FLOWER GARDEN AND PLEASURE GROUND HOUSES, ETC. 367 



ing walls or sunk fences could be made admirably in this way, and 

 where they permit of it may be made into beautiful alpine gardens. 

 Apart from the sunk fence, there is often need for low retaining walls, 

 especially in places of diversified surface. These walls also may 

 be made the home of delightful plant beauty in the simplest way. 

 Particulars of these things will be found in fuller detail in the chapter 

 on Rock Gardens. 



SEATS. It is rare to see a garden seat that is not an eyesore. 

 Few make them well and simply in wood, and there is always decay 

 to be considered. Of our own woods, Oak is the best. Stout heart of 

 Oak laths screwed into a simple iron frame without ornament make a 

 good seat. They are best without paint and in the natural colour of the 



Log seat, Tresserve. 



Oak wood. No seat is so good as one of good stone simply designed 

 and strongly made, and in our country one objection to stone is met 

 by the use of a mat or a light trellis of Bamboo or split laths of Oak 

 held together by cross pieces and placed on top of the stone. In Italy 

 and France one often sees good stone seats, and there they are not 

 expensive. I have made good stone seats out of steps and other 

 stones which had been displaced in buildings. Stone seats should 

 always be set on stone supports bedded in concrete. A good oak seat 

 is one with strong stone supports, the top being a slab of Oak 

 laid with two bars across its lower side to keep it in place. The 

 top in this form being so easily removed, may be stored away for the 

 winter, as wooden seats should always be. Tree stems of some size 

 and little value may also be cut into the form of seats, and make very 

 good ones for a time, but they soon decay. The common iron seats 



