FORMATION OF PLEASURE GROUNDS. 87 



shall be in accordance with all the rest of :he plan. Nothing 

 looks so pimping and ridiculous as small clumps ; and, except 

 here and there in a favourable position for a few flowers, none 

 ought to be made less than from ten to twenty feet across ; 

 because then you can form a rich clump of shrubs, and have 

 flowering deciduous trees in the centre. 



EVEEGEEENS DESIEABLE. 



All pleasure-grounds should be planted with evergreens ; 

 the entire features should be evergreen — as much varied as 

 you please, but still evergreen. Deciduous trees should only be 

 at the back of the others, or surrounded with them, so that in 

 winter time the place should look as well clothed as in summer. 

 It is possible, by these precautions, to make an acre of ground 

 look as if it were part of a large domain instead of a limited 

 space ; whereas, if the path were four feet instead of six, or 

 eight, or even ten, everything would strongly betoken the 

 smaller space. We have seen in an acre of ground, a httle 

 cottage, a very small conservatory, a greenhouse of the same 

 diminutive kind, the imitation of a small chapel, stables, 

 picture gallery, rock-work, fountain, and half-a-score other 

 things, all cramped and inconvenient, and every way worthy 

 of children instead of grown persons ; plenty of taste in 

 miniature, but unworthy of anybody of expansive mind, and 

 perfectly unnatural ; whereas, if the contriver, "odio was so 

 ambitious to imitate everything, had been content to make all 

 his space match some pleasant portion of a larger estate, there 

 had been something to admire and think of afterwards — 

 something that w^ould bear looking at. It is quite possible to 

 adopt some other feature, but nothing should be attempted 

 upon a small scale ; it only destroys the grand features of the 

 landscape. For instance, if there be any appropriate place, 

 there might be rock-work ; or if there be facihties for water, 

 there is nothing to prevent its being done ; but unless it be 

 done upon a large scale, it is labour wasted to spoil the scene. 



Straight paths ought under any circumstances to be avoided 

 in the pleasure grounds if tlie landscape plan be adopted; and 

 portions of the house should be planted out as well as any 

 ugly object ; that is, the shrubs planted near the house in 

 clumps should be so placed as to break the straight line. If 

 the house happen to be on an eminence, a terrace walk is not 



