GARDEN-CRAFT. 



summer, and autumn. At present " the choke- 

 muddle shrubbery, in which the poor flowering 

 shrubs dwindle and kill each other, generally sup- 

 ports a few ill-grown and ill-chosen plants, but it 

 is mainly distinguished for wide patches of bare 

 earth in summer, over which, in better hands, pretty 

 green things might crowd." The specimen plant has 

 no chance of displaying itself under such conditions. 



Into so nice a subject as the practice of Landscape- 

 gardening of the present day it is not my intention 

 to enter in detail, and for two good reasons. In the 

 first place, the doctrines of a sect are best known by 

 the writings of its representatives ; and in this case, 

 happily, both writings and representatives are plenti- 

 ful. Secondly, I do not see that there is much to 

 chronicle. Landscape-gardening is, in a sense, still 

 in its fumbling stage ; it has not increased its 

 resources, or done anything heroic, even on wrong 

 lines ; it has not advanced towards any permanent, 

 definable system of ornamentation since it began its 

 gyrations in the last century. Its rival champions 

 still beat the air. Even Repton was better off than 

 the men of to-day, for he had, at least, his Protestant 

 formulary of Ten Objections to swear by, which 

 " mark those errors or absurdities in modern garden- 

 ing and architecture to which I have never willingly 

 subscribed " (p. 127, " Theory and Practice of Land- 

 scape Gardening," 1803, quoted in full above). 



But the present race of landscape-gardeners are, 

 it strikes me, as much at sea as ever. True they 



