PLEASURE-QBOUND. 



244 



PLEASURE GROUJfD. 



annual plants are best transplanted 

 when quite young, or after they liave 

 obtained their second or third pair 

 of leaves ; and seedlings in general 

 may be ti-eated iu a similar manner. 

 In all cases of planting (excepting 

 with Cacti and otlier succulents) the 

 plants should be watered as soon as 

 they are fixed in their new situa- 

 tions ; and when practicable, they 

 should be shaded for a few days 

 from the heat of the sun. 



Platyste'mon. — Hanunculacccc. 

 — One of the Californiau annuals, 

 with cream-coloured flowers and 

 woolly glaucous leaves. For the cul- 

 ture, see Californian Annuals. 



Plattsti'gma. — Papaveracece. 

 — A very curious little plant, with 

 the petals alternately white and 

 yellow. For the culture, see Cali- 

 FORNiAN Annuals. 



Pleasure-ground is that por- 

 tion of a country residence which is 

 devoted to ornamental purposes, iu 

 contradistinction to those parts 

 which are exclusively devoted to 

 utility or profit, such as the kitchen- 

 garden, the farm, and the park. In 

 former times, when the geometrical 

 style of laying out grounds prevailed, 

 a pleasure-ground consisted of ter- 

 race-walks, a bowling-green, a la- 

 byrinth, a bosquet or small wood, 

 and a shady walk, commonly of 

 nut-trees, but sometimes of taller 

 trees, with ponds of water, foun- 

 tains, statues, &c. In modern times 

 the pleasure-ground consists chiefly 

 of a lawn of smoothly-shaven turf, 

 interspersed with beds of flowers, 

 groups of shrubs, scattered trees, 

 and, according to circumstances, 

 with a part or the whole of the scenes 

 and objects which belong to a plea- 

 sure-ground in the ancient style. 

 The main portion of the pleasure- 

 ground is always placed on that side 

 of the house to which the drawing- 

 room windows open ; and it extends 



in front and to the right and left 

 more or less, according to the extent 

 of the place ; the park, or that part 

 devoted exclusively to pasture and 

 scattered trees, being always on the 

 entrance front. There is no limit 

 to the extent either of the pleasure- 

 ground or the park, and no necessary 

 connection between the size of the 

 house and the size of the pleasure- 

 ground. A small house and a large 

 garden was the wish of the poet 

 Cowley ; and the largest parks are 

 sometimes attached to very small 

 houses and small pleasure-grounds, 

 and the contrary. A pleasure- 

 ground in modern times differs from 

 that prevalent at any former period, 

 in including all the scenes and 

 sources of enjoyment and recreation 

 of the ancient style as well as the 

 modern. For example, adjoining 

 the drawing-room front there is a 

 terrace or terraces, Avith or without 

 an architectural floM'er-garden, de- 

 corated with statues, vases, foun- 

 tains, and other sculptured or archi- 

 tectural objects. Beyond this, or 

 connected with it to the right and 

 left, there may be a lawn with 

 flowers, shrubs, groups of trees, 

 ponds, lakes, rock-W'Ork, summer- 

 houses, or greenhouses, an orangery, 

 and sometimes a botanic garden. 

 Walks may stretch away on either, 

 or on both sides, to a shrubbery, 

 which, in the present day, is com- 

 monly formed into an Arboretum 

 and Fruticetum, containing all the 

 hardy trees and shrubs Avhich the 

 extent of the scene will admit of; 

 and iu the course of the walk 

 through this scene there may be rus- 

 tic structures ; such as woodhouses, 

 mosshouses, roothouses, rockhouses, 

 or Cyelopiean cottages ; Swiss cot- 

 tages, common covered seats, ex- 

 posed seats of wood or stone, temples, 

 ruins, grottoes, caverns, imitations 

 of ancient buildings ; and, in short, 



