HISTORY & DESCRIPTION OF STYLES 39 



and so far from their origin that one might find 

 an avenue and no hint of any house with it. More- 

 over the architectural details were overdone. The 

 best legacy the grandiose French period has left 

 us is good treillage work. It was understood and 

 used to perfection in the eighteenth century, and 

 though its elaboration and subsequent debase- 

 ment followed, we still look to France for the finest 

 examples. 



3. HOLLAND 



HOLLAND being a flat country, the Dutch deve- 

 loped the sunk garden by way of obtaining variety. 

 Climate and soil are favourable for turf, and grass 

 is the dominant feature. The abundant water of 

 the country is brought into the general scheme 

 as an oblong pool or canal. The drawing on 

 page 40 shows a modern Dutch garden. The 

 typical Dutch design is purely geometrical and 

 mostly rectangular. The national characteristics 

 of industry, and love of detail and order, are re- 

 flected in their gardens by an extravagant develop- 

 ment of topiary work. Clipped hedges, standards 

 in pots and elaborate shaped bushes are used abun- 

 dantly. The patience and skill required to pro- 

 duce these has built up a large export trade in 

 shaped box and yew for the nurserymen. " Amer- 

 ican " plants thrive in the soil, and all kinds of 

 rhododendrons and azaleas are cultivated? 



