GA R 
iff, Situation: this ought to be fuch an one as is , 
wholfome, In a place that is neither too high nor 
too low for if a garden be too high; it will be ex- 
pofed to the winds, which are very prejudicial to 
trees , If it be too low, the dampnefs of the ground, 
the vermin, and venomous creatures’ that breed in 
ponds and marfhy places, add much to their infa- 
lubrity. 
A fituation on a rifing ground, or on the fide of a 
hill, is molt happy, especially if the ground be not 
too fteep if the hope be eafy, and in a manner im- 
perceptible ; if a good deal of level may be had near 
the houfe j and if it abounds with fprings of water ; 
for, being flickered from the fury of the winds, and 
the violent heat of the fun, a temperate air will be 
there enjoyed ^ and the water that defcends from the 
top of the hills, either from fprings or rain, will not 
only fupply fountains, canals, and cafcades, for or- 
nament, but when it has performed its office, will 
water the adjacent valleys, and render them fertile 
and wholfome, if it be not fuffered to ftagnate in 
them. v 
Indeed, if the declivity of the hill be too fteep, and 
if the water be too abundant, a garden on the fide of 
it may often fuffer, by having the trees torn up by 
the torrents and floods ; and the earth above tumbling 
down, the walls may be demolifhed, and the walks 
fpoiled. 
It cannot however be denied, that the fituation on a 
plain or flat, has feveral advantages that the higher 
fituation has not : floods and rains make no fpoil ; 
there is a continued profpeft of champaigns, inter- 
fered by rivers, ponds, brooks, meadows and hills, 
covered with buildings or woods ; and the level fur- 
face is lefs tirefome to walk on, and lefs chargeable, 
than that on the fide of a hill •, the terrace-walks and 
ifteps are not neceffary *, but the greateft difadvantage 
of flat gardens is the want of an extenfive profpect, 
which rifing grounds afford. 
sdly. The fecond thing to be confidered in chufing 
a plat for a garden, is a good earth or foil. 
It is fcarce poffible to make a fine garden in a bad 
foil 5 there are indeed ways to meliorate ground, but 
they are very expenfive •, and fometimes, when the 
expence has been bellowed of laying good earth two 
feet deep over.the whole furface, which for a large 
garden is an expence too great for moft perfons ; and 
after this a whole garden has been ruined, notwith- 
ftanding the expofure has been foutherly and health- 
ful, when the roots of the trees have come to reach 
the natural bottom. 
To judge of the quality of the foil, obferve whether 
there be any Heath, Thiftles, or fuch like weeds, 
growing fpontaneoufly in it, for they are certain figns 
that’ the ground is poor. Likewife if there be large 
trees growing thereabouts, obferve whether they grow 
crooked, ill-ftiaped, of a faded green, and full of 
mofs, or infefted with vermin ; if fo, the place is to 
be rejected : but on the contrary, if it be covered 
with good Grafs fit for paflure, then you may be en- 
couraged to try the depth of the foil. 
To know this dig holes in feveral places, fix feet wide 
and four feet deep •, if you find three feet of good 
earth it will do well, but lefs than two will not be 
fufficient. 
The quality of good ground is neither to be ftony, 
nor too hard to work •, neither too dry, nor too moift ; 
nor too fandy and light, nor too ftrong and clayey, 
which is the worft of all for gardens, 
gdly. The third requifite is water. The want of this 
is one of the greateft Inconveniencies that can attend 
a garden, and will bring a certain mortality upon 
Whatever is planted in it, efpecially in the greater 
droughts that often happen in a hot and dry fituation 
in fummef ; befides the ufefulnefs of it in fine gardens, 
for making jets d’eau, canals, cafcades, &c. which 
are the greateft ornaments of a garden. 
4thly, The fourth thing required in a good fituation 
is, the view and profpeft of a fine country ; ■ and 
though this is not fo absolutely neceffary as water, yet 
GAR 
it is one of the moft agreeable 'beauties' of a fine gar- 
den : befides, if a. garden be planted in a low place 
that is buried, as I may fay, and has no kind of prof- 
pe£t, it will be not only diiagreeable But unwholfome, 
by being too much ftiaded arid obfcurec! ; as the trees 
will rather retain infalubrious damps, than communi- 
cate the refreshing air, that is fo purifying to vege- 
table nature. 
In fhort, a garden neceffarily requires (befides the 
care of the gardener) the fun, a good foil, a full, or 
at lead an open pro Ip eft, and water, the laft hbove 
all ; and it would be egregious folly to plant a garden 
where any of thefe are wanting. 
Of the Defigrting or Manner of Laying out a Plea- 
fure Garden. 
The area of a handfome garden may take u o thirty 
O J i J 
or forty acres, not more. 
And as for the difpofition and diftriborion of this 
garden, the following directions may be obferved, 
i ft. There ought always to be a defcent from the 
houfe to the garden not fewer than three Heps, but if 
there are fix or feven it will be better. This elevation 
of the building will make it more dry and whoifome, 
alfo from the head of thefe fteps there will be a far- 
ther profpect or view of the garden. 
In a fine garden, the fir it thing that fir quid prefent 
itfelf to the fight, fhould be an open lawn, of Grafs, 
which, in fize, fhould be proportionable to the gar- 
den •, in a large garden it fhould not be lefs than Tut 
or eight acres ^ but in middling or final! gardens, the 
width of it fnould be confiderably more than the 
front of the houfe •, and if the depth be one half 
more than the width, it v/ill have a better effect. The 
figure of this lawn need not be regular - , and if on the 
fides there are trees planted irregularly, by way of 
open grove, fome of which may be planted forwarder 
upon the lawn than the others, whereby the regularity 
of the lawn v/ill be broken, it will render it more 
like nature, the beauties of which fhould always be 
ftudied in the laying out and planting of gardens 5 
for the nearer thefe gardens approach to nature, the 
longer they will pleale *, for what is a garden, but a 
natural fpot of ground drefled and properly orna- 
mented ? there are thole who have erred in copying 
of what they call nature, as much as thole who have 
drawn a whole garden into ftrait lines, great alleys, 
ftars, &c. by bringing the rougheft and molt deformed 
part of nature into their compofiticns of gardens: as 
for inltance, where the ground has been naturally 
level, they have at great expence, made hollows and 
raifed mole-hills •, fo that the turf has been rendered 
not only more unpleafant to walk upon, but much 
worfe to keep : and after all the pains that have been 
taken to ape nature, the whole is as eafiiy discovered 
to be the work of art, as the ftiffeft Hopes and the 
moft finiflied parterres. 
The great art in laying out of gardens, is to adapt 
the feveral parts to the natural petition of the ground, 
fo as to have as little earth to remove as poffible •, for 
this is often one of the greateft expences in making 
of gardens j and it may with truth be affirmed, that 
wherever this has been practifed, nine times in ten 
it has proved for the worfe ^ lo that if iaftead of le- 
velling hills to form large terraces, ftiff fiopes, and 
even parterres, as have been too often practifed •, or 
the finking of hollows, and railing of hills, as hath 
by others been done ; if the furface of the ground 
had only been fmoothed and well turfed, it would 
have had a much better effect, and been more ge- 
nerally approved than the greateft number of thefe 
gardens, which have been made with an infinite ex- 
pence both of time and money. 
The next thing to be obferved is, to contrive a dry 
walk, which fhould lead quite round the whole gar- 
den •, for as gardens are defignecl to promote the ex- 
ercife of walking, the greater the extent of this dry 
walk, the better it will anfwer the intent *, 'fince In 
bad weather, or in dewy mornings' and evenings,. 
when 
