56 THE FLOWER GARDEN. 



the artificial and natural styles ; keeping the decora- 

 tions immediately about the house formal, and so 

 passing on by gradual transitions to the wildest 

 scenes of nature. 



The leading features then in such a garden would 

 be an architectural terrace and flight of steps in con- 

 nection with the house lower terraces of grass-slopes 

 and flower-beds succeeding these branching off on 

 one side towards the kitchen department, through 

 an old English garden, of which a bowling-green 

 would form a part, and where florists' flowers might 

 be sheltered by the trim hedges on the other 

 towards an undulating lawn bounded by flowering 

 shrubs and the larger herbaceous plants with one 

 corner for the American garden, beyond which would 

 lie the natural copsewood and forest-ground of the 

 place: of course the aspect and situation of the 

 house, and the character of the neighbouring ground 

 and country, would modify these or any general 

 rules which might be laid down for the formation of 

 a garden ; but we think some advantage might, in 

 every case, be taken from these hints. 



In a place of any pretension, a good clear lawn 

 where children of younger or older growth may 

 romp about, without fear of damaging shrubs or 

 plants, is indispensable. 



Single shrubs and flowers, or groups of them, on 

 the verge of this lawn, springing up directly from 

 the turf, and dotted in front of shrubberies that 

 bound it, are preferable to those growing with a dis- 

 tinctly marked border. The common peonies, and 



