I 4 THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



he admits "architectural ornaments" in the 

 garden round the house. He speaks, too, with 

 regret of having once destroyed a beautiful old 

 garden, "sacrificed to undulations of ground 

 only." But he certainly seems to carry his 

 general rule to very considerable length. He 

 thinks that "many of the circumstances that 

 give variety and spirit to a wild place might 

 successfully be imitated in a dressed place ; " 

 and although he cannot advocate modelling a 

 carriage-drive after a cart-rut, or having water- 

 docks or thistles before one's door, he still 

 thinks the cart-rut and the thistles might furnish 

 useful hints. In another chapter he discusses 

 " the connection between picturesqueness and 

 deformity," and explains how large heaps of 

 stones or mould may at first be considered as 

 deformities and afterwards appear picturesque. 

 It is impossible not to be reminded of Mrs. 

 Rafferty's description of her garden in Miss 

 Edgeworth's Absentee: " ' Yes,' she said, 'she 

 hated everything straight; it was so formal and 

 unpicturesque. Uniformity and conformity/ she 



