698 



PICTURESQUE STYLE OF FLOWER-GARDENS. 



done in situations of a different cast. It 

 is in endeavouring to imitate nature that 

 man's littleness appears most conspicuous. 

 A painter can give a pretty good imita- 

 tion of natural subjects on canvass, but it 

 is a different thing for the landscape gar- 

 dener to mould the appearance in reality ; 

 and it is here that we are all at fault, and 

 here some of the most eminent garden 

 artists have fallen into the uttermost 

 absurdities. 



The wildness of nature may be partly 

 softened down, and rendered more conve- 

 nient to man's use and enjoyment, by form- 

 ing walks, foot-paths, building bridges, 

 tunnelling through obstacles, making 

 easy ascents and descents ; enriching the 

 landscape by the introduction of colour, 

 by planting flowering trees and shrubs, 

 providing shade and shelter for himself, 

 by the erection of arbours or covered 

 seats; increasing the magnitude of, or ren- 

 dering more constant, the rippling stream 

 or gurgling cascade ; and giving a greater 

 degree of boldness to the projecting rock, 

 by laying bare more of its surface, or 

 removing from its bottom the fragments 

 which the hand of time has fretted away. 

 Characteristic decorations may be intro- 

 duced, but they should ever be sparingly 

 employed. 



The arrangement of the natural cover- 

 ing of trees and shrubs, as well as those 

 additions deemed necessary to thicken up 

 where they may be required, deserves 

 particular attention. 



In the gardenesque style, we have shown 

 how each tree and shrub should stand 

 distinct and apart. Here the case is 

 different, and we think that in this par- 

 ticular chiefly lies the distinction between 

 that and the picturesque style. In this, 

 the trees, and shrubs, and under-growth 

 should freely mingle with each other, and 

 still produce a broken, irregular, yet per- 

 fect undulating surface, feathering down 

 to the lawn, so that no part of the surface 

 under plantation shall be seen. 



Here, also, less of exotic character 

 should be displayed, excepting in the 

 foreground, where laurels, rhododendrons, 

 &c, may find a place in groups between 

 those of common whin, broom, roses, and 

 similar indigenous plants. The elements 

 to work with in producing a picturesque 

 garden are few ; for, as the Chinese artist 

 says, "Nature affords us but few mate- 



rials to work with. Plants, ground, and 

 water, are her only productions ; and 

 though both the forms and arrangements 

 of these may be varied to an incredible 

 degree, yet they have but few striking 

 varieties, the rest being of the nature of 

 changes rung upon bells, which, though 

 in reality different, still perform the same 

 uniform kind of jingling, the variation 

 being too minute to be easily perceived." 



The elements found on the ground, if 

 judiciously managed, may be considered 

 the amount of man's material in inter- 

 ference with natural objects within the 

 limits of the rough picturesque style. 



In the trivial picturesque, he may 

 soften the natural roughness of the sur- 

 face, make walks of greater breadth, and 

 ease their curves and gradations, intro- 

 duce slight symptoms of keeping in the 

 grass lawns, and indulge in a higher 

 grade of characteristic decorations. 



In the polished or refined picturesque, 

 Plate XXXIII., the surface may be re- 

 duced to smooth and graceful undula- 

 tions, the trees and shrubs be more of 

 exotic kinds, particularly in the fore- 

 grounds, and some order be displayed in 

 their arrangement, such as grouping 

 various species in considerable numbers 

 together, as was so well exemplified by 

 Brown in laying out the grounds at 

 Claremont. The walks should be carried 

 in graceful curves — their sides, when of 

 gravel, parallel ; the grass ones running 

 into slight sinuosities along their mar- 

 gins, and their surface smooth. 



Parterres may be introduced, avoiding, 

 however, all stiff, formal, or geometric 

 figures. Higher keeping should be mani- 

 fested, both in the borders and lawns. 

 Characteristic decorations may be in- 

 dulged in ; and they should be of a more 

 refined and studied character than those 

 admitted into the rough or trivial styles. 

 In fact, in this style the highest grade of 

 keeping is required. 



With regard to the introduction of orna- 

 ments into the polished picturesque style, 

 or objects to be seen at a distance, the 

 former ought to be of the useful, and the 

 latter, upon close inspection, should not 

 turn out to be mere impositions, or " eye- 

 traps," as such deceptions have been 

 termed. " A temple," says F. L. Von 

 Sckell, " consisting only of a facade, a 

 representation of a bridge over which you 



