. The art of landscape gardening. garden, except where it isannexed to the house, should not be visible from theroads or general walks about the place. It may there-fore be of a character totally different from the rest ofthe scenery, and its decorations should be as muchthose of art as of nature. The flower-garden at Nuneham,^^ without beingformal, is highly enriched, but not too much crowdedwith seats, temples, statues, vases, or other ornaments,which, being works of art, beautifully harmonize withthat profusion of flowers and curious plants whichdistinguish the flower-garden from natural la
. The art of landscape gardening. garden, except where it isannexed to the house, should not be visible from theroads or general walks about the place. It may there-fore be of a character totally different from the rest ofthe scenery, and its decorations should be as muchthose of art as of nature. The flower-garden at Nuneham,^^ without beingformal, is highly enriched, but not too much crowdedwith seats, temples, statues, vases, or other ornaments,which, being works of art, beautifully harmonize withthat profusion of flowers and curious plants whichdistinguish the flower-garden from natural landscape,although the walks are not in straight lines. But at Valley Field, where the flower-garden is infront of a long wall, the attempt to make the scenenatural would be affected; and, therefore, as two greatsources of interest in a place are variety and contrast,the only means by which these can be introduced are inthis flower-garden, which, as a separate object, becomesa sort of episode to the general and magnificent Theory and Practice 145 The river being everywhere else a lively stream, rat-tling and foaming over a shallow bed of rock or gravel,a greater contrast will arise from a smooth expanse ofwater in the flower-garden: to produce this must bea work of art, and, therefore, instead of leading an openchannel from the river to supply it or making it appeara natural branch of that river, I recommend that thewater should pass underground, with regulating sluicesor shuttles to keep it always at the same height. Thusthe canal will be totally detached from the river andbecome a distinct object, forming the leading feature ofthe scene to which it belongs; a scene purely artificial,where a serpentine canal would be as incongruous asa serpentine garden-wall or a serpentine bridge; and,strange as it may appear, I have seen such absurditiesintroduced, to avoid natures supposed abhorrence ofa straight line. The banks of this canal or fish-pondmay be enriched with borders
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