The Flo>wer-Garde7i. 603 



and appears to have done his best to fulfil the promise of the 

 title ; but he has failed for want of clear ideas, and practical 

 knowledge of the subject on which he has written, and from a 

 controversial ill-natured spirit. 



The work commences with an account of the different styles 

 of laying out flower-gardens ; and gives what is intended as a 

 description of the Italian, the French, the Dutch, and the Eng- 

 lish styles. We shall extract the whole of the article on the 

 French style, in order that our readers may compare it with 

 what we have said on this style in the preceding review; and 

 judge for themselves how far we are justified in stating that the 

 author is without either clear ideas, or practical knowledge on 

 the subject of flower-gardens : — 



" The French partially adopt the Italian style close to their chateaux and 

 houses ; and, beyond the terraces, lay out parterres, sometimes in very com- 

 plicated figures. ' There is nothing,' says M. Chomel, ' more ingenious be- 

 longing to a garden, than the several ways of marking different figures in a 

 work of this nature, especially where the design happens to be well contrived 

 and executed. As for plain parterres, there are few gardeners so ignorant but 

 they know how to mark them out ; and there is, indeed, so great a variety of 

 other parterres, which are embroidered, or partly cut-work, with borders, 

 grass, and the like, that there would be no end of enumerating them, so lux- 

 uriant have people's fancies been in things of this kind. It may be said, in 

 general, that the breadth of parterres ought to be equal, or even larger, than 

 the outside of the house ; and, as to length, it ought to be so contrived that 

 all the compartments may be seen from the house.' 



" It is necessary, however, to remark that, though this was and is a com- 

 mon style in France, many of the gardens are laid out in the more modern 

 English styles, more particularly in the northern parts of the kingdom ; and 

 several English gardeners have been employed to lay out the higher class of 

 gardens. 



" The celebrated Evelyn, who visited France in the beginning of the reign 

 of Louis XIV., gives distinct descriptions of the most remarkable gardens 

 near Paris at that period. 



" Of the Tuileries, he says, the garden is ' rarely contrived for privacy, 

 shade, or company, by groves, plantations of tall trees, especially that in the 

 middle, being of elms, and another of mulberries. There is a labyrinth of 

 cypress, noble hedges of pomegranates, fountains, fish-ponds, and an aviary. 

 There is an artificial echo, redoubling the words distinctly, and is never with- 

 out some fair nymph singing to it. This being at the bottom of the garden, 

 we are let into another, which, being kept with all in)aginable accurateness, as 

 to the orangery, precious shrubs, and rare fruits, seemed a paradise.' 



" In 1823, Neill says, the flowers in this garden were few in species, but 

 planted in copious profusion; the object being to keep the parterres gay with 

 brilliant blossoms of various colours. He particularly remarked asters of 

 many hues, French marigolds, balsams, zinnias, marvel of Peru ; and he was 

 told that many hundred specimens of geraniums were annually planted in the 

 borders. The labyrinth of cypress and hedges of pomegranate mentioned by 

 Evelyn have disappeared. From there being little coal smoke at Paris, the 

 plants thrive as well almost as in the open country. 



" At St. Cloud, Evelyn says, the Archbishop of Paris has a garden ' newly 

 watered and furnished with statues, fountains, and groves : the walks are very 

 fine; the fountain of Laocoon is in a large square pool, throwing the water 

 near forty feet liigh, and having about it a multitude of statues and basins, 

 and is a surprising object ; but nothing is more esteemed than the cascade, 

 falUng from the great steps into the lowest and longest walk from Mount 



