284 



GARDENS OLD AND NEW. 



TI.E CIRCULAR BOX-HEDGED GARDEN 



the terrace by the steps to the lower lawn, with the feeling 

 that the architectural character is fading into tlii landscape 

 and the woodland as we go 



'I he garden architect lias wrought excellent things in 

 stone at this house. The finely-worked balustrades and the 

 masonry supporting walls are as good as could be wished, and 

 the many vases which adorn the place are all of the best, and 

 are rich in masses of flowers. A surprisingly beautiful colour- 

 fffect is gained by making such vases as these brilliant points 

 of glowing hue, to contrast with the cool stonework and the 

 various greens of lawns and trees. 



The garden seat is an 

 extremely pleasing example of 

 what we have said, for stone 

 and flower growth are here 

 hr.mght together in satis- 

 factory fashion. What more- 

 pleasant place could we wish 

 than this in which to welcome 

 the vernal sun, or in the 

 fading autumn to catch the 

 glow of his fading beams ? 

 The flower vases here are 

 particularly fine, and the 

 splendid yew hedge behind is 

 the foil that enhances the 

 charm. For in the matter of 

 well-hedged gardens, again, 

 Hadsor is as we should wish 

 it to be. The trim lines of 

 these well-kept hedges remind 

 us that in the " ductile yew " 

 and box we are able, without 

 grotesqueness or exaggeration, 

 if we will, to express some- 

 thing of architectural charac- 

 ter ; and thus the hedge or 

 the formal bush may be the 

 link between the house and 

 its green surroundings. There 

 is an attractive circular garden, . 



full of beautiful things, and enclosed by an excellent box hedge, 

 with notable variety in the manner in which it is cut. 



From such a garden wandering we return with the impres- 

 sion that Hadsor is a place wherein an excellent artistic idea 

 has found embodiment. It is a study of harmony and of con- 

 trast, in which, from opposites, and from things of like nature, 

 we find developed a spirit of completeness that is delightful. 

 Hadsor, indeed, though not one of the most imposing places 

 in Worcestershire, is one that deserves special considera- 

 tion for the harmony and beauty of its architecture and its 

 garden, 



A GARDEN SbAT. 



