HISTORY 



23 



even going to the length of planting dead trees and training streams to 

 meander. The house opened directly out into what was supposed to 

 resemble a virginal forest — undisturbed by nature, and there was no 

 transition provided for the various portions of the grounds. Kent's 

 favorite style was the Chinese and he tried as closely as possible to 

 imitate their ideas about gardening, but he was not successful in this 

 as in his informal idea, for the elements of gardening had no symbolism 

 to a people such as the English, whose very ideals of life were of a 

 formal order. 



Sir Humphry Repton 

 In 1803 a man appeared who was destined to begin the work of 

 reformation and in a measure bring gardening in England out of the 



Sir HUMPHRY Repton. 



F.g. 9 



chaos into which it had fallen. This man was Humphry Repton, a 

 man of great talent both in architectural drawing and in the knowledge 

 of horticulture. PHe was educated both in England and in Holland; 

 and it is supposed that he learned a great deal from the Dutch gardeners 

 and their love of plants, which later led him to take up this profession 

 with so much success. His father prepared him to be a merchant, which 

 he was for several years until misfortune overtook him and he retired 

 to his country place. Here he lived for many years taking a great 

 interest in agricultural work and the beautifying of his home grounds. 

 On the death of Price and Brown he became the foremost man in the 

 profession in England, and in fact was the first man to consider his 



