FIG. 308. ESPALIER OF IRON THROUGHOUT. 



KITCHEN GARDENS AND ORCHARDS. 



the walk. Occasionally a central grass walk nine to twelve feet in width, flanked by 

 deep herbaceous borders and enclosed by yew hedges, secures a fine connection between 

 the pleasure grounds and the kitchen gardens. Such paths may with advantage be edged 



with flat stone 

 flags, as in illus- 

 tration No. 155. 



A proper Water 

 water supply for supply. 

 the garden is 

 important and, 

 where this can- 

 not be obtained 

 in the ordinary 

 way, large cis- 

 terns should be 

 supplied for the 

 reception of the 



rainwater collected from the roofs of glasshouses or other buildings. However the water be 

 obtained, it is much better if exposed to the sun and air for a few hours before use, and 

 this is best done by the provision of a dipping well, such as has already been described Dipping 

 when speaking of fountains. In most gardens, the best way is to make this feature wells. 

 the central object in the design up to which everything leads, and to place it at the 

 intersection of the two paths across the centre of the garden, one running North and 

 South and the other East and West. In many cases, one of these walks will be spanned 

 by a fruit espalier, while the other will pass between the herbaceous borders, which in turn 

 will be backed up by clipped hedges, so that whichever way one looks from the central 

 point, an interesting vista will be provided, especially if each is closed at the opposite 

 end by a pretty gate, fruit room, arbour, or the centre gable of a nicely proportioned 

 range of glass. These considerations open up the opportunity for many delightful 

 arrangements and justify the sacrifice of a little more ground round the dipping well for 

 a circular or octagonal open space than would otherwise be conceded, so as to allow of 

 garden seats facing the well with its fountain jet, and backed up by an arrangement of 

 festoons of rampant roses supported on pillars, which are particularly useful in supplement- 

 ing the flowers from the herbaceous borders for house decoration, or where more shelter 

 is required, the clipped hedges which form a 

 background to the herbaceous borders may be 

 carried round the gravelled circle surrounding 

 the dipping well, arches being formed in them 

 over the paths where they cross them. Illus- 

 tration No. 305 shows a typical arrangement 

 of this kind. 



Fruit tree espaliers and bowers are not only interesting structural features in the Espaliers. 

 garden, but are also very economical, as they occupy but little space, and with properly 

 trained, healthy trees, give a large return for the space occupied. These bowers also 

 furnish a tempting opportunity, which the rigid culturalist and stern economist will 

 pardon, to enliven the over-apparent expression of bare necessity in the modern kitchen 

 garden with a wealth of roses, assigning the principal supports to them, with fruit trees 

 in the interspaces. Such a bower walk may even be erected outside the kitchen garden, 

 and lead from it towards the pleasure grounds or the garden entrance of the house. 



Espaliers are formed of iron, iron and wire, wood and wire, or wood and iron, or all 

 three of these materials. Although espaliers constructed entirely of iron standards and strained 



\ 



FIG. 309. 



2 4 I 



