tion, which should not he driven from their proper 
places because a closer adherence to nature points 
out the absurdity of their universal adoption. 
Gardening, as is truly said by a writer in the 
Edinburgh Encyclopiedia “is an imitative art, like 
painting or poetry, and is governed by the same 
laws. The ancient style is an inventive and mixed 
art, like architecture, and governed by the same 
principles. The beauties which architecture and 
geometric gardening aimed at, were those of art 
and utility, in which art was every where avowed. 
The modern style of gardening, and the arts of 
poetry and painting, imitate nature; and, in doing 
so, the art employed is studiously concealed. 
Those arts, therefore, can never be compared, whose 
means are so different; and to say that landscape 
gardening is an improvement on geometric gar- 
dening, is a similar misapplication of language, as 
to say that a lawn is an improvement of a corn- 
field, because it is substituted in its place. It is 
absurd, therefore, to despise the ancient style, be- 
cause it has not the same beauties as the modern, 
to which it never aspired. It has beauties of a 
different kind, equally perfect in their manner as 
those of the modern style, and equally desirable 
under certain circumstances. The question, there- 
fore, is not, whether we shall admit occasional 
specimens of obsolete gardening, for the sake of 
antiquity, but whether we shall admit specimens 
of a different style from that in general use, but 
equally perfect in its kind.” 
The Crucianella stylosa flowers during several 
months of the year. May be increased by division. 
Don’s Syst. Bot. 3, 641. 
