We must confess that it is sometimes a matter of difficulty to determine when a flower-garden should be laid out immediately in front of a house, so as to form a foreground to the distant scenery, and when it ought to be concealed or disguised. In general, this must be determined from the natural expression of the situation, and the views. When these are of a decidedly marked character, and make a strong and elevating impression on the mind, the introduction of a flower-garden in the foreground will interfere with this impression, and ought therefore to be avoided, or introduced in such a manner as to be altogether subordinate to the natural features; but, on the other hand, when these features are bad or tame, and comparatively uninteresting, a flower-garden judiciously introduced will create an interest which was naturally wanting. For example, when the foreground is a flat or even surface, with little to vary it except trees and shrubs, and when there is no strongly marked feature in the middle distance, then beds of flowers, and flowering shrubs, form a valuable resource, and may render a naturally dull place gay and interesting.
