52 GARDENS IN THE MAKING 



will be as attractive as the miserable cast ornament 

 had been repulsive. It is not that cast-iron is 

 unsusceptible of charming treatment in the right 

 place, but there are many reasons for excluding it 

 from garden architecture. On the other hand, 

 wrought-iron is a ready ally in our garden schemes ; 

 it is increased in beauty when near to masses of 

 foliage or flowers, and its fanciful lines of sombre 

 colour allow us to see beyond them and even invite 

 our view. 



The character of the grounds into which the 

 entrance leads will have largely to determine for us 

 our treatment of the entrance itself. If we have 

 perforce to go straight into a garden from the road, 

 it becomes merely a question of choice between the 

 many types of gates and archways which we shall 

 discuss later. The chief consideration in such cases 

 is generally to prevent too much publicity, and the 

 arched opening in a high wall or hedge will appear 

 almost the sole alternative to a solid doorway. In 

 the latter case there are many quite simple and 

 attractive methods by which the entrance can be 

 marked and an architectural compensation provided 

 for the loss of prospect within. The solid door 



