24 THE FLORIST. 



done nothing more, his name would have gone down to a late posterity 

 as that of a bold and comprehensive genius. Walk up to the close 

 gates of the Woodstock entrance to Blenheim, enter suddenly, and a 

 scene at once bursts upon you unequalled of its kind in any park in 

 Europe. Nature has of course done much, but art has, though imper- 

 ceptibly, appropriated the whole. If the triumph of art is to conceal 

 art, you have here a superlative example. During the past summer I 

 spent a portion of two days in strolling upon the banks of this lake, and 

 in studying the various combinations of wood, water, and undulating 

 ground, with the palace, bridge, and monument. If I could have 

 induced the conductors to admit some of those views as ornaments to 

 this article I should have wanted no apology for its shortcomings in 

 other respects. 



Of course I drank from Fair Rosamond's Well, and it occurred to 

 me as I did. so, that if a few of the shillings demanded for admission to 

 the palace and garden (a shilling each, entrance), were expended on 

 clearing the mud from her bath, they would not be unworthily bestowed.* 



I have mentioned the close entrances at Woodstock. I know not 

 from whom these originated ; but the principle of their application is a 

 most happy one, and would by no means disgrace the genius that 

 designed the lake. The high walls and gates effectually conceal the 

 whole till you are face to face with the principal views. Nothing is 

 frittered away piecemeal ; the magnificent composition of wood, water, 

 and the towers of Blenheim bursts upon the eye at once — a combination 

 of the highest excellence. 



But we must return to our anecdote for its application. Although the 

 present great diversity of style and mode of arrangement is altogether 

 antagonistic to any such similarity of design in our gardens, yet in the 

 mode of planting them there is a sameness and monotony which 

 demands some innovation on established practice. For most assuredly 

 would the description of this particular feature of any one garden 

 be equally applicable to nine-tenths of the gardens of Great Britain, 

 and anyone well acquainted with our ordinary gardens may safely 

 lay a wager that he would write a description of the mode of planting 

 in any other without ever stepping foot in it. The following is 

 something like what his description would be : — " The main shrub- 

 beries are composed of the usual evergreen and deciduous trees and 

 shrubs indiscriminately mixed, great care being had that two of the 

 same kind should never come together. Thus we have Holly, Labur- 

 num, Bay, Gueldres Rose, Cedar, Juniper, Arbutus, Aucuba, Thorn, 

 Azalea, Kalmia, Cornus (then repeat with variations, and Da Capo). 

 In the front, or interspersed among these shrubs, which are separated 

 from the walks with ribbons of Grass of uniform width, are various 

 herbaceous plants and weedy annuals, struggling for light and life, 

 overtopped by their more robust and vigorous neighbours, the attention 

 to which greatly augments the gardener's labours, with the very satis- 

 factory result of disfiguring the garden. 



* The park of Blenheim is open free ; hut if time is of value in visiting the 

 gardens, hire a hoy at Woodstock, and give him a shilling to ring at the gate for 

 half-an-hour before you wish to gain admittance there ; you will find this a 

 good investment. 



