ON THE THEORY OF A GARDEN. n 



list of old naturalists ; the design of your garden, 

 its picturesque divisions and beds, a result of 

 the social sense, the faculty for refined enjoyment, 

 the constructive genius of the picked minds of the 

 civilised world in all ages. The methods of planting 

 approved of to-day, carrying us back to the admir- 

 ably-dressed grounds of the ancient castles and 

 abbeys, to the love of woodland scenery, which is 

 said to be a special characteristic of Teutonic people, 

 which is evidenced in the early English ballads ; to 

 the slowly acquired traditions of garden-masters like 

 Bacon, Temple, Evelyn, Gilpin, and Repton, as well 

 as to the idealised landscapes of Constable, Gains- 

 borough, Linnell, and Turner; it is, in fact, the 

 issue of the practical insight, the wood-craft, and 

 idealistic skill of untold generations. 



In this matter of floral beauty and garden-craft 

 man has ever declared himself a prey to the " ma- 

 lady of the ideal"; the Japanese will even combine 

 upon his trees the tints of spring and autumn.* 

 But everywhere, and in all ages of the civilised 

 world, man spares no pains to acquire the choicest 

 specimens, the rarest plants, and to give to each thing 

 so acquired the ideally best expression of which 

 it is capable. It is as though Eden-memories still 



*"This strange combination of autumn and spring tints is a very 

 usual sight in Japan. . . . It is worth noting that in Japan a tree 

 is considered chiefly for its form and tint, not for use. . . I heard 

 the cherry-trees were now budding, so I hurried up to take advantage 

 of them, and found them more beautiful than I had ever imagined. 

 There are at least fifty varieties, from delicately tinted white and pink 

 to the richest rose, almost crimson blossom.'' — .Alfred East's " Trip to 

 Japan," Universal Review, March, 1890. 



