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LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 



The patterns or figures employed are often highly intricate, 

 and require considerable skill in their formation. The walks 

 are either of gravel or smoothly shaven turf, and the beds are 

 filled with choice flowering plants. It is evident that much 

 of the beauty of this kind of flower-garden, or indeed any 

 other where the figures are regular and intricate, must depend 

 on the outlines of the beds, or •parterres of embroidery, as 

 they are called, being kept distinct and clear. To do this 

 effectually, low growing herbaceous plants, or border flowers, 

 perennials and annuals, should be chosen, such as will not 

 exceed on an average, one or two feet in height. 



In the English flower-garden, the beds are either in symmet- 

 rical forms and figures, or they are characterized by irregular 

 curved outlines. The peculiarity of these gardens, at present 

 so fashionable in England, is, that each separate bed is planted 

 with a single variety, or at most two varieties of flowers. 

 Only the most striking and showy varieties are generally cho- 

 sen, and the eftect, when the selection is judicious, is highly 

 brilliant. Each bed, in its season, presents a mass of blossoms, 

 and the contrast of rich colours is much more striking than in 

 any other arrangement. No plants are admitted that are shy 

 bloomers, or which have ugly habits of growth, meagre or 

 starved foliage; the aim being brilliant effect, rather than the 

 display of a great variety of curious or rare plants. To bring 

 this about more perfectly, and to have an elegant show 

 during the whole season of growth, hyacinths and other fine 

 bulbous roots occupy a certain portion of the beds, the inter- 

 vals being filled with handsome herbaceous plants, perma- 

 nently planted, or with flowering annuals and green-house 

 plants renewed every season. 



To illustrate the mode of arranging the beds and disposing 

 the plants in an English garden, we copy the plan and de- 



