46 THE BOOK OF GARDEN DESIGN 



sufficient size to compete with the wall ; it is useless as 

 a support for fruit-trees, and its roots deprive the crops 

 in neighbouring borders of much of the fertility which 

 is rightly theirs. The highest walls should face the 

 coldest quarters, the north, east and west. A good 

 height for a north wall would be twelve or even fourteen 

 feet ; for the two side walls ten feet, and for the south 

 wall six or seven feet. A coping, either of stone or 

 bricks set at an angle, should always be found on kitchen- 

 garden walls, the projection on either side being at least 

 two inches. The face of the wall should be perfectly 

 smooth to facilitate the training of trees, but on the 

 outer side buttresses or any ornamental details harmonis- 

 ing with the architectural work in the rest of the garden, 

 may be employed to obviate monotony. Detailed 

 descriptions of mural work would be out of place here, 

 but the owner is advised to see that the wall is well 

 pointed, so that there shall be no crevices likely to 

 harbour vermin. Training wires are much better than 

 nailing the branches to the wall, a practice which 

 weakens the brickwork and involves more trouble and 

 risk of injury. The eyelets, at anyrate the chief ones, 

 to which the wires will be attached and strained, should 

 be built into the wall and not driven in subsequently. 

 They will thus be much firmer in position, and the wall 

 will remain uninjured. Suitable irons, from which nets 

 may be hung as a protection from frost and birds, may 

 also be fixed at the same time. 



In a stone country, this material will take the place of 

 bricks, as being more in keeping for garden walls. 



A delightful approach to the kitchen-garden may be 

 made by way of a deeply-arched opening in the wall ; 

 a pair of bent iron gates would look charming set in 

 a grey stone wall, much better than a door. Too often 

 the kitchen garden is gained by passing through a door- 

 way which suggests the entrance of a prison cell : these 



