GROVE, in Gardening, a small wood impervious to the rays of the sun. Groves have in all ages been held in great veneration. The proseucha, and high places of the Jews, whither they resorted for the purposes of devotion, were probably situated in groves (see Joshua, xxiv. 26). The proseucha in Alexandria, mentioned by Philo, had groves about them; for he complains that the Alexandrians, in a tumult against the Jews, cut down the trees of their proseucha. The ancient Romans had groves near several of their temples, which were consecrated to some god, and, as Cicero alleges, called luci, by antiphrasis, a non lucendo, as being shady and dark. The veneration which the ancient Druids had for groves is well known. Modern groves are not only ornaments to gardens, but also afford shelter from the heat of the sun.
Groves are of two sorts, either open or close. Open groves are those which have large shady trees, standing at such distances that their branches approach so near to each other as to prevent the rays of the sun from penetrating through them. Close groves have frequently large trees standing in them; but the ground under these is filled with shrubs or underwood, and the walks are private and screened from winds; by which means they are rendered agreeable for walking, at times when the air is either too hot or too cold in the more exposed parts of the garden. These are often contrived so as to bound the open groves, and frequently to hide the walls or other enclosures of the garden; and when they are properly laid out, with dry walks winding through them, and on the
sides of these sweet-smelling shrubs and flowers irregularly planted, they have a charming effect.