on Lmidscape-Gardening. 701 



liesidcnces) published at a time when we had hardly attained 

 the years of manhood, as deserving of more attention than 

 the Essays on the Picturesque. 



The only department of landscape-gardening which we 

 wish we had seen treated more at length in Mr. Gilpin's 

 work, is that wliich respects the introduction of exotic 

 trees and shrubs in artificial scenery. There are various 

 other beauties besides those of the picturesque, which ought 

 to engage the attention of the landscape-gardener ; and one 

 of the principal of these is, what may be called the botany of 

 trees and shrubs. In our opinion, a landscape-gardener 

 knows but a part of his profession, who is not conversant 

 with the numerous families of American and other trees 

 which will thrive in the open air in Britain. Mere pictu- 

 resque improvement is not enough in these enlightened times : 

 it is necessary to understand that there is such a character of 

 art as the gardenesque, as well as the picturesque. The very 

 term gardenesque, perhaps, will startle some readers ; but we 

 are convinced, nevertheless, that it is a term which will soon 

 find a place in the language of rural art. Landscape-garden- 

 ing, it will be allowed, is, to a certain extent, an art of imi- 

 tation. Now, an imitative art is not one which produces fac 

 similes of the things to be imitated ; but one which produces 

 imitations, or i-esemblances, according to the manner of that 

 art. Thus, sculpture does not attempt colour, nor painting 

 to raise surfaces in relief; and neither attempt to deceive. In 

 the like manner, the imitator, in a park or pleasure-ground, of 

 a landscape composed of ground, wood, and water, does not 

 produce fac similes of the ground, wood, and water, which he 

 sees around him on every side ; but of ground, wood, and water, 

 arranged in imitation of nature, according to the principles 

 of his particular art. The character of this art has varied 

 from the earliest times to the present day ; but, profoundly 

 examined, the principle which guided the artist remains the 

 same ; and the successive fashions that have prevailed will be 

 found to confirm our view of the subject, viz., that all imi- 

 tations of nature worthy of being characterised as belong- 

 ing to the fine arts are notfac-simile imitations, but imitations 

 of manner. To apply this principle to the planting of trees 

 in park or pleasure-ground scenery ; nature, in any given 

 locality, makes use of a certain number of trees found indi- 

 ffenous there ; but the garden imitator of natural woods in- 



O "... 



troduces either other forms and dispositions of the same kinds 

 of trees, as in the geometric style ; or the same disposition of 

 other species of trees, as in the most improved practice of 

 the modern style. In neither case does the artist produce a 

 correct fac simile of nature ; for, if he did, however beautiful 



