302 



THE VILLA GARDENER. 



386. Object in view. — Mr. Wells had obviously 

 been guided by two principles ; viz. first, that, 

 in the views from the house, the natural charac- 

 ter and expression of the surrounding country 

 should be preserved ; and, secondly, that all the 

 garden scenes should be kept subordinate, or 

 as episodes to the main features of the place. 

 In order to preserve the general character of 

 the country in the views from the house, it was 

 necessary that the same character should pre- 

 vail in the foreground which existed in the dif- 

 ferent distant parts of the scene; and, hence, 

 no flower beds were introduced immediately 

 before the windows of the living-rooms. Some- 

 thing of this kind might, no doubt, have been 

 done, though in a sparing manner, had Mr. 

 Wells rebuilt the house, and surrounded it by 

 an architectural terrace or basement; but, 

 without such a medium for uniting the house 

 with the grounds, flowers in the foreground, 

 Mr. Wells judged, and in our opinion most 

 justly, would have too powerfully attracted the 

 eye. 



387. Flower-garden. — We must confess that 

 it is sometimes a matter of difficulty to deter- 

 mine when a flower-garden should be laid out 

 immediately in front of a house, so as to form a 

 foreground to the distant scenery, and when it 

 ought to be concealed or disguised. In general, 

 this must be determined from the natural ex- 

 pression of the situation, and the views. When 

 these are of a decidedly marked character, and 

 make a strong and elevating impression on the 

 mind, the introduction of a flower-garden in 

 the foreground will interfere with this impres- 

 sion, and ought therefore to be avoided, or 

 introduced in such a manner as to be altogether 

 subordinate to the natural features ; but, on the 

 other hand, when these features are bad or 

 tame, and comparatively uninteresting, a 

 flower-garden judiciously introduced will create 

 an interest which was naturally wanting. For 

 example, when the foreground is a flat or even 

 surface, with little to vary it except trees and 

 shrubs, and when there is no strongly marked 

 feature in the middle distance, then beds of 

 flowers, and flowering shrubs, form a valuable 

 resource, and may render a naturally dull place 

 gay and interesting. This is very well exem- 

 plified at Chevening near Sevenoaks, the seat 

 of Earl Stanhope, where the foreground on the 



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