BOOK OF THE GARDEN. 



INTRODUCTION. 



GARDENING, AS AN ART OF DESIGN 1 

 ITS ORIGIN, PROGRESS, 



Gardening, as an art of design and taste, 

 is of very ancient date ; and was, perhaps, 

 with the exception of glass-houses and 

 the modern arrangements connected 

 therewith, in a high state of perfection 

 two thousand years ago. As a cultural 

 art, it is unquestionably the most ancient 

 of any. 



The gardens of Solomon, the earliest 

 of which we have any certain account, 

 are described as having been of a quad- 

 rangular form and surrounded by a high 

 wall — the exact form and arrangement 

 still in most general use. They con- 

 tained aviaries, wells, and streams of 

 water, indispensable in warm climates j 

 and, in accordance with the practice of 

 the times, a seraglio, which, according to 

 Parkhurst the commentator, was at once 

 a temple of worship and of pleasure. 



The gardens of Cyrus, and other Per- 

 sian kings, were distinguished for their 

 romantic situations, great extent, and 

 diversity of uses and products, and were 

 in their day rockoned amongst the 

 wonders of the world. 



The celebrated hanging - gardens of 

 Babylon furnish us with the first notice 

 of terraces being introduced into gardens; 

 and although Herodotus and others are 

 silent on the subject, it is not improbable 

 that these terraces had their mural de- 

 corations of parapets, vases, &c, as we 

 learn that they were planted with trees 

 of various kinds, arranged in rows on 

 the side of the ascent as well as on the 

 top. We also learn that the different 

 VOL. 1. 



ND TASTE, CONSIDERED AS REGARDS 

 AND PRESENT STATE. 



terraces and groves contained fountains, 

 seats, parterres, and banqueting-rooms, 

 and combined the minute beauties of 

 flowers and foliage with masses of shade 

 and extensive prospects. Indeed, most of 

 the elements of a modern architectural 

 garden are clearly alluded to in connec- 

 tion with these ancient ones, if we except 

 the great varieties of flowers and plants. 

 Even in these, however, they were not 

 altogether deficient j for we learn from 

 Xenophon's " Memorab." (lib. v. p. 829,) 

 that " wherever the Persian king Cyrus 

 resides, or whatever place he visits in his 

 dominions, he takes care that the Para- 

 dices [or gardens] shall be filled with 

 everything both beautiful and useful 

 the soil can produce." 



The gardens already noticed must be 

 considered as strictly architectural. The 

 grove of Orontes, described by Strabo as 

 being nine miles in circumference, and 

 in existence in his day, may be regarded 

 as the earliest recorded example of what 

 has in our own time been denominated a 

 park, or a large garden in the picturesque 

 style. We are led to infer this from the 

 description of this garden drawn by Gib- 

 bon in his " Decline and Fall of the 

 Roman Empire," who says it was " com- 

 posed of laurels and cypress, which 

 formed in the most sultry summers a 

 cool and impenetrable shade. A thou- 

 sand streams of the purest water issuing 

 from every hill preserved the verdure of 

 the earth, and the temperature of the 

 air ; the senses were gratified with har- 



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