38 



THE VILLA GAEDENEK. 



hovel or rude cottage in the bottom, with a natural path worn in the grass 

 by the occupants, would be improved according to imitative art, if foreign 

 trees, shrubs, and plants, even to the grasses, were introduced instead of indi- 

 genous ones ; and a Swiss cottage, or an architectural cottage of any kind 

 that would not be recognised as the common cottage of the country, substi- 

 tuted for the hovel. To complete the character of art, the walk should 

 be formed, and gravelled, at least, to such an extent as to prevent its 

 being mistaken for a natural path. Rocky scenery, aquatic scenery, dale 

 or dingle scenery, forest scenery, copse scenery, and open glade scenery, 

 may all be imitated on the same principle ; viz. that of substituting foreign 

 for indigenous vegetation, and laying out artificial walks. This is sufficient 

 to constitute a picturesque imitation of natural scenery. 



59. Gardenesqiie imitation. — Where the gardenesque style of imitating 

 nature is to be employed, the trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants must be 

 separated ; and, instead of being grouped together as in forest scenery (where 

 two trees, or a tree and a shrub, often appear to spring from the same root, 

 and this root is accompanied by large rampant herbs), every gardenesque 

 group must consist of trees which do not touch each other, and which only 

 become groups by being as near together as is practicable without touching, 

 and by being apart from larger masses, or from single trees or rows of trees. 

 It is not meant by this, that in the gardenesque style the trees composing a 

 group should all be equally distant from one another ; for in that case they 

 would not form a whole, which the word group always implies. On the con- 

 trary, though all the trees in a gardenesque group ought to be so far separated 

 from each other as not to touch, yet the degrees of separation may be as 

 different as the designer chooses, provided the idea of a group is not lost 

 sight of. In fig. 19. the trees are arranged in the gardenesque manner; and 



mfig. 20., in the picturesque style. The same character is also communicated 

 to the walks ; that in the gardenesque style having the margins definite and 

 smooth, while the picturesque walk has the edge indefinite and rough. 

 Utility requires that the gravel, in both styles of walk, should be smooth, firm, 

 and dry ; for it must always be borne in mind, that, as landscape-gardening is 

 an useful as well as an agreeable art, no beauty must ever be allowed to inter- 

 fere with the former quality. 



