A dictionary of modern gardening - University Library

GAR 243 GAR
time ; for though gardens must have
originated soon after man had advanced
beyond the mere nomadic life, yet the
practice of gardening as a fine art, that
is, not merely as a useful occupation,
must necessarily have been of a much
later date. The hanging gardens of
constructed in the palaces in Rome,
and in which, as Pliny says, nature was
counterfeited. But a grotto does not
constitute a garden; and that the Romans
had no fine gardens, in our sense
of the word, is proved by several passages
of their authors, and by the ac-
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Semiramis are reckoned among the counts we have of their gardens. In
wonders of the world ; but that which Pliny's description of his Tuscan villa,
astonishes is not therefore beautiful. we find, indeed, all conveniences— pro-
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Scatlbldmgs, supported by pillars, co- tection against the weather, an agreeavered
with earth, bearing trees, and ble mixture of coolness and warmth ;
artificially watered, are, no doubt, won- but everything beautiful relates merelv
derful ; but we have no reason to sup- to buildings, not to the garden, which,
pose them beautiful. The gardens of with its innumerable figures of box, and
the Persians (paradises'; are called by in its whole disposition, was as tasteless
Xenophon delightful places, fertile and as possible. Ofthe gardens of Lucullus,
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beautiful ; but they seem rather to have Varro says, that they were not remark-
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been places naturally agreeable, with
fruit-trees, flowers, &c., growing spon-
able for flowers and fruits, but for the
paintings of the villa. A fertile soil,
taneously, than gardens artificially laid and a fine prospect from the villas,
outand cultivated. VVhetherthe Greeks, which were generally beautifully situ-
so distinguished in the fine arts, neglectated, seem to have satisfied the Romans.
ed the art of gardening, is a question
not yet decided. The gardens of Alcinoiis
(Odyssey, vii., 112— 132) were
Whatever the art of gardening had i)roduced
among them, was, with every
other trace of refinement, swept away
nothing but well laid out fruit orchards by the barbarians who devastated Italv.
and vineyards, with some flowers. The
grotto of Calypso {Odyssey, v., 63—73)
is more romantic, but probably is not
Charlemagne directed his attention to
this art, but his views did not extend
beyond mere utility. The Troubadours
intended to be described as a work of
art. The common gardens which the
of the middle ages speak of symmetrical
gardens. In Italy, at the time of
Greeks had near their farms, were more the revival of learning, attention was
or less like the gardens of Alcinoiis. again turned towards pleasure gardens,
Attention was paid to the useful and the some of which were so famous, that
agreeable, to culinary plants, fruits, drawings were made of them. They
flowers, shadowing trees and irrigation. may have been very agreeable places,
Shady groves, cool fountains, with some but we have no reason to suppose them
statues, were the only ornaments ofthe to have exhibited much of the skill of
gardens of the philosophers at Athens. the scientific gardener. At a later
The descriptions of gardens in the later period, a new taste in gardening pre-
Greek novelists do not show any great vailed in France. Regularity was car-
progress in the art of gardening in their ried to excess; clipped hedges, alleys
time ; and it would be worth while to laid out in straight lines, flower-beds
inquire, whether the same cause, which tortured into fantastic shapes, trees cut
prevented the cultivation of landscape into the form of pyramids, haystacks,
painting with the ancients, did not also animals, &c., were now the order of
prevent the progress of the art of gardening.
The ancients stood in a differ-
the day.
with the
The gardens corres])ondcd
taste of the time, which disent
relation to nature from the moderns. played itself with the same artificial
The true art of gardening is probably stiffness in dress, architecture and poetconnected
with that element of the ro- ry. Lenotre was the inventor of this
mantic, which has exercised so great an style of French gardening, which, how-
influence on all arts ever since the reever, his successors carried to greater
vival of arts and letters, and, in some excess. Nothing natural was left, and
degree, ever since the Christian era. yet nature was often imitated in arti-
Even the grottoes of the ancients owed ficial rocks, fountains, &c. Only one
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their origin morely to the desire for the thing strikes us
dens
as truly grand in carcoolness
they afforded. Natural grot-
of this sort—the fountains, which
toes led to artificial ones, which were were constructed at great expense.