European and Japanese Gardens 



spreading top, is one of the most picturesque and decorative 

 of all trees for backgrounds and large effects. The oak and 

 chestnut also abound on the upper terraces of Italian grounds 

 and in those wilder portions of wooded land which sometimes 

 surround the formal garden. The ilex is a low shrub-like tree, 

 of very slow growth but dense foliage, admirably suited for 

 those tunnel-like walks forming long, natural arbors, which in 



The Central Fountain 



CYPRESSES SILHOUETTED AGAINST THE SKY' 



Villa Albani, Rome 



the Boboli and other gardens are so delightful and restful a 

 resort. 



Closely cropped grass is used only as an accessorv feature 

 in the Italian formal gardens. The lawn, for its own sake, 

 rarely figures in the Italian designs except in those large, pub- 

 lic parks, which, like the Giardino Pincio and the Borghese 

 gardens at Rome, serve a function like that of our city parks. 

 The nearest approach to the lawn per sc in the villas is in the 

 grassy amphitheatres of some of the larger gardens like the 



45 



