210 THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



less pleasant than the grass walks. The short turf of the Heath, and 

 often the mown Heather itself, forms an excellent springy walk, as 

 in parts of Surrey. Such walks want little making, only some care 

 in laying down their lines so as to take them into the prettiest spots 

 and letting them edge themselves with Heather, Ferns, and Whortle- 

 berry. But no more than any other should such walks be multiplied 

 beyond what is necessary, and they ought to be broad enough and 

 airy enough to take us in the pleasantest way to the most interesting 

 parts of the garden or pleasure ground or woods. In woody or half 

 shady places we may enjoy the mossy walks as in very sandy or 

 light soils we may have a turf almost of Thyme. 



Among the curious mixture of good and bad, ugliness and beauty 

 we see often in country seats are tarred walks, and they are a 



main factor in making many a garden ugly. They 

 Tarred walks. have almost every fault that a walk could have, 



being hideous in colour, hot in summer, and sticky, 

 hard, and unpleasant to the feet, wearing into ugly holes and 

 uneven and unpleasant surfaces. The only excuse that could ever 

 be made for them was that they offered an escape from continual 

 hoeing, a great labour, but now needless, owing to the weed-killers. 

 If walks are simply made, and not one yard more is made than is 

 required for use, the labour of cleaning is immensely reduced, and 

 one dressing a year of an effective weed-killer often keeps them 

 right. If there were no other objection than the colour of the tarred 

 walk, it should be sufficient to condemn it. Gravel in the home 

 counties and about London is so good in colour, that one is surprised 

 that anybody can tolerate a tarred walk. In small, close courtyard 

 gardens, where gravel is objected to, we may have a well-made stone 

 walk of good colour. 



There are also well-made walks to be had from concrete and 

 true asphalt. These walks have distinct advantages for courtyards 



and small spaces, or even small gardens in certain 



Concrete and places ; they are better in colour than the tarred 



asphalt walks, walk, and more enduring if well made. They are 



clean, but they have certain disadvantages as com- 

 pared with stone walks. They require a much more expensive and 

 careful setting, and they are certainly not more enduring. Also, they 

 do not allow us the privilege of putting plants between the joints, one 

 of the great charms of the stone walk, which can be easily set to 

 allow Thyme and dwarf-rock plants to come up between them ; and 

 therefore in all districts in which a warm-coloured stone is procurable 

 or rough flagstone from quarries, it is very much better to use it as 

 we can always have gravel for any roads that have to be traversed 

 by carriages or carts ; the space for concrete, asphalt, or stone walks 



