the Lmvn, Shrubbery, and Floicer- Garden. 259 



The walks through shrubberies and pleasure-grounds in general, it must be 

 acknowledged, exhibit a good deal of beauty, but, at the same time, a good 

 deal of sameness. The ordinary mode of increasing their interest is by the 

 introduction of buildings, seats, and statues, vases, and similar architectural 

 and sculptural objects, together with baskets of rustic work. All these, when 

 introduced in moderation and in appropriate places, produce the effect intended 

 to a certain extent : but we would add to the variety, and consequently in- 

 terest, of shrubbery and pleasure-ground walks, by the introduction along 

 them, at various distances, of what may be called botanical episodes. For 

 example, we would introduce near the walk, and connected with it by sub- 

 ordinate walks, such scenes as a rosary, a heathery, a rock-garden, an American 

 garden, a garden of British plants, gardens of particular genera of shrubs or 

 flowers, such as of Ribes, Berberis, iSpiree^a, Cytisus, J'ster, Dahlz«, annuals, 

 bulbs, a garden of topiary work, of embroidery, &c. At a certain distance 

 from the house we would introduce a thornery, a salictum, a juniper garden, 

 a garden of cypresses, of hollies, &c., and, where there was room, a pinetum, 

 an oak garden, an acer garden, &c. Whether separate gardens of this sort 

 could or could not be introduced, we would commence near the house an 

 arboretum, scattering the trees thinly over each side of the walk among the 

 other trees and shrubs, or on the lawn, and so arranging them as to extend 

 over the whole length of the walk, whether that were half a furlong or two 

 or three miles, taking care that every tree and shrub that formed a part of 

 the arboretum was completely detached, so as to afford ample room for its 

 growth and natural shape. We would also have every plant named. Where 

 the shrubbery or pleasure-ground was not large enough to admit of a com- 

 plete arboretum, we would introduce only as many species as could be well 

 grown ; and, even if that number did not amount to a hundred, it might include 

 one species of most of the genera which constitute the British arboretum. 



Where there was not extent sufficient for an arboretum, we would intro- 

 duce what may be called an herbacetum, that is, a series of circles on each 

 side of the walk, but at such a distance from one another as not to show 

 many circles at a time, and in each circle we would plant the hardy herba- 

 ceous plants, annual or perennial, which illustrated one natural order or tribe. 

 If we could not get in the whole of the orders and tribes, we would limit our- 

 selves to such as were most ornamental. By means of this kind, together with 

 architectural and sculptural objects, as already mentioned, the walks in plea- 

 sure-grounds might be rendered much more interesting than they generally are; 

 for the conspicuously naming of plants, and the planting them together ac- 

 cording to their natural affinities, seldom fail to create a taste for botany 

 among those who are in the daily habit of seeing plants so arranged and named. 

 Whex'e no interest of this kind is taken by the ladies of a family resident in 

 the country, it will frequently be found that the walk to which they give the 

 preference is the public road. There they have a chance of seeing something 

 new or exciting ; but in the shrubbery, as they take no botanical interest in 

 the plants composing it, they know all that they will see before they set out. 



The great object, then, of these introductory suggestions is to lead to im- 

 provements which will render the pleasure-ground and shrubbery far more 

 interesting than they have hitherto been, except in those places where 

 something of the kind which we have been recommending has been attempted; 

 as, for example, wherever rosaries, pinetums, American gardens, salictums, 

 quercetums, thorneries, grass gardens, gardens of annuals, bulbs, &c., natural 

 arrangements of herbaceous plants, or arboretums, have been planted. This 

 kind of improvement, we are happy to state, is on the increase. Very much 

 depends on the gardener; and we trust we shall have his cooperation, as he is, 

 in truth, as much interested in raising the character of the garden and grounds 

 under his charge as his employer. 



We shall now give Mr. Ayres's lists for planting the flower-garden fig. 50. 

 in p. 173. Mr. Ayres has given three lists : one for spring, consisting chiefly 

 of bulbs and low-growing herbaceous plants, which come into flower from 



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