"And because the breath of flowers is far sweeter in the air (where it comes and 

 goes like the warbling of music) than in the hand, therefore nothing is more fit for 

 that delight than to know what be the flowers and plants that do best perfume the 

 -Bacon's Essay on Gardens. 



A GARDEN is for comfort and convenience, for luxury even; it is to express 

 civilization and care and design, and to foster the refinement of our natures. 

 It is for the growth of choice flowers, the preservation of fine trees and shrubs 

 which otherwise would be lost or revert back to their primitive habit and 

 form. In it may be carried on a process of selection and hybridization, of 

 grafting and budding, which tends to improve aud modify, and make valuable, that which, without it, would be un- 

 sought and ill-favored. 



In planning a garden beauty of form should always be kept in view; for as in a work of art, beauty of form is 

 superior to coloring, as it betokens a deeper acquaintance with principles, a higher refinement, so in gardening, 

 shapeliness is superior to quantity, and gracefulness of outline to meaningless groups of color. By this we do not, 

 in any sense, mean that color should be discarded; for beauty of tint and tone are necessary adjuncts of comeliness 

 of form. As a general thing, the delicate shades of pink and white, pale blues and greens, and the softer shades of 

 crimson and scarlet, are more expressive of beauty than the positive colors. Still the latter have their place and can- 

 not be carelessly passed by. 



Gardening requires talent, the knowledge of the beautiful, the harmony of color, and the ability to grasp ideas and 

 work them out so that the desire may pass from inception to fulfilment. Tocater to an appetite so unexceptionable is 

 surely not beneath the dignity of art. The " styles " of gardening may be stated as three : The Geometrical or Italian, 

 as it is called from its adaptation to Italian forms of architecture; in this style the terrace plays a prominent part, 

 as it can be used most successfully in hilly situations. The "Picturesque," which is almost letting nature alone, or 

 aiding her in intensifying sharpness of detail or raggedness of outline, and is only suitable for rough and hilly sections. 

 Loudon has aptly called the last form the "Gardenesque," for in it are shown varied tastes and methods, the indi- 

 vidual preferences which take precedence of style, and which add after all, the greatest charm to the garden, for they 

 are the most natural. To this latter class belong the groupings of small shrubbery, the beds of perennials, which de- 

 light by their apparent disorder, the mixed borders which constantly present a change from grave to gay, from beauty 

 ©f form and color to that, which presents an appearance which would be ill-pleasing were it not for the single re- 

 deeming feature of fragrance which charms all the senses through one. For this style of gardening perennials are 

 admirably adapted, for they combine in a marked degree permanence and beauty. The graceful Foxglove delights 

 in half-shaded situations, such as shrubbery affords, and will be in bloom when the shrubs are rich only in foliage. 

 The pretty, nodding Columbine, with its fairy bells, will lend a charm to the rockery or rough situations on hillsides, 

 as it requires but little soil, and bears drouth admirably. For a distant vista through trees Hollyhocks are indispensa- 

 ble, as they not only add beauty to the scene, but also give a sense of increased distance. Tall, hardy grasses, 

 such a3 the Pampas, Erianthus and Arundos, Castor Oil Bean, Aralias, Palms and Wigandias, properly grouped 

 will give a tropical effect, and transform barren and unsightly views into scenes of beauty and verdure. 



So many books have been written on how to make a garden, and as the horticultural and agricultural papers of the 

 day teem with advice relating thereto, we forbear entering on the subject, believing that sound sense will dictate what 

 to do, and that, after all, Carlyle has truly said, " Experience is a bitter teacher, yet she doth teach like none other." 

 •5 (65) 



