The seuerall situations of mens dwellings, are for the most part vnauoideable and vnremoueable; for most men cannot appoint forth such a manner of situation for their dwelling, as is most fit to auoide all the inconueniences of winde and weather, but must bee content with such as the place will afford them; yet all men doe well know, that some situations are more excellent than others: according therfore to the seuerall situation of mens dwellings, so are the situations of their gardens also for the most part. And although diuers doe diuersly preferre their owne seuerall places which they haue chosen, or wherein they dwell; As some those places that are neare vnto a riuer or brooke to be best for the pleasantnesse of the water, the ease of transportation of themselues, their friends and goods, as also for the fertility of the soyle, which is seldome bad neare vnto a riuers side; And others extoll the side or top of an hill, bee it small or great, for the prospects sake; And againe, some the plaine or champian ground, for the euen leuell thereof: euery one of which, as they haue their commodities accompanying them, so haue they also their discommodities belonging vnto them, according to the Latine Prouerbe, Omne commodum fert suum incommodum. Yet to shew you for euerie of these situations which is the fittest place to plant your garden in, and how to defend it from the iniuries of the cold windes and frosts that may annoy it, will, I hope, be well accepted. And first, for the water side, I suppose the North side of the water to be the best side for your garden, that it may haue the comfort of the South Sunne to lye vpon it and face it, and the dwelling house to bee aboue it, to defend the cold windes and frosts both from your herbes, and flowers, and early fruits. And so likewise I iudge for the hill side, that it may lye full open to the South Sunne, and, the house aboue it, both for the comfort the ground shall receiue of the water and raine descending into it, and of defence from winter and colds. Now for the plaine leuell ground, the buildings of the house should be on the North side of the garden, that so they might bee a defence of much sufficiency to safeguard it from many iniurious cold nights and dayes, which else might spoyle the pride thereof in the bud. But because euery one cannot so appoint his dwelling, as I here appoint the fittest place for it to be, euery ones pleasure thereof shall be according to the site, cost, and endeauours they bestow, to cause it come nearest to this proportion, by such helpes of bricke or stone wals to defend it, or by the helpe of high growne and well spread trees, planted on the North side thereof, to keepe it the warmer. And euery of these three situations, hauing the fairest buildings of the house facing the garden in this manner before specified, besides the benefit of shelter it shall haue from them, the buildings and roomes abutting thereon, shall haue reciprocally the beautifull prospect into it, and haue both sight and sent of whatsoeuer is excellent, and worthy to giue content out of it, which is one of the greatest pleasures a garden can yeeld his Master. Now hauing shewed you the best place where this your garden should be, let me likewise aduise you where it should not be, at least that it is the worst place wherein it may be, if it be either on the West or East side of your house, or that it stand in a moorish ground, or other vnwholsome ayre (for many, both fruits, herbes, and flowers that are tender, participate with the ayre, taking in a manner their chiefest thriuing from thence) or neare any common Lay-stalles, or common Sewers, or else neare any great Brew-house, Dye-house, or any other place where there is much smoake, whether it be of straw, wood, or especially of sea-coales, which of all other is the worst, as our Citie of London can giue proofe sufficient, wherein neither herbe nor tree will long prosper, nor hath done euer since the vse of sea-coales beganne to bee frequent therein. And likewise that it is much the worse, if it bee neare vnto any Barnes or Stackes of corne or hey, because that from thence will continually with the winde bee brought into the garden the strawe and chaffe of the corne, the dust and seede of the hey to choake or pester it. Next vnto the place or situation, let mee shew you the grounds or soyles for it, eyther naturall or artificiall. No man will deny, but the naturall blacke mould is not only the fattest and richest, but farre exceedeth any other either naturall or artificiall, as well in goodnesse as durability. And next thereunto, I hold the sandy loame (which is light and yet firme, but not loose as sand, nor stiffe like vnto clay) to be little inferiour for this our Garden of pleasure; for that it doth cause all bulbous and tuberous rooted plants to thriue sufficiently therein, as likewise all other flower-plants, Roses, Trees, &c. which if it shall decay by much turning and working out the heart of it, may soone be helped with old stable manure of horses, being well turned in, when it is old and almost conuerted to mould. Other grounds, as chalke, sand, grauell, or clay, are euery of them one more or lesse fertill or barren than other; and therefore doe require such helpes as is most fit for them. And those grounds that are ouer dry, loose, and dustie, the manure of stall fedde beasts and cattell being buried or trenched into the earth, and when it is thorough rotten (which will