Climbing Plants. 



115 



brickwork, there is no danger, and the ivy is even protective, the leaves throwing off 

 the wet. But the plant is quick to detect and occupy any opening, when danger 

 and damage may quickly follow. 



The fine and boldly-treated brick piers to 



wrought-iron 



gates shewn in Figs. 



148 and 149 have been smothered with ivy, and not the piers only, but also the rather 

 important point where the pier rises from the wall. This is specially deplorable in 

 the picture from the outside of one of the entrances to the walled garden, with the 

 flight of uncommon circular 

 brick steps (Fig. 149). It may 

 be noted incidentally that 

 this illustration shows another 

 defect very common in gardens 

 where there is no critical eye 

 ever on the watch for such 

 blemishes. The level of the 

 path has shrunk away several 

 inches, leaving the under-course 

 of brickwork exposed, and 

 making the whole step incon- 

 veniently high as well as entirely 

 out of proportion. In the case 

 of the inner view, where one of 

 the brick piers is, happily, free, 

 the summer-house with arched 

 doorway is also o^"er-smothered 

 with ivy (Fig. 148) . We believe 

 that the overgrowth of ivy on 

 this fine example of gateway 

 treatment has been removed, 

 but are glad that the piers 

 were photographed in their 

 overdone state as a useful warn- 

 ing. The beautiful eighteenth 

 century gateway shewn in 

 Fig. 147, photographed in 1903, 

 but now, we hope, cleared, 

 shows ivy obliterating the 

 architrave and entablature 

 of an ornate design. There 

 is no harm in the slight en- 

 croachment of a leaf or two of 

 the flanking magnolias ; nobility 

 of form in foliage is a desirable accompaniment to good architecture, but it should 

 only be allowed to accompany, not to oppress — still less to o^'erwhelm. 



It is not the fault of the ivy, a precious and beautiful climbing plant — it is the 

 misuse of ivy and the neglect of due control that we desire to emphasise. Ivy was 

 largely used in decorative schemes by the French in the eighteenth century and later, 

 and to this day is cleverly employed as screening walls of greenery on railings and 

 treillage. It deserves to be muchrnore used as a screen plant, and if a large unbroken 

 surface should appear monotonous, the want of' varietv can be remedied by training 



FIG. 151. 



-WISTARIA MISPLACED. 



