252 



GARDENS OLD AND NEW. 





WHERE THE W.-iTHR-LILIES GRO'.V. 



" Country Life." 



and are comparatively moJern. A terrace extends along 

 the south and west fronts of the house, looking over 

 tii. in which, at a depth of about 6ft., another and 

 much larger terrace of gravel is seen. Tills second 

 terrace is laid out with patches of green turf, and with box 

 beds of geometrical design, dotted with English yews of 

 perfect symmetry, which are always beautiful, and give 

 character and distinction to the garden. The arrange- 

 ment adopted f r the box beds at Brume Hall is peculiar, 

 for the beds are inlaid, as it were, with broken tiles or 

 Mimes, upon a system once much in vogue both in England 

 and France, with the purpose of introducing colour, the 

 particular scheme chosen consisting mostly of blue, grey, 

 and white. In these days we are mi. re accustomed to find 

 the glories of colour imparted by all that is beautiful in 

 flower life. 



It must not be concluded that such gaiden glories are 



THE TERRACE WALK. 



wanting at Brome Hall. Very far from this, indeed. The 

 terrace walls are adorned with statuary and with vases, about 

 which tea and noisette roses twine their flower-laden stems. 

 All through the summer the place is redolent with the 

 fragrance of the queenly flower, for the rose is there largely 

 cultivated in every form, from the dainty tea varieties to 

 the vigorous climbers, which lift aloft their glowing burdens 

 to the sun. 



The south terrace overlooks the tennis lawns, which are 

 surrounded with flower borders, having conifers and flowering 

 shrubs in the background. This is a delightful spot, rich in 

 colour when the lily, larkspur, sunflower, and other bold 

 perennials throw up their sheafs of flowers against the fine 

 background of the deep green shrubs. Amongst these rise 

 graceful bamboos, which we now begin to know more of, 

 with laburnums, the mock-orange, lilacs, spira-as, and 

 Forsytliias, those golden-flowered climbers of March. 

 ' All this beauty of tree and 



shrub is heightened by the 

 sombre hue of the purple 

 beech, and relieved again by 

 the beautiful sheen of the 

 silver maple. During the 

 months of spring, when tin 

 tints are freshest, this ming- 

 ling of silver and rich brown 

 in trees and shrubs is not less 

 happy in its effect than the 

 most charming associations of 

 flower colouring. 



On the lawn there is a 

 fine specimen of Biota orien- 

 talis, about 3oft. in height, 

 while on the western side of 

 this fine green expanse rises 

 a beautiful example of the 

 Magnolia conspicua. This is 

 a Chinese tree, and the 

 present example is about 2oft. 

 in height. Unfortunately it 

 was damaged about three 

 years ago by the fall, during 



1 Coun'.ry Life." 



