xl. 



Gardens for Small Country Houses. 



In the case of the very successful garden of the Dormy House at Walton 

 Heath Golf Club the yews and hollies lately planted have made surprising 

 growth. In this garden the object was to obtain the greatest effect that could 

 be secured while involving the least labour. This has been effected by having 

 several well-arranged flower-borders, and by the use of a quantity of rambling 

 roses on posts and chains. One large double flower-border gives a charming look-out 

 from the club sitting-rooms ; another border is at the entrance to the Dormy House 

 (Fig. xxviii.), whose walls already have a luxuriant growth of vines, the most beautiful 



of wall ornaments. On its 

 southern side there is a fine 

 piece of stone paving, widening 

 at the two ends into large 

 square platforms (Fig. xxx.). 

 The joints are planted with 

 Alpines perhaps just a little 

 too freely. Many small plants 

 take so kindly to this treatment 

 that the temptation to plant 

 them mav easily result in too 

 much invasion of the walking 

 space. A warning as to this 

 over-planting will be found at 

 page 128. A plan showing a 

 suitable amount of planting is 

 given on page 175 (Fig. 247). 



The excellent growth of the 

 yew and holly hedges in the 

 Dormy House garden will, in 

 a few years, give such good 

 protection and sense of en- 

 closing comfort that the 

 absence of built walls will 

 not be felt ; but where the 

 cost is not prohibitive, walls of 

 brick or stone are the best of 

 garden boundaries. An ancient 

 wall is in itself a thing of beauty. 

 In the course of long years 

 Nature paints the stone or 

 brick with a number of tender 

 tints, mellowing the whole 

 surface colour ; even the passing 



of twenty years will often show the beginning of this precious patina. Then the 

 walls enable us to enjoy many beautiful things, such as myrtle and pomegranate, 

 that are not generally hardy in our climate. 



Chapter XII. is devoted to Retaining Walls and Their Planting, but all the 

 examples there shown illustrate what may be called informal planting. There is, 

 however, at Edzell Castle in Forfar a walled enclosure which shows a formal treat- 

 ment of wall planting full of suggestion (Figs. xxxi. and xxxii.). This pleasure 

 garden was made at the beginning of the seventeenth century, and it is remarkable 



FIG. XXX. THE DORMY HOUSE : A PLANTED PAVEMENT. 



