buildings, for the old monks were grand constructors, and their structures 

 were not only solid but always beautiful. 



One of the older of these at Cleeve Prior is a large circular dovecote 

 of stone masonry with tiled roof and small tiled cupola. Such buildings 

 were not unfrequent in the old days, and many of them remain. Some- 

 times they are round in plan, sometimes four-, sometimes eight-sided. 

 Occasionally there is a central post inside, set on pivots to revolve easily, 

 with lateral arms carrying a ladder that reaches nearly to the walls, so 

 that any one of the many pigeon-holes can be reached. 



To the left of the Apostles' Garden, as you stand facing the house, a 

 little gate leads into the vegetable garden. It has narrow grass paths 

 bordered with old-fashioned flowers. A further gate leads into the 

 orchard. Behind the house is the home close with some fine trees ; on 

 two other sides are the farm buildings, yard and rickyard. 



How grandly the flowers grow in these old manor and farm gardens ! 

 How finely the great masses of bloom compose, and how beautifully they 

 harmonise with the grey of the limestone wall and the wonderful colour 

 of the old tiled roof; both of them weather and lichen-stained ; each 

 tile a picture in itself of grey and orange and tenderest pink. 



The yews have got over their paler green colour of the early summer 

 when the young shoots are put forth, and have settled into the deep 

 green dress that they will wear till next May. For the time is 

 September ; wheat harvesting is going on and the autumn flowers are in 

 full vigour. There are Dahlias, the great annual Sunflowers and the tall 

 autumn Daisy ; Lavender and Michaelmas Daisies, with sweet herbs for 

 the kitchen, just as it should be in such a garden. 



Some of these old pot-herbs are beautiful things deserving a place in 

 any flower garden. Sage — for instance — a half shrubby plant with 

 handsome grey leaf and whorled spikes of purple flowers ; a good plant 

 both for winter and summer, for the leaves are persistent and the plant 

 well clothed throughout the year. Hyssop is another such handsome 

 thing, of the same family, with a quantity of purple bloom in the 

 autumn, when it is a great favourite with the butterflies and bumble 

 bees. This is one of the plants that was used as an edging plant in 

 gardens in Tudor days, as we read in Parkinson's " Paradisus," where 



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