LANDSCAPE GARDENING. The art of arranging trees, shrubs, flowers, and grass, drives and walks, and buildings, in such relation to the natural surroundings of a place and to one an other as to produce pleasing effects. The an cients practiced it, but very little is known about the styles in vogue amono. the different peoples. From the early times of theChristian Era to the thirteenth century the art was mainly practiced in the adornment of walled gar dens of no great size, connected with castle or convent; this because of the insecure state of the open country. Then for several centuries it received special attention from the nobility, espe cially in Italy; and then by the popes in their great villas; later by Louis XIV. at Versailles, and in sonic most magnificent parks around royal castles. To-day it is chiefly employed in adorn ing the parks and cemeteries of cities and the quiet surroundings of individual homes. At. the present time landscape gardening is represented by two very distinct systems or styles, the one known as the geometric or formal style, in which regular forms and exact balance of part with part prevail, and the other opposed to this, with an entire absence of fixed patterns, known as the English or natural style. The English style, which is comparatively recent, received its name on the Continent of Europe from the fact that it is the popular system of landscape gardening in Great Britain. this resulting from the common reservation there of great open parks, with an cient trees and sheep or deer, the whole left in almost complete wildness. The geometric style dates back to the Romans. and evidences of it still exist in Rome in connection with ancient villas. In general, historical data show that in early times the style of landscape gardening was formal, the flower-beds and trees, the alleys and avenues, forming regular geometrical lines and figures. when pleasure grounds were first laid out they exhibited only geometrical forms, with buildings of various kinds, terraces, mounds, artificial hills, lakes, and streams. The hedges, trees, and shrubs were clipped and pruned, and sometimes trimmed into fantastic shapes, such as figures of animals, vases, and the like. This method of trimming. when car ried so far as to give definite shape to trees, is now rarely practiced. It was called topiarian art, and the artist was known as the topiaries. From the time of Charlemagne to the seven teenth century many beautiful parks, all on the formal plan. were laid out in France. but at the close of that period the celebrated French landseape gardener Lentare began the development of what has been called of late the French style. The plan of this system was still geometric, and differed mainly in its application on a larger scale instead of the minute). detail so common in the older gardens. This style adapts itself admirably to palaces and large public buildings. The park at Versailles, in France, is a model of this system and a stand ing monument to Leniltre.
During the second half of the nineteenth cen tury the natural style had almost entirely sup planted the regular or formal in park construc tion and other phases of landscape architecture. In this system the rigorously straight lines and patterned figures are abandoned. The walks are winding and irregular, and the trees ar groups of trees, shrubs, and flowers are scattered in imi tation of natural scenes. Here graceful effects are intended to replace the often stiff regularity of the geometric arrangement. This style also is applicable to small as well as to large grounds. Around residences which have but small grounds it is used in hiding buildings, walls. etc., by
massing the trees and shrubs, lint leaving such breaks in the planting as to enable the passer-by to see the open greensward, which occupies the entire middle portion of the yard. The trees are also arranged with regard to the views from the windows beyond the premises. It is easier, how- ever, to obtain harmony on a large space, and it is under such circumstances that the natural style appears in all its beauty. The vistas, walks, and roadways are all important, and re quire careful consideration. The walks. and drives are generally not supposed to be decora tive, and are made as little apparent as pos sible. The branching of the roads and walks follows graceful curves. the right angle being always avoided. On small grounds the walk usually surrounds a central open grass-plat, with the trees and shrubs on the other side massed into a framework to complete the pic ture. If walks are laid across the lawn, how ever, they are laid sometimes below the level of the grass surface. in order to hide them as much as possible. The use of flowering plants in con nection with this style is confined to natural grouping of different combinations. according to the effects desired. The groups located at a dis tance front the principal points often form large masses of a single bright color, while those near er by represent a mixture of harmonious shades. In all instances the plants are selected with ref erence to the purposes intended. In districts where the general scene exhibits a succesosion of rectangular fields, and where everything has evi dently been reduced to a condition subservient to utility, a greater irregularity gives pleasure, and the eye loves to rest on any portion of the landscape which seems to exhibit the original beauties of nature. The landscape gardener, however, must not attempt an exact imitation of nature, or try to reduce everything to a state of primitive wildness. Like the painter, he must seek to exhibit nature idealized.
The public parks of the United States ex hibit some of the best models of landscape gar dening on a large scale. The cemeteries of near ly all the larger American cities are also de signed to produce pleasing effects in landscape gardening; and as far as such effects can be produced where numberless monumental tributes to the dead must necessarily be conspicuous fea tures of the scene, they are the most beautiful works of their kind in the world.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. The following are the principal Bibliography. The following are the principal American works on this subject: Downing, Trea tise on Landscape Gardening (1S41) ; Cyclo pwdia of .1merico n Horticulture ( New York, 1900-02) ; Bailey, Garden Making (New York, 1900) ; Waugh, Landscape Gardening (New York. 1899) ; Van Rensselaer, Art Out of Doors (New York, 1893); Rose, Lawns and Gardens (New York, 1897) ; Maynard, Landscape Gardening as Applied to Home Decoration (New York, 1899) ; Parsons, Landscape Gardening (New York, 1891) : id., Hoe' to Plant Home Grounds (New York, 1399) ; Platt, Italian Grounds (New York, 1894). Among European works, consult: Rep ton, Obserrotions on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening (London, 1793) ; Robin son, The English flower Garden (London, 1883) ; id.. The Parks, Promenades, and Gardens of Paris (London. 1869) : Jaeger. Lehrbuck der Gartenkunst (Leipzig. 1877) : id., Gartenkunst and Garten, Soast and •etzt (Berlin, 1887) ; .Andre, L'art des jardins (Paris, 1879) ; Am herst, History of Gardening in England (Lon don. 1885). See PARKS; HORTICULTI7RE; LAWN.