with regard to Practical Gardeners. 39 



The other appendages of a country seat usually arranged 

 by the designer are the gardens, &c. Their extent is always 

 in proportion to the size of the house and family establishment. 

 The domestic offices are generally comprised in a quadrangle 

 behind the mansion; beyond this the kitchen-garden, with its 

 appurtenances of walls, hot-houses, &c. All these are most 

 conveniently concealed and surrounded by shrubbery and 

 walks, bounded by a sunk fence, dividing it from the park. 

 This pleasure-ground is varied with turf, flowers, shrubs, and 

 trees, and arranged with special reference to the principal 

 views of the park, of which it should be considered as only a 

 more dressed part. In this is placed the green-house, con- 

 servatory, and flower-garden. Here, also, the most rare and 

 beautiful trees and flov.'ering shrubs are disposed, arranged, 

 and intermixed near the house with architectural and sculptural 

 ornaments, in the Italian manner. 



As this portion of the gardens is solely intended for pedes- 

 trian exercise and recreation, every thing here should be con- 

 tributory thereto : general smoothness of walks and turf, the 

 gayest flowers, the sweetest plants, shady bowers with seats, 

 chairs, &c. Here, also, should be placed the arboretum, lapi- 

 diura for rock plants, and aquarium for those which thrive 

 only in water. The extent will depend on the character of 

 the place, local circumstances, or the taste of the owner. The 

 whole should form a kind of terrace, from which the scenery 

 of the park or distant country may be seen. To such scenes 

 it becomes the fore-ground, and consequently must be laid out 

 and planted accordingly. 



The extreme smoothness of the fore-ground in English 

 gardening is, in the estimation of painters, its greatest blemish. 

 Levelling the surface, and especially under groves and groups 

 of trees, which only present an aggregation of naked stems to 

 the eye, adds to the monotony. This is a point on which there 

 is much difi^erence of opinion. The painter is desirous of 

 having all his nearest objects boldly relieved by a back-ground, 

 and supported or accompanied by under-growths, but is totally 

 indifferent what the back-ground or under-growths may be ; 

 but the man who is engaged in creating or improving park 

 scenery, uninfluenced by the painter's ideas, cannot easily 

 divest himself of the endeavour to impress some degree of 

 polish. Inequalities of surface are therefore unconsciously 

 levelled ; roughnesses, especially if caused by the presence of 

 uncultivated plants, are designedly cleared away ; and, though 

 this may reflect credit on the improver, it would most assuredly 

 be undervalued by the painter. 



D 4 



