NOVEMBER. 261 



Now one of the chief beauties (apart from the appropriateness of 

 the design) of this garden, and we notice it as illustrating an import- 

 ant principle, is the breadth of feature imparted ; that is, the beds are 

 not huddled together, as is too frequently the case ; but there is a suf- 

 ficient breadth of grass and gravel intervening to admit of the whole 

 design being fully comprehended and appreciated, even when each 

 bed is filled with flowers. 



The want of taste in a designer or gardener cannot be more fully 

 exemplified than to see a plot of ground laid out in large beds and 

 narrow walks; such a garden, whether the beds be filled with flowers 

 or quite empty, will always look inharmonious ; that is, the beds will 

 want the relief of the broad grass or gravel walks, the flowers will 

 lack their necessary contrasts, and the eye will seek in vain for its 

 natural resting-place, the green turf. Such a plan cannot please; 

 and though every person may not know the reason, they have only 

 to study what we have stated above, to get at the principle of testing 

 such designs. "Oh! but," remarks some lady-gardener, "I must 

 have a bed of this, a bed of that, five or six each of Verbenas and 

 Petunias, as many of Pelargoniums and Calceolarias ; and then there 

 is the delicious Heliotrope, those darling variegated and sweet- 

 scented Pelargoniums, and manv more things which I cannot think 

 of. And how are all these things to be got into this mans plan of 

 half a dozen or half a score beds?" Nothing more easy, my good 

 madam. We will practise a little matrimony upon them, and make 

 more appropriate unions among the families of plants than the lords 

 of creation make in the genus homo. We will marry the light to the 

 dark, and vice versa; and we will make each shine conspicuously 

 by the brilliancy of its neighbour's light. 



" But pray, sir, how do you propose to get breadth of walk in 

 gardens laid out in gravel ? " By means which bring us to the 

 subject of our first illustration. 



The annexed plan, simple though it looks, is very appropriate for 

 a panel, or immediately associated with the straight lines of an archi- 

 tectural section. It was first laid down in the garden of James 

 Cook, Esq., at this place, and we think we may say it has been 

 admired by every person who has seen it. The beds at the first 

 were edged with Box ; but as it did not grow well, it was very appro- 

 priately replaced with imitation stone-edging. This edging is 

 formed of the best yellow deal, one inch and a half thick, properly 

 and thoroughly seasoned, painted stone colour, and dredged with 

 sand while wet. An edging of this kind fixed, complete, with charred 

 oak posts, and painted, would not cost more than 5/. or 61., while the 

 same extent worked in stone could not be fixed for less than 50/. or 60/. 

 For all work of this kind, especially where exposed to the friction of 

 rollers, or the tools of careless workmen, are best formed of wood, 

 as it is almost impossible to injure it, and if injured, reparation is 

 soon made. The walks are three feet wide, of the best gravel, and 

 inside the edging there is a line of gravel or yellow sand two inches 

 wide, and then a strip of close turf, six inches wide, kept very closely 

 and neatly cut. This edging of grass has a very neat and unusual 



