370 
LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 
Loudon objects to it in the case of an elegant sculp- 
tured vase, “because it is reducing a work of art to the 
level of a mere garden dower-pot, and dividing the 
attention between the beauty of the form of the vase 
and of its sculptured ornaments, and that of the plant 
which it contains. 5 ’ This criticism is a just one in its 
general application, especially when vases 
are considered as architectural decorations. 
Occasional deviations, however, may be per- 
mitted, for the sake of producing variety, 
especially in the case of vases used as deco- 
rations in the flower-garden. 
A very pretty and fanciful substitute for 
the sculptured vase, and which may take its 
nlace in the picturesque landscape, may be 
found in vases or baskets of rustic work , con- [Fig. 67 .] 
structed of the branches and sections of trees with the 
bark attached. Figure 68 is a re- 
presentation of a pleasing rustic vase 
which we have constructed without 
Pip difficulty. A tripod of branches of trees 
forms the pedestal. An octagonal box 
serves as the body or frame of the vase ; 
on this, pieces of birch and hazel (small 
[Fig. 68.] split limbs covered with the bark) are 
nailed closely, so as to form a sort of mosaic covering to the 
whole exterior. Ornaments of this kind, which may be 
made by the amateur with the assistance of a common 
carpenter, are very suitable for the decoration of the 
grounds and flower-gardens of cottages or picturesque 
villas. An endless variety of forms will occur to an 
