218 
GARDEN ARCHITECTURE. 
feet wide by ten high, and formed of seven-eighth inch round bar-iron. 
The arches are Saxon gothic, and from the top of each proceeds a 
slight copper wire, to the summit of a pole placed in the centre of the 
circle, and about thirty feet in height; so that as now described, the 
whole presents the appearance of a skeleton circular pavilion of arches, 
covered by a tent-like roof of the wire festoons. All the arches are 
thickly covered with climbing plants of strong rapid growth, which pro¬ 
ceed along the wires to the topmost part of the pole. Many of those 
are climbing roses, and the exterior appearance of the whole, covered 
with a profuse variety of luxuriant climbers, interlacing and mingling 
their flowers and foliage, is exceedingly imposing. 
The interior is an arbour of great magnitude, covered not so closely 
as everywhere absolutely to shut out the sun, but so closely as to 
render it always shady and agreeable. In the centre, a cooling fountain, 
from a group of nymphs supporting the pole, send forth four jets 
d’eau, which drop with delicious murmurs into a marble basin. 
The closely-shaven turf comes about ten feet inside the arches, 
where its edge is cut, and between that and the basin is covered with a 
fine tawny sand, with an apparently confused, but really symmetrical 
arrangement of marble pedestals, seats, and great vases, with flowering 
plants in them placed upon it. During the summer, a vase with a rare 
flowering plant is placed under each of the external arches, except four, 
which serve as entrances. 
The entire effect is very good. This may be considered as one of the 
best specimens of the artificial bower of the present day. 
The skeleton of arbours in this, or in the old Italian or French style 
(fig. 5.), may be formed of wood, painted (the latter generally were so), 
or of metallic rods, which, when of a large size, may be of wrought or 
cast iron, and when small, of iron, or still better of copper wire. In 
our climate, where the ground-work or skeleton of an arbour may be 
kept always covered, the object should be, as much as possible, to con¬ 
ceal the artful contrivance of treillage, &c. by painting it green or 
brown, or ash-bark-grey. Where it is not desirable to conceal the 
treillage, white is the colour which best contrasts with the foliage, &c. 
We shall now give a list of some plants which are peculiarly appli¬ 
cable to the covering of arbours in our climate. 
Vinca major, five varieties 
Caprifolium, all the varieties 
Lonicera implexa, and many species 
Atragene Austriaca 
Americana 
Sibirica 
Vitis labrusca 
~~~ laciniosa 
odoratissima 
~~v. rotundifolia 
—~ arborea 
.—. blanda 
