142 



A DISCOURSE 



BOOK I. Being planted in small fosses or trenches, at half a foot interval, and in 

 '^'^^^'^^ the single row, it makes the noblest and stateliest hedge for long walks in 

 gardens or parks, of any tree whatsoever, whose leaves are deciduous, and 

 forsake their branches in winter, because it grows tall, and so sturdy, as not 

 to be wronged by the winds ; besides, it will furnish to the very foot of the 

 stem, and flourishes with a glossy and polished verdure, which is exceed- 

 ingly delightful, of long continuance, and, of all other, (the harder woods,) 

 the speediest grower, maintaining a slender upright stem, which does 

 not come to be bare and sticky in many years. It has yet this (shall I 

 call it) infirmity, that, keeping on its leaves till new ones thrust them off, 

 it is clad in russet all the winter long. That admirable espalier hedge in 

 the long middle walk of the Luxembourg Garden at Paris, than which 

 there is nothing more graceful, is planted of this tree ; and so is that 

 cradle, or close walk, with that perplexed canopy which lately covered the 

 seat in his Majesty's garden at Hampton-Court; and, as now I hear, 

 they are planted in perfection at New-park, the delicious villa of the 

 noble earl of Rochester, belonging once to a near kinsman of mine, who 

 parted with it to King Charles the First of blessed memory. These 

 hedges are tonsile ; but, where they are maintained to fifteen or twenty 

 feet height, which is very frequent in the places before mentioned, they 

 are to be cut, and kept in order with a sithe of four feet long, and very 

 little falcated ; this is fixed on a long sneed, or straight handle, and does 

 wonderfully expedite the trimming of these and the like hedges. An 

 oblong square, palisadoed with this plant, or the Flemish Ornus, as is 

 that I am going to describe, and may be seen in that inexhaustible ma- 

 gazine at Brompton-park, (cultivated by those two industrious fellow- 

 sardeners, Mr. London and Mr. Wise,) affords such an umhraculum 

 frondium, the most natural, proper station, and convenience for the pro- 

 tection of our Orange-trees, Myrtles, and other rare Perennials and 

 Exotics, from the scorching darts of the sun, and heat of summer ; 

 placing the cases, pots, &c. under this shelter, when either at their first 

 peeping out of the winter conclave, or during the increasing heat of the 

 summer, they are so ranged and disposed, as to adorn a noble area of a 

 most magnificent paradisian dining-room, to the top of Hortulan pomp 

 and bliss, superior to all the artificial furniture of the greatest prince's 

 court. Here the Indian Narcissus, Tuberoses, Japan Lilies, Jasmines, 

 Jonquills, Periclimena, Roses, Carnations, with all the pride of the par- 

 terre, intermixt between the tree-cases, flowery vases, busts, and statues, 



