I30 THE FORMAL GARDEN IN ENGLAND vi 



call them so because they flower in July) ; 

 they have the names of cloves of their scent. 

 I may well call them the king of flowers 

 (except the rose). Of all flowers (save the 

 Damaske rose) they are the most pleasant to 

 sight and smell." Markham says that " Of all 

 the best ornaments used in our English gar- 

 dens, knots or mazes were the most ancient, 

 and at this dav of most use amonor the vulvar, 

 the least respected with great ones." His list 

 of knots contains : — 



"Straight line knots Mixed knots 



Diamond knots, single Single Impleatc 



and double of straight line 



Single knots Plain and mixed 



Direct and circular 



These knots were formed with a border of 

 box, lavender, or rosemary, i8 inches broad 

 at the bottom, and clipped so close and level 

 at the top as to form a table for the house- 

 wife to spread out clothes to dry on. Mark- 

 ham gives instructions how knots are to be 

 set out from designs on paper by subdividing 

 the square plot into a number of squares pro- 

 portional to those on the paper, and adds that 

 " You are to keep your level to a haire, for 

 if you faill in it you faill in your whole work." 

 He further describes two knots which anticipate 

 the parterre de hroderie. In the first you set 

 out the lines of your design in germander or 

 hyssop, and fill in the parts with difl^erent 



