Leaves from a Madeira Garden 



far as I have had experience of it is well and 

 solidly done, with no suspicion of scamping. 

 From the gardener's point of view it is all too 

 neat ; it lacks that element of roughness which 

 suits a garden best ; but neatness and symmetry 

 are Portuguese ideals. The Portuguese house 

 to be in the mode must have the same number 

 of windows each side of a central door, and 

 they must be equi-distant. Bacon's dictum 

 that houses are built to live in, not to be looked 

 upon, wherefore let use be preferred before 

 uniformity, finds no echo here. 



This passion for regularity is one of our 

 minor garden troubles. If you tell your 

 gardener to plant out fifty stocks in a bed, you 

 will find them in rows at equal distances, care- 

 fully measured to an inch. And if he can stick 

 a fuchsia in between each pair he will be the 

 better pleased. He will perhaps learn in time 

 that you like them planted irregularly in 

 clumps, but the practice will never have his 

 approval, and he will regard it as only one 

 more of your incomprehensible fads. One of 

 our gardeners had an appalling taste for build- 

 ing wooden supports for climbing roses in 

 the shape of gigantic chairs, tables, and such 



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