CHAPTER XVI. 



TOWN AND SMALL SUBURBAN GARDENS. 



Villa gardens, as connected with plants 

 and flowers, must ever be considered as 

 possessing extremely varied characters, 

 on account of the different tastes, require- 

 ments, and accommodation possessed by 

 their owners. One, for example, has his 

 garden a complete compound of zoology 

 and botany ; another has his filled with 

 the latest introductions from all parts of 

 the world, and prizes as much a new 

 species of nettle from the back of the 

 Andes as a neighbouring lady does her 

 collection of roses, tulips, and ranuncu- 

 luses ; while a fourth concentrates his 

 whole floral hope on watching with in- 

 tense anxiety the opening bud of a seed- 

 ling camellia, and would not be prevailed 

 upon to look over his garden wall to see 

 the untiring energy of one who grows 

 leeks and rhubarb, the stems of which 

 are nearly as large as his own body. So 

 varied are the tastes of humanity, that 

 it is a most difficult task to handle the 

 subject of villa gardens in such a way 

 as to afford the hope of being of much 

 advantage to all. 



We have, at page 22 of this work, 

 given some general hints on the forma- 

 tion and disposal of villa gardens of the 

 higher class — that is to say, if size is the 

 scale by which we are to estimate their 

 merits. This, however, is, we believe, 

 not the true standard by which they 

 should be measured; for we know of 

 some of very limited extent, which to us 

 appear the very beau-ideal of perfection 

 both in arrangement and management. 

 In one we visited lately, artistic taste has 

 been made to bear on even the most 

 minute details. Statuary of the highest 

 cast is therein exhibited, the parterres 

 are arranged with scrupulous attention 



to the harmony both of form and colour, 

 and the very wire-trellising which covers 

 the windows of the drawing-room, which 

 look out into the conservatory, is so ex- 

 quisitely coloured and designed, that at 

 first sight, from within, we thought we 

 had before us a style of painted win- 

 dows we had never before seen. This, 

 however, is the work of one who has 

 distinguished himself more than any 

 other in Scotland in the decorative art, 

 and who is the author of some interesting 

 works on the laws of harmonious colour- 

 ing. 



Another, under the management of a 

 most amiable lady, contains a rich selec- 

 tion of very choice plants, both hardy 

 and tender. From a very splendid draw- 

 ing-room a door enters on an upstairs con - 

 servatory with a span-roof and pavilion 

 end, from which access is gained to it for 

 the gardener, and for the moving out or 

 in of the plants. Here the plants brought 

 from the other houses are introduced 

 just as they are coming into flower, 

 which, together with the situation of the 

 conservatory, is in exact accordance both 

 with utility and good taste. From an 

 ante-room on the ground floor a French 

 window opens into a greenhouse, and at 

 a short distance from it, in a sheltered 

 corner, stands a small hothouse contain- 

 ing orchids, tropical ferns, and various 

 fine-flowering stove plants. Making a 

 short detour through the garden, which 

 is chiefly laid down on gravel with geome- 

 trical figures, planted some with mixtures 

 of the most choice herbaceous plants and 

 bulbs, while others are filled in the group- 

 ing manner, we come to a large house 

 filled with camellias and other flowering 

 plants, while vines are trained up the 



