72 



GARDENS OLD AND NEW. 



Co f ft in hi. 



THE ENTRANCE TO THE ROSE GARDEN. 



"Country Life." 



Copyright. 



THE FORMAL GARDEN AND PARK, FROM THE HOUSE. 



' Country Life. 



THE TbkkACt AND ARCADE. 



nnd the leafy pleasure ground beyond, 

 with the vista of more distant charms. 

 The trees are glorious in size ana 

 contour, and some of them cast upon 

 the mead a vast expanse of shade. 



The arrangement of the great bedded 

 garden is circular and unusual, and the 

 blaze of colour is attained by boldly con- 

 trasting various hues to secure rich effect. 

 Dark colours are opposed to light, and 

 zonal pelargoniums, calceolarias, and 

 tuberous begonias are amongst the most 

 important plants employed. The circular 

 garden itself is a contrast, for, as our 

 picture shows, it derives part of its effect 

 from the presence of the rich groups 

 of trees behind. The calceolarias and 

 begonias thrive wonderfully, and the 

 success of the former is the more note- 

 worthy because disease has attacked this 

 once favourite flower within recent years, 

 throwing it partly out of cultivation in 

 many places. 



It is worth while remarking 

 that the tuberous begonia is now used 

 in all our great gardens, and that few 

 plants are so well adapted for creating fine 

 colour effects. The hybridiser has much 

 improved the begonia's habit of growth. 

 It is now dwarf and compact, and the 

 flowers are thrown well above the leaves 

 pure white, orange scarlet, buff, intense 

 crimson, and lovely shades of uncommon 

 tints, all characteristic of the plant, and 

 all produced faithfully from seed. It will 

 be seen from the picture that standard 

 roses neighbour the circular parterre, and 

 that fine oaks, cedars, and other trees are 

 near. 



On the south-west side of the house 

 are other noble trees and sloping grass 

 terraces, very green and beautiful, leading 

 down to the lovely setting of sward and 

 woodland. These charms are common 

 to many gardens, but Lilleshall has a very 

 distinctive feature in the glorious apple 

 walk, which is 57oft. in length, and we 

 believe the longest such walk in England. 

 The illustration shows it flecked and 

 barred with sunlight, reproducing very 

 well its delightful character of brightness 

 and predominating shade. The names of 

 the varieties of apple which form the 

 screen have unfortunately been lost, but 

 their sturdy branches bespeak their age, 

 and they bear plenteous crops of well- 

 flavoured fruit. 



We are reminded here of the 

 trellised pergola of Italy and other 

 southern climes, which affords grateful 

 shade from the fierce sunlight by giving 

 support to the rose, clematis, wistaria, 

 vine, and other climbing plants. 



In this more temperate region we 

 need no such elaborate arrangements 

 as are frequent in Italy, but who 

 can forget that we, too, sometimes 

 seek the shade, and that a simple 

 pergola must sometimes be a welcome 

 retreat. That at Lilleshall, while pro- 

 viding shelter from the fiercer blaze 

 of summer, furnishes also its autumn 

 harvest. It is beautiful in spring, when 

 thousands of blossoms colour the bare 

 branches, not less so in leafy June, 

 and most i all. perhaps, when the fruit 



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