232 ON CHINESE GARDENS. 



They say, that the perfection of shrubs consists not only in most 

 of the above mentioned particulars, but also in the beauty, dura- 

 bility, or long succession of their blossom ; and in their fair 

 appearance before the bloom, and after it is gone. 



"We know," say they, "that no plant is possessed of all good 

 qualities ; but choose such as have the fewest faults ; and avoid all 

 the exoticks, that vegetate with difficulty in our climate ; for 

 though they may be rare, they cannot be beautiful, being always 

 in a sickly state ; have, if you please, hot-houses and cool-houses, 

 for plants of every region, to satisfy the curiosity of botanists ; but 

 they are mere infirmaries : the plants which they contain, are 

 valetudinarians, divested of beauty and vigour ; which only exist 

 by the power of medicine, and by dint of good nursing." 



Amongst their favourite trees, is the weeping willow, which they 

 cultivate with great care, and plant near all their lakes, rivers, 

 fountains, and wherever else it can be introduced with propriety ; 

 dwarf kinds of it are raised in pots, for the apartments. 



The excessive variety of which some European Gardeners are 

 so fond in their plantations, the Chinese artists blame ; observing, 

 that a great diversity of colours, foliage, and direction of branches, 

 must create confusion, and destroy all the masses upon which 

 effect and grandeur depend ; they observe too, that it is unnatural ; 

 for, as in Nature most plants sow their c wn seeds, whole forests 

 are generally composed of the same sort of trees. They admit, 

 however, of a moderate variety ; but are by no means promiscuous 

 in the choice of their plants ; attending, with great care, to the 

 colour, form, and foliage of each ; and only mixing together such 

 as harmonize and assemble agreeably. 



They observe, that some trees are only proper for thickets ; 

 others, only fit to be employed singly ; and others, equally adapted 

 to both these situations. The mountain-cedar, the spruce and 

 silver firs, and all others whose branches have a horizontal direc- 

 tion, they hold improper for thickets ; because they indent into 

 each other : and likewise cut disagreeably upon the plants which 

 back them. They never mix these horizontal branched trees with 

 the cypress, the oriental arbor vitae, the bambu, or other upright 

 ones ; nor with the larix, the weeping willow, the birch, the 

 laburnam, or any of a pendant nature ; observing, that the inter- 

 section of their branches forms a very unpicturesque kind of net- 

 work. 



(To be Continued.) 



