THE PLEASURES OF GAKDENING. 33 



tangled thickets much as they find them, and adapting themselves to 

 things as they are rather than arrange the plots according to any pre- 

 conceived ideas of fitness, utility, or beauty. No, we must have our 

 clearly defined walks, borders, lawns, &c. ; every plant must occupy 

 its proper position, and every circumstance arranged with reference to 

 general eflfiect, and a harmonious whole. But then, allowing this to be 

 the prevailing characteristic in the formation of small gardens especially, 

 is it not quite out of character that the future keeping of these gardens 

 should not be such as might be expected from the original design ? It 

 must be admitted to be too frequently the case, that a garden, upon the 

 formation and arrangement of which a considerable amount of money 

 has been expended, is, from either the indifference of its proprietor, or 

 unaptness of the person or persons on whom its management is 

 devolved, scarcely ever found in such a condition as to convey any- 

 thing like an idea of neatness or comfort. This remark will, perhaps, 

 more especially apply to the winter management, or, perhaps, I should 

 rather say, the winter neglect of many gardens, where it is customaiy, 

 as soon as the leaves are fairly fallen, to make such arrangements and 

 alterations as may be deemed necessary, dig the borders, beds, shrub- 

 bery, &c., and then abandon them for the winter ; nothing more being 

 considered necessary to be done until the return of spring ; when, 

 perhaps, the circumstance of some vernal beauty forcing itself upon 

 their notice induces them once more to turn their attention to their 

 garden, now in so miserable a plight from having been entirely neg- 

 lected ; walks neither swept nor rolled, the lawn having more the 

 appearance of a ploughed field from accumulated worm casts, &c., that 

 a considerable amount of labour is requisite before it can at all be 

 entered upon with comfort, whereas, by a little weekly attention to 

 these particulars, it might have been rendered an interesting prome- 

 nade throughout the winter. Indeed, with a person really interested 

 in a garden, it will be a rather difficult matter to decide, whether it 

 possesses most interest in the summer or winter ; for, although in 

 summer it may be furnished with an almost infinite variety of floral 

 beauties, symptoms of decay are everywhere apparent, withei'ing and 

 witliered petals, flowers, and plants, continually remind the observer 

 that a period will soon be put to the development of these beauties ; 

 while a well-regulated garden, in which there is a well-arranged 

 display of various evergreen shrubs and trees, intermixed with the 

 diftierent habited deciduous kinds, suggests the idea (if I may be 

 allowed such an expression), of substantial and unfading comfort. In 

 this place, perhaps, I may be allowed to observe, that to add to the 

 pleasure of walking in the garden during the winter months it is abso- 

 lutely necessary that tlie walks be formed of such gravel, or other 

 material, as will not adhere to the feet ; for the twofold reason, that 

 walking is rendered very unpleasant when a quantity of soil clings to 

 the foot at every step, and also renders the surface of the path uneven 

 and unsightly. In old books on gardening, we find prominent place 

 given in the " Kalendarial lists of operations " to such things as 

 " attend to polling, and rolling lawns," " keep gravel walks swept and 

 rolled," " now is the time for trimming box-edgings, &c.," " keep the 

 flower-beds and borders free from weeds, and evenly raked," and many 



