460 THE VILLA GARDENER. 



on each side of that walk, from the commencement of the tei-race to the end 

 of the wood. It argues great good taste in the proprietor that this has not 

 been done ; for nothing can be more natural than for a gardener, who wishes 

 to make the most of the pleasure-ground, to think of doing so by adding more 

 flowers. A person must have acquired some feeling for general effect, before 

 he can fully understand where flowers will be useful, and where they will be 

 injurious in a scene. Figs. 326. and 327. are views of the grounds from the 

 terrace walk near the house ; unAfg. 328. is a view of the house from the 

 main walk in the bottom, near the water. 



502. When jlower-heds may be introduced 07i the lawn fronty and when they 

 are better omitted. — There are some places where the scenery, as viewed from 

 the lawn front of the house, has little or no natural expression or character, 

 and cannot be made to have any by the proprietor, either in consequence of 

 a flat surface, or of the intervention of other property. There are other 

 residences, in which the view from the lawn front is so confined, that it 

 scarcely can be made to form a whole; and some, where, from offensive objects, 

 the view from the lawn front may be positively disagreeable. In these and 

 similar cases, that is, wherever there is no marked expression, or an indifferent 

 or bad expression, flowers and flower-beds may be introduced in the fore- 

 ground of the lawn front. On the other hand, wherever the view from the 

 lawn front has a decidedly marked expression that is agreeable, whether by its 

 grandeur, its picturesque beauty, or its peaceful rusticity, flowers in the fore- 

 ground ought to be avoided. As examples of what may be called grand views 

 from the lawn front, we may mention Syon House, in the neighbourhood of 

 London; and, if we recollect the situation correctly, Dreghorn Castle, in the 

 neighbourhood of Edinburgh. As an example of picturesque beauty, none 

 that we know of, in Britain, can be compared to Redleaf, the seat of the late 

 William Wells, Esq.; and, as an example of peaceful sylvan beauty, nothing 

 can surpass Kenwood. There are many places in the neighbourhood of 

 London in which flower-beds are placed immediately under the drawing-room, 

 windows, where they would be much better omitted; and others, where, though 

 they may not be required, and are not introduced, they might be so without 

 destroying any expression better than that which they would give ; but, on 

 the contrary, creating an interest, which could not be given by any other 

 means. Bedford Lodge, Camden-hill, may be referred to as an example of 

 the use of beds of flowers on a small scale ; and Chevening, in Kent, as a 

 similar example of their judicious employment on a large one. It may be 

 laid down as a general principle, that it is always more or less dangerous to 

 introduce flowers in the foreground, when there is an extensive distance as a 

 termination to the view ; and, on the contrary, that where there is little or no 

 distance, and a view limited in extent, flowers may generally be safely intro- 

 duced. To avoid error in these and other similar matters, a person must either 

 have studied the subject so far as to be able to exercise his reason on it, or he 

 must have a natural feeling or taste for the beautiful in landscape. These 

 remarks will not be without their use, if they induce persons to think before 

 they introduce flowers into particular parts of pleasure-grounds where no 

 flowers have been before ; and to examine whether flower-beds already exist- 

 ing might not be better removed. It has often struck us with surprise, that 

 , the proprietors of the finest residences in England, noblemen and gentlemen 

 of high education and refined taste in other things, possessing collections of 



