602 The Flox<oer-Garden. 



of colouring by means of flowers, without much regard to 

 forms, and with very Httle regard to lines. The English par- 

 terre may either have a groundwork of turf or of gravel ; that 

 is to say, the spaces between the beds may be of either of these 

 materials. The forms of the beds, and their relative position, 

 ought to be such as to produce a symmetrical whole ; on which 

 subject we have already said so much in different parts of this 

 Magazine, and lately in the Suburban Gardener, that we shall 

 not farther insist on it here. The French parterre requires great 

 skill in laying it out ; after which, the business of keeping it in 

 perfect order is quite mechanical, and might be done by a 

 person who does not know the culture, or the name, of a single 

 plant or flower. On the other hand, the English parterre is 

 easily laid out, a proper plan being first given ; but the keeping- 

 it properly planted, so that every part of it may be covered with 

 flowers during the floral months, requires a very considerable 

 knowledge of flowering plants, annual, perennial, and bulbs ; 

 and a degree of constant and assiduous attention during, we may 

 say, every day throughout the summer, that few persons have 

 any idea of. 



With respect to the design of English parterres, there are 

 only two or three in the immediate environs of London that we 

 could refer to, as being tolerably perfect. Flower-gardens, or 

 English parterres, are generally composed of beds unconnected 

 either by shape or by position ; or are discordant, from some of 

 the beds being disproportionately large, and others dispropor- 

 tionately small. Sometimes, also, the parterre is interspersed 

 with trees; which, after they grow large, not only injure its 

 effect, but render it impossible to cultivate flowers in it to per- 

 fection. All these evils, however, may be wonderfully mitigated 

 by the manner in which the beds are planted ; because, by using 

 high-growing plants in some places, and low-growing ones in 

 others, and, under the trees, those that love the shade, the ap- 

 pearance of connexion may be obtained where it does not 

 really exist, and thus the effect of a whole produced, at least 

 from several points of view. But we have now said enough to 

 show that the w/iole art qf/brming^ower-gardens is not quite 

 so trifling a matter as would appear from Mr. Ferris's "little 

 book;" and that may suffice for the present. 



Art. VI. The Floiver-Garden : including Directions for the Ar- 

 rangement and Cultivation of all Garden Flowers ; the Manage- 

 ment of the Green-house, Hot-house, and Stove ; with selected Lists 

 of the most beautiful annual, biennial, perennial, and exotic Flower- 

 itig Plants. Parts I. to VI. Small 8vo, plates. 1837- 



This work, like the preceding one, is a failure, but in a 

 different way. Its compiler has not shown any want of industry 



