and improvements which Iiave been fince introduced. 

 Many perfons, I atn fcnfible, will have it, that, in 

 the defigns of gardens, the tafte fhould alter from 

 time to time, as much as the fafhion of apparel ; 

 but theie cannot be perfons of judgment -, for where- 

 cvcr there are natural beauties in a country, they will 

 always pleaie perfons of real knowledge ; and fre- 

 quentiy it is obferved, that perfons of but little Ikill 

 in tlie art of gardening, are ftruck with thefe beau- 

 ties vvicliout knowing the caufe •, therefore where the 

 beautiful parts of nature are juftly imitated in gar- 

 dens, they will always be approved by judicious per- 

 fons, let the tafte of gardening alter as it will. 

 When trees have been long growing in a garden, 

 nothing can be more difagreeable than to have 

 them dcftroycd, to alter the garden according to the 

 fafliion of the time, becaufc it requires much time 

 to bring up trees to fuch a height as to afford Ihade 

 and fhelter; and, as time is precjous, fo, where the 

 difpofition of the garden is altered, there ftiould be 

 great attention given to the prefervation of all the 

 good trees, wiierever they can be either ufeful or or- 

 namental. 



There is another efTenrial part of gardening, v/hich 

 cannot be 'too much confidered by perfons who 

 defign gardens, which is that of adapting the feveral 

 forts of trees and fhrubs, to the fituation and foil of 

 the garden, as alfo to allow the trees a proper fhare 

 of room ; but, however neceflary this will appear, 

 yet very few perfons have made this their ftudy, in- 

 fomuch that when one views many modern gardens, 

 and fees the great number of trees and ftirubs, which 

 are crowded into them, one would be induced to be- 

 lieve, that private intereft has had a greater influence 

 than any other motive, with the defigners. Indeed this 

 fault may often be afcribed to the mafter, who, per- 

 haps, is too much in hafte for fliade and fhelter, fo 

 will have three or four times the number of trees 

 and fhrubs planted as fhould have been, or that can 

 remain long without injury, where the plantations 

 fucceed ; and to this over-hafte are owing the mi- 

 ferable plantations of large trees, fo often feen in 

 -gardens and parks, where trees of all forts, and of 

 any age are taken out of woods, hedge-rows, &c. 

 and removed at a great, expence to ftand and decay 

 annually, till they become fo many dead flicks, than 

 which nothing can be a more difagreeable fight to 

 the owner; who, after an expedation for ftveral 

 years, attended with an expence of watering, dig- 

 ging, and cleaning, finds himlelf under a necefl^ity 

 either of replannng, or giving up the thoughts of 

 liavingany. Numbers of perfons have indeed amufed 

 -themleivcs with the hopes of fuccefs, by kdn^ thefe 



new 

 wh 



of thei 



GAR 



V phnted trees put out branches for a year or cu- 

 ich they generally do ; but in three or four yea * 

 after, inftead of making a progrcfs, they begin r^ 

 decay at the top, and continue to do fo graduall ' 

 until they quite perilh, which, perhaps, may not han 

 pen in eight or ten years, efpecially if no fevere win 

 tcr, or very dry fummer, intervenes, either of which 

 generally proves fatal to thefe plantations • fo that 

 perfons may be led on with hopes, for fo many years 

 in the beft part of their lives, when there is z certainty 



ir failing, or at leaft of their never increafinem 

 fize ; but of this I fhall treat more fully in the ar- 

 ticle of Planting, and fhall proceed. 

 In the bufinefs of defigns, a mean and pitiful manner 

 fhould be ftudioufly avoided, and the aim fhould be 

 always at that which is noble and great, not to brino- 

 too many little things into a garden, nor to make 

 fmall pieces of v/ater, narrow walks, &c. efpecially 

 in large gardens -, for it is much better to have a few 

 great things, than four times the number of fmall 

 ones, v/hich are trifling. In fmall gardens there is 

 more cxcufe for tliis, nor indeed would it be right, to 

 have either large lawns, broad walks, or large pieces 

 of water in fuch ; but yet even in thefe there ought to 



bea medium, andperfonsfliouldneverattempttocrowd 

 too many things in thefe, whereby the whole will ap- 



pearonly as a mean and triflingmodel of a large garden. 

 Before the defign of a garden is entered upon, it 

 ought to be confidered, what it will be in twenty or 

 thirty years time, when the trees and fhrubs arc 

 grown up, and fpread ; for it often happens, that a 

 defign, which looks handfome when it is firfl planted, 

 and in good proportion, in procefs of time becomes fo 

 fmall and ridiculous, that there is a necefTity either of 

 altering or totally deflroying it. 

 The general diftribution of a garden, and of its 

 parts, ought to be accommodated to the different fitu- 

 ations of the ground, for a defign may be very pro- 

 per for a garden on a perfed; level, which will by no 

 means do for one where there are great inequalities in 

 the ground ; fo that, as I have before intimated, the 

 great art of defigning is, in properly adapting the de- 

 fign to the fituation, and contriving to fave the ex- 

 pence of removing earth, to humour the inequalities of 

 the ground, to proportion the number and forts of 

 trees and fhrubs to each part of the garden, and 

 Ihut out, from the view of the garden, no objeds that 

 may become ornamental. 



There are, befides thefe, many other rules relating to 

 the proportions, conformity, and difpofition of the 

 different parts and ornaments of gardens, of which 

 more may be feen under their feveral articles. 



GARDENIA. See Jasminum. 



GARIDELLA. Tourn. Infl:. R. H. 655. tab. 430. 

 Lin. Gen. Plant. 507. [This plant was fo named by 

 Dr. Tournefort, in honour of Dr. Garidel, who was 

 profeffor of phyfic, at Aix, in Provence.] 



The Characters are, 

 The flower hath a fmally oblongs ereEl empalement ofji've 

 leaves j ;/ hath no petals^ but five oblong equal ne^a- 

 riums occupy their place \ thefe are bilabiate. 'The outer 

 part of the under lip is bifid and plain ; the interior putt 

 of the upper lip is fhort and fingle, The flower hatb 

 eight or ten awl-fhaped ftatnina^ which are florter than 

 the empalement^ and are terminated by obtufe ereB fun- 

 mits. In the center isjituated three germinoy which ^^e 

 oblongs compreffedy and fl^rp- pointed^ having no fiyles^ but 

 crowned by fi^nple ftigmas ; thefe become three cblongccTA- 

 prejjed capfules with two valves, inclofmg feveral fntallfeds. 

 This genus of plants is ranged in the third- feftion 

 of Linnasus's tenth clafs, which includes thofe plants 

 whofe flowers have ten ftamina and three germen. 

 We know but one Species of this genus, viz. 



Garidella (iVzg-f//^y?r«;w.) Hort. Chff. 170. Garidella 

 foliis tenuifTime divifis. Tourn. Garidella with vtiy 

 narrow divided leaves ', and the Nigella Cretica fono 

 Fceniculi. C. B. P. 146. Fennel-flower of Crete with a 



Pennel leaf 



This plant is very near akin to the Nigella, or Fennel- 

 flower, to which genus it was placed by the en- 

 ters on botany before Di*. Tournefort, and was by 



hini 



to 



