"The Garden of Gardens" 



The Chinese trace back the origin of their gardens 

 to the remotest antiquity (2600 B. C.) 



The Chinese Emperor's garden at Pekin, begun 

 in 1723 and pillaged in i860, was called the "Garden 

 of Gardens." The letters of a French Jesuit Mis- 

 sionary, Pere Attiret, descriptive of it, and translated 

 by Joseph Spence in 1752, kindled a flame of 

 enthusiasm throughout Europe. 



Attiret describes the artificial hills 20 to 60 feet 

 high with little valleys interspersed, rivers and rivulets 

 running together through these to form lakes, with 

 pleasure-houses to the number of 200 on their 

 banks; the rough irregular rockwork — twisting and 

 winding paths, and bridges which also serpentised. 

 One of the lakes was nearly fiv^ miles round, 

 studded with islands, and rocks, and with infinitely 

 varied banks. ^^^^^^ p„^^, Sieveking. 



In my opinion, the chrysanthemum is the flower 

 of retirement and culture ; the peony, the flower of 

 rank and wealth; the water-lily, the Lady Virtue 

 Sans Pareille. ^ho^ j,^„.j 



{A Chinese wriUr, 1017-IO73.) 



Japanese Gardens 



The Japanese derived their landscape-garden 

 originally from the Chinese, but besides imitating 

 nature they endeavor to impart to their designs a 

 symbolical character, expressing an abstract idea or 

 sentiment such as "Retirement," "Meditation" or 

 "Fidelity." * * * As in the Chinese gardens, hills 

 are a fundamental feature, but the Chinese gardens 

 abound more in small kiosks and ballustraded gal- 

 leries, and rockeries honeycombed with caves and 

 grottos, and the Chinese also employ more flowering 

 plants than the Japanese. Selected 



