A GARDEN IN VENICE 



growth hard-pruned will apply all its vigour to 

 the making of more growth, and if continuously 

 restrained and over-thwarted in its nature, it dies. 

 A less vigorous plant will be aided by cutting 

 back, to put the strength that is in it to the 

 growth of flowers or fruit rather than of wood. 

 The Italian vine, with its force of habit and 

 ramping nature, cannot be treated as a French or 

 German one, and cut down close to the soil. So 

 in roses, strong climbers must be allowed to climb. 

 But whilst the pergola is admirable in Italy for 

 the vine, it is, it seems to me, little adapted to 

 the rose. 



For the vine, then, we want support in Italy, 

 and are glad of shade. Beauty is of the essence 

 of the place. All this the pergola gives us. Sup- 

 port may, it is true, be given by stakes or poles, 

 with wires stretched like a fence along the rows 

 of vines, but this way of training like a hedge 

 gives no shade, and if simple and practical it has 

 little charm, unless seen in ground, left open as 

 a field, or laid out as an orchard rather than a 

 garden. 

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