206 Design for a Flower Garden. 



opportunity to call the attention of every lover of beautiful 

 trees and shrubs to that portion of it in which he describes 

 some of our native species, and urges their introduction into 

 our gardens. Never was a question more absurdly asked 

 than that put to Mr. Russell, " what is there new in the 

 shrub line." Alas! how long will our rural planters ransack 

 every tree and plant catalogue to find something new, when 

 quite within their reach lie treasures which no other clime 

 can surpass, and which are more rare, even in our most ex- 

 tensive plantations, than the denizens of the Himalayas, or 

 the mountains of Japan. The best school, as Mr. Russell 

 states, in Which a rural planter can educate himself for the 

 fulfilment of his intended task is our New England Flora, 

 studied in all its aspects, and at various seasons, with a view 

 to know what constitutes the beautiful in nature. We trust 

 his remarks may awaken a sense of the neglect into which 

 our own trees and shrubs have been allowed to fall, in the de- 

 sire to possess the acquisitions from foreign climes, sometimes 

 of remarkable interest, but oftener less attractive than our 

 native species. — Ed. 



Art. II. Design for a Flower Garden, with a selection of 

 Plants adapted to the same ; ivith remarks on the Design. 

 By the Editor. 



Many designs have appeared in works upon gardening, and 

 in journals devoted to the subject, but yet only a limited 

 number have displayed a high degree of taste in their ar- 

 rangement. It is certainly a simple labor to plan some kind 

 of a geometric arrangement, which shall display flowers to a 

 fair advantage, and indeed answer every ordinary purpose ; but 

 to please those who fully appreciate the really beautiful in the 

 art of design, is a difficult task to accomplish ; and it is for 

 this reason that most of the attempts of this kind have been 

 so unsatisfactory, that no other than simple squares, diamonds, 

 ovals, circles, or arabesque figures, have been adopted to the 



