REVIEW. 



EEVIEW. 



161 



The Fruit, Flower, and Kitchen Garden, §c. By P. Neill, 

 L. L. D.,&c, &c— We made insertion of this publication in 

 our number for May, and promised further to notice it. The 

 work contains many more remarks upon Fruits and Vegetables, 

 than upon Flowers. The most interesting, connected with the 

 latter, we present to our readers the following extract, oa the 

 Flower Garden. 



The cultivation of flowers, if not the most useful, is at least one of the most 

 pleasing occupations of the horticulturist, and has generally shared largely 

 in his attention. It is probable, that at first, flowers, as objects of curiosity, 

 were confined to a few patches or borders in the garden, as is still the case 

 in many old places; but in the progress of the art, and the diffusion of taste, 

 separate departments were allotted to them under the name of Flower Gar- 

 dens, After some general remarks on style and situation, we shall treat ot 

 the component parts of flower gardens, their various decorations, and ot 

 floriculture. 



The designing of flower gardens unquestionably belongs to the fine arts, 

 involving in it, the exercise of invention, taste, and foresight. Its principals 

 are more vague and evanescent than those of any of the sister arts. The 

 hand of the designer is not here guided by the imitation of Nature, for his 

 work is wholly artificial in its arrangements and appliances; neither does 

 utility come in, as in architecture, to supply a form and frame-work, which 

 it is the artist's part to adorn. " As flower gardens," says Mr. Loudon, the 

 best authority on this topic, " are objects of pleasure, the principal which 

 must serve as a guide in laying them out, must be taste. Now, in flower 

 gardens, as in other objects, there are different kinds of tastes ; these em- 

 bodied are called styles or characters ; and the great art of the designer is, 

 having fixed on a style, to follow it out unmixed with other styles, or with 

 any deviation which would interfere with the kiud of taste or impres- 

 sion which that style is calculated to produce. Style, therefore, is the lead- 

 ing- principle in laying out flower gardens, as utility is in laying out the 

 culinary garden. As objects of fancy and taste the styles of flower gardens 

 are various. The modern style is a collection of irregular groups and 

 masses, placed about the house as a medinm, uniting it with the open lawn. 

 The ancient geometric style, in place of irregular groups, employed symme- 

 trical forms : in France, adding statues and fountains ; in Holland, cut trees 

 and grassy slopes ; and in Italy, stone walls, walled terraces, and flights of 

 steps. In some situations these characteristics of parterres may, with pro- 

 priety, be added to, or used instead of the modern sort, especially in flat 

 situations; such as are inclosed by high walls!; in towns, or where the 

 principal building or object is in a style of architecture which will not render 

 these appendages iucongruous. There are other characters of gardens, such 

 as the Chinese, which are not widely different from the modern ; the Indian, 

 which consists chiefly of walks under shade, in squares of grass ; the Turk- 

 ish, which abounds iu shady retreats, boudoirs of roses and aromatic herbs ; 

 and the Spanish, which is distinguished by trellis work and fountains ; but 

 these gardens are not generally adapted to this climate, though, from con- 

 templating and selecting what is beautiful or suitable in each, a style of 

 decoration for the immediate vicinity of mansions, might be composed pre- 

 ferable to any thing now in use." It may, however, be remarked, that the 



Vol. VI. No. 65. Q 



