2OO Gleanings* in Old Garden Literature. 



of our gardens. The last century was certainly 

 acquainted with many of those rare plants we now 

 admire. The Weymouth pine has long been natura- 

 lised here; the patriarch plant still (1770) exists at 

 Longleat. The light and graceful acacia was known 

 as early ; witness those ancient stems in the court of 

 Bedford House, in Bloomsbury Square ; and in the 

 Bishop of London's garden at Fulham are many 

 exotics of very ancient date." 



Walpole was of opinion that Kent improved 

 as he proceeded ; and he thought one of 

 his latest works his best. 



"Kent's last designs," he says, "were in a higher 

 style, as his ideas opened on success. The north 

 terras at Claremont was much superior to the rest of 

 the garden." 



Like other masters, Kent acquired a 

 mannerism and a touch, which made his 

 work easily recognisable by such as studied 

 the subject. 



"A return of some particular thought was common 

 to him with other painters, and made his hand known. 

 A small lake, edged by a winding bank with scattered 

 trees, that led to a seat at the head of a pond, was 

 common to Claremont, Esher, and others of his 



