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THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



any fitness, and even where they are fit they are apt, here in England, 

 to cease very soon to be fine. Lead is the best material for such foun- 

 tain sculpture in our damp-laden atmosphere, as it discolours more 

 becomingly than stone or marble. This tendency to discolour in 

 blotches and afford a foothold for mosses and lichens, though a 

 blemish on statues, is an added charm to the necessary basins and 

 copings which should confine the waters of our fountain. A fountain 

 is a work of art and as such should always be placed in the more 

 formal portions of the grounds. The feathery spray of a jet is always 

 a beautiful thing but can be ill-placed as for instance, in the centre 

 of a large and informal " piece of ornamental water." 



Vine-shaded bower. 



The fountain in the Temple is one of the most charming examples 

 of the single jet, rising from the centre of a circular basin and falling 

 back with a melodious splash. It has lost some of its charm since 

 it was surrounded by a clinker-built rockery in which nothing will 

 grow. This sort of fountain should be set in a grass plot, and a few 

 moisture-loving plants allowed to break the severity of its outline. I 

 remember one such, only about 5 feet in diameter, in a lawn near 

 London ; a simple brick and concrete basin with a jet in the centre, 

 which threw its spray up to the overhanging boughs of a stately 

 elm, and nourished one of the most splendid clumps of Osmunda 



