^72 LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 



this garden. Or in other cases the garden is surround^ 

 by a thicket of shrubs and low trees, partly concealing it 

 from the eye on all sides but one. 



It is evident that the architectural flower-garden is 

 superior to the general flower-garden, as an appendage 

 to the house, on two accounts. First, because, as we 

 have already shown, it serves an admirable purpose 

 in effecting a harmonious union between the house and the 

 grounds. And secondly, because we have both the rich 

 verdure and gay blossoms of the flowering plants, and the 

 more permanent beauty of sculptured forms; the latter 

 heightening the effect of the former by contrast, as well as 

 by the relief they afford the eye in masses of light, amid 

 surrounding verdure. 



There are several varieties of general flower-gardens, 

 which may be formed near the house. Among these we 

 will only notice the irregular flower-garden, the old French 

 flower-garden, and the modern or English flower-garden. 



In almost all the different kinds of flower-gardens, two 

 methods of forming the beds are observed. One is, to cut 

 the beds out of the green turf, which is ever afterwards 



70. The Irregular Flower-garden.] 