require twice the time that the stable soyle of horses will) well turned and mixed with the earth, is the best soyle to temper both the heate and drinesse of them. So contrariwise the stable dung of horses is the best for cold grounds, to giue them heate and life. But of all other sorts of grounds, the stiffe clay is the very worst for this purpose; for that although you should digge out the whole compasse of your Garden, carry it away, and bring other good mould in the stead thereof, and fill vp the place, yet the nature of that clay is so predominant, that in a small time it will eate out the heart of the good mould, and conuert it to its owne nature, or very neare vnto it: so that to bring it to any good, there must bee continuall labour bestowed thereon, by bringing into it good store of chalke, lime, or sand, or else ashes eyther of wood or of sea-coales (which is the best for this ground) well mixed and turned in with it. And as this stiffe clay is the worst, so what ground soeuer commeth nearest vnto the nature thereof, is neared vnto it in badnesse, the signes whereof are the ouermuch moysture thereof in Winter, and the much cleaning and chapping thereof in Summer, when the heate of the yeare hath consumed the moysture, which tyed and bound it fast together, as also the stiffe and hard working therein: but if the nature of the clay bee not too stiffe, but as it were tempered and mixed with sand or other earths, your old stable soyle of horses will helpe well the small rifting or chapping thereof, to be plentifully bestowed therin in a fit season. Some also do commend the casting of ponds and ditches, to helpe to manure these stiffe chapping grounds. Other grounds, that are ouermoist by springs, that lye too neare the vpper face of the earth, besides that the beds thereof had need to be laid vp higher, and the allies, as trenches and furrowes, to lye lower, the ground it selfe had neede to haue some good store of chalke-stones bestowed thereon, some certaine yeares, if it may be, before it be laid into a Garden, that the Winter frosts may breake the chalke small, and the Raine dissolue it into mould, that so they may bee well mixed together; than which, there is not any better manure to soyle such a moist ground, to helpe to dry vp the moysture, and to giue heate and life to the coldnesse thereof, which doth alwayes accompany these moist grounds, and also to cause it abide longer in heart than any other. For the sandy and grauelly grounds, although I know the well mollified manure of beasts and cattell to be excellent good, yet I know also, that some commend a white Marle, and some a clay to be well spread thereon, and after turned thereinto: and for the chalkie ground, è conuerso, I commend fatte clay to helpe it. You must vnderstand, that the lesse rich or more barren that your ground is, there needeth the more care, labour, and cost to bee bestowed thereon, both to order it rightly, & so to preserue it from time to time: for no artificiall or forc’t ground can endure good any long time, but that within a few yeares it must be refreshed more or lesse, according as it doth require. Yet you shall likewise vnderstand, that this Garden of pleasure stored with these Out-landish flowers; that is, bulbous and tuberous rooted plants, and other fine flowers, that I haue hereafter described, and assigned vnto it, needeth not so much or so often manuring with soyle, &c. as another Garden planted with the other sorts of English flowers, or a Garden of ordinary Kitchin herbes doth. Your ground likewise for this Garden had neede to bee well cleansed from all annoyances (that may hinder the well doing or prospering of the flowers therein) as stones, weedes, rootes of trees, bushes, &c. and all other things cumbersome or hurtfull; and therefore the earth being not naturally fine enough of it selfe, is vsed to bee fitted to make it the finer, and that either through a hurdle made of sticks, or lathes, or through square or round sieues platted with fine and strong thin stickes, or with wyers in the bottome. Or else the whole earth of the Garden being course, may be cast in the same manner that men vse to try or fine sand from grauell, that is, against a wall; whereby the courser and more stony, falling downe from the fine, is to be taken away from the foote of the heape, the finer sand and ground remaining still aboue, and on the heape. Or else in the want of a wall to cast it against, I haue seene earth fined by it selfe in this manner: Hauing made the floore or vpper part of a large plat of ground cleane from stones, &c. let there a reasonable round heape of fine earth be set in the midst thereof, or in stead thereof a large Garden flowerpot, or other great pot, the bottome turned vpwards, and then poure your course earth on the top or head thereof, one shouell full after another somewhat gently, and thereby all the course stuffe and stones will fall downe to the bottome round about the heape, which must continually be carefully taken away, and thus you may make your earth as fine as if it were cast against a wall, the heape being growne great, seruing in stead thereof. Those that will not prepare their grounds in some of these manners aforesaid, shall soone finde to their losse the neglect thereof: for the trash and stones shall so hinder the encrease of their roots, that they will be halfe lost in the earth among the stones, which else might be saued to serue to plant wheresoeuer they please.