98 Landscape Gardening 



more than once to refer to nature as the great school of land- 

 scape gardening. It may be worth while, then, specifically 

 to inquire how far the imitation of nature is possible and 

 right. I profess not to be of those who would carry the 

 principle very far, or into minor matters. It is in her broader 

 teachings and general promptings that materials should be 

 gathered for practical use. And these, be it remembered, 

 will be solely available in idealizing and exalting art. 



To regard a garden otherwise than as a work of art would 

 tend to a radical perversion of its nature. It is and must 

 remain that which its proximity to the house alone enables it 

 to be. No ingenuity can convert it into a forest glade or a 

 glen. Nor is such a transformation to be wished for, were it 

 possible, any more than that a dwelling should be transmuted 

 into a hut, a den, or a cave. A garden is for comfort, con- 

 venience, luxury, and use, as well as for making a beautiful 

 picture. It is to express civilization, care, design, and refine- 

 ment. It is for the growth of choice flowers and the preser- 

 vation and culture of exotic trees and shrubs, with novel and 

 interesting and curious habits, which could not be reared 

 without the most assiduous guardianship and attention. In 

 these respects it is fundamentally different from all natural 

 scenes. 



Reflections such as these will make it plain that they who 

 would imitate nature in gardens must do so in another way 

 than by copying her piecemeal. They ought, indeed, to be 

 imitators, but not copyists, transcribing her spirit and not her 

 individual expressions, — her general countenance or aspect, 

 and not her particular features. An artist, be he a painter 

 or a landscape gardener, or an amateur in either branch, 

 should go to nature to study principles, gathering up snatches 

 of scenery and storing them in his memory or his portfolio 

 for future adaptation and use. He should note all that 



