80G 



THE rUACTICAL gakl)i:nek. 



It is also a matter of iiTi})ortance that they be planted thickly, 

 as it is an easy task to thin them out when required. Little 

 taste has generally been displayed in the formation of shrub- 

 beries, as to the production of picturesque beauty ; they are 

 planted too generally in the form of sloping banks, without the 

 least natural beauty whatever, and although in this way they 

 may answer the purpose of blinding out disagreeable objects, 

 they become of themselves objects of little merit when seen 

 even from their best side. 



Great attention should be paid in their planting, to give 

 them a somewhat natural appearance, and not that of a sur- 

 face as regular as if they were clipped with the garden shears. 

 Straight lines should also be avoided as much as possible, 

 and the margin of the shrubbery should be broken with deep 

 indentures or sinuosities, and these should be neatly turfed 

 over and kept mown. The walks which lead through this de- 

 partment should not be to any great distance in a straight line, 

 if it can be avoided, neither should they be too much twisted. 

 There is something in a fine gentle sweep or curve so pleasing 

 in a road or walk, that few are insensible of its beauty. The 

 breadth of the walks should be regulated according to the 

 length and scale of the place, as too narrow walks for prin- 

 cipal ones have never a good effect; they should scarcely, 

 under any circumstance, be less than five feet wide, and un- 

 less for terrace-walks of great length, should not be more than 

 eight ; if of greater breadth, they assume the appearance of a 

 carriage-drive, and if narrower, they dwindle in appearance to 

 a mere footpath. 



By combining the more distant parts of the gi'ounds with the 

 lawn and house, by means of shrubberies, much may be done, 

 if executed with judgment. Space does not always give the 

 idea of grandeur, for a limited sphere is often better adapted 

 to the display of ornament and beauty. By good manage- 

 ment, a small strip of ground may be varied, by taking advan- 

 tage of the inequality of the ground (if any), or if it be a level 

 and monotonous spot, art can readily step forward and assist 

 by raising banks, sinking the walks, and planting shrubs in 

 thick masses, chiefly of evergreen species, and conducting the 

 walks in the most circuitous manner, so as not to intersect 



