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THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
One might as well attempt to build a cathedral without foundation, as to lay 
out a garden without reference to first principles. In former days the mantle 
of landscape gardening fell on the shoulders of few, but in these later times 
its supporters are much more numerous. We would, therefore, advise the 
amateur who contemplates laying out the grounds of a villa, not to trust too 
much to his own knowledge of the subject, but to call in the assistance of a 
landscape gardener; let him furnish a plan and specification, if no more. 
We will now give to the amateur what we think and believe to be the 
principal objects to which his attention should be directed; with the more 
particular objects of each place it will be best for the landscape gardener to 
deal. We will, therefore, suppose that we have a third or fourth-rate suburban 
villa to deal with—(when I say suburban, I mean so with regard to any large 
town)—and that it is an isolated building. Let the proprietor visit it in com¬ 
pany with a landscape gardener, and let him suggest such trees and groups of 
trees as he thinks necessary, not forgetting a Cedar of Lebanon, Deodar, and 
Walnut, the last of which is, when old, one of the most beautiful objects in 
nature. To these may be added such trees as tend to harmonise the place 
with its surrounding scenery. The rooms on the ground floor, at the back of 
the house, will probably be used as a drawing-room and best parlour, and, 
therefore, there should be a small terrace outside of the windows, filled with 
Flora’s gems. From this we will suppose the ground to slope gently away; 
and here we would form a pleasure-ground, keeping the large-growing and 
ponderous trees on the outside, and filling up our Strawberry-borders with such 
things as Lilacs, Almonds, double scarlet Thorns, white Thorns, double Furze. 
Syringas, Laburnums, Rhododendrons, Azaleas, and Ribes sanguineum, making 
up the salient angles of our borders with groups of Scarlet or other Thorn, 
and introducing upright forms, as the Cypress, red Cedar, &c., in contrast with 
the vegetation of the country, which, we presume, we should see beyond our 
garden, by preserving its centre free from spot or fritter. We should be very 
particular in not dotting any flowers on the surface of this lawn, for the reasons 
before named; and we think that the colour placed by the drawing-room 
window will be very telling, and contribute to form a perfect whole, as seen in 
connection with the lawn, which, if disfigured by little spots and morsels of 
colour, would only appear to be a thing of “ shreds and patches.” 
The kitchen garden would naturally follow the pleasure ground, in the 
slope; but we think if it could be otherwise arranged it would be better. The 
flower garden, bordered by sylvan and rural scenery, would be very pretty; 
but we think there would be a discrepancy in looking over this as a whole, and 
should prefer, if we could, to find another situation in which to place it. The 
bare dug-up quarters, in the winter would not look well from the house, nor 
would the military drill of Scarlet Runners and tall Peas enhance the view to 
the picturesque admirer. 
Supposing the amateur to be a florist he had better have his beds for 
flower culture in the kitchen garden; but he might form a pattern for his 
rosarium in his pleasure ground, taking care not to dot it all over with standard 
Roses, as is too generally done. The Rose is a beautiful flower, but a lawn 
decorated with a quantity of standards, of inverted, mop-like form, is most 
ugly and monotonous. We never remember to have been struck with this as 
we were on seeing the celebrated garden made by the great gardening Duke of 
Marlborough, at Blenheim. The spot of ground was lovely—a steep bank, 
sloping to a glorious lake, studded with the gigantic stems of Oaks, which had 
been tenants of the royal forest of Woodstock; but here, beautiful as were 
the Roses, the effect was forlorn, as they destroyed all the breadth which gave 
such magnificent effect to the noble trunks of the trees. The Duke was 
