WALLS AND HEDGES 79 



materials can be obtained, it is a great gain ; for 

 Time is the garden's ally, and whatever has his seal 

 upon it has already a free passport into its friendly 

 community. 



There are many ways of adorning a garden wall, 

 from the simple and utilitarian features of piers 

 and buttresses to the purely decorative devices of 

 moulded panels and string courses, of shaped open- 

 ings or terra-cotta medallions. There is no space 

 to stay over these details here, but there is one 

 feature in common to all walls which we cannot pass 

 over, for it combines a strict utility with a very 

 strong influence upon the general appearance. We 

 refer to the coping. Every wall should have a 

 proper coping set in cement, to prevent the penetra- 

 tion of rain to the masonry or brickwork below. 

 Numerous varieties can be seen in different parts of 

 the country, and few are without a certain charm of 

 their own. The simplest form is a double course 

 of roofing tiles (called tile-creasing) projecting an 

 inch or two to throw off the water, and a row of 

 brick " headers " above them to keep them in place. 

 This is quite as suitable for a stone as for a brick 

 wall, and gives precision to the skyline. Care should 



