BOOK II. 



PLANTING THE SHRUBBERY. 



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6143. Various other modes of select-planting shrubberies may be adopted ; such as collecting together all 

 such shrubs, trees, and flowers as flower at the same time, or have the same color of flower, or foliage, or 

 the same odors, or the same general shape, or the same natural habitation, as of marshes, mountains, &c., 

 or the same country, as America, Switzerland, Sweden, &c. But the intelligent gardener who has 

 attended to what has been already advanced, can hardly require farther instructions to form such plant- 

 ations. We would suggest, as worth trial, where there was ample space, the mode of arranging by odors ; 

 the ancients are said to have paid particular attention to this in mixing their trees. (Falconer, &c. and 

 see 37.) Every one must have experienced a difference in this respect between walking in a pine-forest, 

 a plantation of balsam-poplars, a birch-copse, and beside sweet-briar and juniper hedges. An arrangement 

 of this kind, depending on the smell of the buds and leaves, rather than of the flower, would have its 

 effect the greater part of the year, especially after showers 



6144. Systematic or , methodical planting in shrubberies consists, as in flower -planting, 

 in adopting the Linnaean or Jussieuean arrangement as a foundation, and combining at 

 the same time a due attention to gradation of heights. This mode, executed on a grand 

 scale, would unquestionably be the most interesting of all, even to general observers ; 

 but on a small scale it could not be so universally pleasing as the mingled manner, or 

 the mode by select grouping. The uninstructed mind might be surprised and puzzled 

 by such an assemblage ; but not perceiving the relations which constitute its excellence, 

 they would be less pleased than by a profusion of ordinary beauties ; by a great show of 

 gay flowers and foliage. Dr. Darwin is said to have blended picturesque beauty with 

 scientific arrangement in a dingle at Litchfield, where he disposed of a large collection of 

 trees and plants in the Linnaean manner. The same thing may be attempted on any de- 

 scription of surface, and with any form of ground-plan, provided turf be introduced, and 

 care be taken to elongate the groups containing trees in such a way as to preserve a suf- 

 ficient degree of woodiness throughout, both for shelter, shade, and picturesque effect. 

 In this way we have arranged a spot (Jig. 560.) of little more than an acre and a half, 



560 



so as to ordinary observers, to be nothing more than a house surrounded by pleasure- 

 ground, but to the botanist and painter, to be a scientific and picturesque scene. This 

 spot combines a villa and offices (a), a kitchen-garden (ft), reserve-garden and melon- 

 ground (c), botanic ground for herbaceous plants (rf), rock-work (e\ rosarium (/), 

 aquarium ( g), American ground (li) ; besides a variety of other subordinate scenes, a 

 scattered orchard (i), and the shrubbery (k), arranged in irregular, elongated groups on 

 lawn, in the manner mentioned. But much the most interesting mode of arrangement 

 would be that of Jussieu, by which a small villa of two or three acres might be raised, 

 as far as gardening is concerned, to the ne plus ultra of interest and beauty. To aid in 

 the formation of such scenes the tables (588, 589.) exhibiting the genera contained in 

 each Linnsean or Jussieuean order, and also the number of species distributed according 

 to their places in the garden, will be found of the greatest use. 



6145. Chinese arrangement. It is only since the great influx of trees and shrubs from 

 America, during the latter half of the last century, that the idea of arranging shrubs 

 found a place in the writings on gardening. Sir W. Chambers seems to have been the 

 first who suggested it in his account (whether correct or not, is of little consequence to 

 our present purpose), of the practice of the Chinese gardeners. The Chinese, he says, 



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