134 THE FORMAL GARDEN IN ENGLAND vi 



from 4 to 6 feet wide, formed with a sharp 

 rising in the middle, "like a carp's back." ^ 

 These borders were either continuous all round 

 the parterre or cut into short lengths by cross 

 paths. They might be planted with flowers 

 or formed entirely of grass, with two small 

 sanded paths on either side, or entirely of sand 

 with a simple edging of box next the gravel 

 walk. In the two last cases they would be 

 set out with vases and flower-pots, or orange- 

 trees in cases, with yews in between, spaced 

 at regular intervals round the border. No 

 yews or shrubs were to be permitted to grow 

 more than 4 to 5 feet high, to avoid hiding 

 the parterre. The plates -bandes isolees of the 

 French were detached borders of flowers having 

 no relation to parterres. They were reserved 

 for the choicest flowers, and were enclosed 

 with borders of planks, such as those described 

 by Rea, painted green. Composite parterres 

 were formed by the combination oi parterres de 

 broderie with cut-work and so on. 



No instance of these parterres as at first 

 planted has survived, and it could not possibly 

 do so except in the case of the parterre a 

 r Anglaise. Even the French author admits 

 that they are costly to lay out, and always lose 

 their form. On the whole the loss is not to 

 be regretted, for the designs shown in James's 

 translation, and particularly in Switzer's Ichno- 



1 The Retired Gardiner. 



