To lay out a double suburban villa, with green-houses attached.

180. General Arrangement

In order to prevent both the entrances a a in fig. 50. from being seen at once, it requires a considerable projection between them, as shown at b b; or, instead of that projection, a mass of evergreen trees and shrubs. The projection may either be some additional conveniences to each house; or it may be a span-roofed greenhouse, with glass in front and on the sides, and separated by a wall to be covered with evergreens, such as camellias, myrtles, or oranges, as in the plan before us, at c c. Or, to avoid the risk of one of the occupants not paying the same attention to his green-house as the other, then, to insure a good effect from the exterior, and the proper cultivation of the plants, the green-house may be exclusively in the possession of the occupier of one of the houses, though equally looked into from the windows of both of them.

181. The principal object of the possessors of these houses, with reference to their gardens, is supposed to be, as the green-bouse would seem to indicate, ornamental display; for which reason, the ground is principally laid down in grass, and sprinkled with ornamental shrubs and low trees; the latter, as before observed, being indicated by a darker shade than the shrubs, On the supposition that the ground belonging to the adjoining houses is planted with a view to the same object, then the occupiers of the houses shown in fig. 50. should study to introduce species and varieties different from those in the adjoining gardens, but, at the same time, a sufficient number of the same kinds to preserve harmony in the general view of the whole, to a person passing along the street. If we suppose, for a moment, that, in one garden, small select trees, such as thorns, crabs, cypresses, etc, were planted, and in the adjoining garden large rapid-growing forest trees, such as poplars, limes, elms, etc, it must be evident that the contrast in appearance between the two gardens would destroy all unity of effect in the general view of the street; while the shade produced by the large trees of one garden, on the low and more choice kinds in the other, would so materially injure their growth as to prevent them from flowering, or being at all ornamental. "What, then, is to be done," it may be asked, "when a neighbour on the south side of our garden chooses to plant a row of poplars, so as to throw our garden completely into the shade?" All that can be done is, either to plant large coarse trees like our neighbour, or rather still larger and more rapidly-growing ones; or to cultivate Only each trees and shrabs as prosper best in the shade.

Of these, one of the most valuable is the holly, of which there are twenty or thirty varieties, with very distinctly variegated leaves; all of which attain in time the size of trees, and, by the gaiety of their foliage, make a splendid appearance at every season of the year. There are also other varieties of holly which are curious; such as the hedgehog, the myrtle-leaved, and the recurved-leaved holly. Some foreign species of holly, which attain the size of low trees, might also be introduced; such as Ilex opaca and I. madeirensis, both of which thrive better in the shade than in the sun. The yew, of which there are two very distinct sorts, the common and the Irish, will afford two other trees which, like the holly, will thrive better in the shade than in the sun; and to these may be added the box, than which, when planted singly in deep free soil somewhat calcareous, and allowed to take its own natural shape, there is not a more picturesque and beautiful low evergreen tree in the British arboretum. The tree box is picturesque, from its irregular outline, and the varied forms of the masses of its foliage; and it is beautiful from the smooth glossy green of the latter, and the graceful tendency of its lower branches, which recline on the ground.

This tree, when grown in full sunshine, assumes a yellow hue, compared with the rich deep green which it has in the shade; and the same may be said, to a certain extent, both of the yew and the common green holly. Besides the common tree box, the broad-leaved and the myrtle-leaved varieties, and the variegated box, all of which attain the size of low trees, there is the Minorca box, which forms a very handsome tree; and, in addition to these trees, and others which will be found in our list of those that love the shade, there is the common laurel, which may be trained so as to assume the character of a tree, a shrub, or a hedge, at pleasure; and in each capacity there are a denseness and an appearance of comfort and gaiety in its foliage, which render this plant welcome almost everywhere. Few are better adapted for making evergreen screens, either between a front garden and the street, or between two adjoining front gardens. The privet, in like manner, may be trained so as to form a handsome small tree, an ornamental bush, or an evergreen hedge. The common arbutus, of which there are two very distinct varieties, also forms a very handsome low tree.

For shrubs that delight in the shade, it is only necessary to mention the whole families of rhododendrons, azaleas, mezereons, and some of the evergreen daphnes. In the most shady part of the garden, against the walls, where nothing else will grow, the gold and silver ivy will produce a most brilliant effect; but, as both are weaker and more slowly growing plants than the common and the giant ivy, care must be taken that they are not overpowered by these kinds. With respect to rhododendrons, azaleas, mezereons, etc, the different species of these genera, with their varieties, are of themselves enough to fill a shady garden with a display of evergreens in winter, and splendid flowers in summer. We shall not enumerate any other plants adapted for shaded gardens, those above-mentioned being enough to show that the possessor of a garden shaded by the trees of his neighbours, though unable to grow some of the finer kinds of trees, has still ample resources left for ornamenting his grounds. Among herbaceous flowers, there is still more ample choice: for example, in annuals alone, which will grow in the shade better than in the free air, we have only to point to the lists of Californian plants given in this work. (See Index.)