32 THE BOOK OF GARDEN DESIGN 



that these should be made a distinctive feature. Stone 

 flags look extremely well, much better, in fact, than 

 cobbles, which are tiring to walk upon. Dressed stone 

 is expensive, but it is often possible to obtain suitable 

 material at fairly cheap rates from the town authorities 

 who have the disposal of old street pavements. Terrace 

 walks are necessarily both formal and artificial, and 

 remarks as to natural levels have no application where 

 they are concerned. A fair width is advisable, but care 

 must be taken that the house itself is not dwarfed by 

 an undue expanse of terracing. If different levels are 

 attempted, steps should be employed to give access from 

 one to the other ; a sloping path is quite out of place in 

 a terrace scheme. I do not care for the practice of 

 working in different coloured materials to form a mosaic ; 

 there should be sufficient variety, both of colour and 

 form, in the living contents of the garden, without having 

 to face the necessity for embellishments in stone and 

 brick. 



When contemplating any special features in the way 

 of design, always consider whether it is possible to 

 approach them conveniently by a suitable pathway. All 

 the best views should be readily accessible without the 

 necessity for traversing possibly wet lawns, or pushing 

 through heavy undergrowth. Paths leading direct from 

 the stables to the flower-garden must be broad and well 

 made, as they will be in constant use for heavy traffic, 

 carting manure, water barrows, etc. The lesser fre- 

 quented walks need not be so wide, and providing that 

 they do not lead through highly cultivated portions, and 

 are dry and well made, need not be kept scrupulously 

 gravelled. A degree of wildness is quite in keeping 

 with certain parts of the garden, though an ill-kept, 

 weed-grown path is never permissible. The walks 

 which traverse the wild garden, orchard and woodland, 

 will destroy much of the charm of these sylvan retreats 



