106 GARDENS OF ENGLAND 



autumn only, when the wild heath smothers our 

 hillsides with colour — hill upon hill of misty 

 purple — but in the time also of the first flowers 

 of the New Year. 



The winter heath {Erica cornea) seems to me 

 as rare as any recently introduced shrub. I 

 seldom see this little gem of the early year in 

 gardens, and a group of fifty I once had was to 

 even those who had no ordinary knowledge of 

 fiowers a joyful surprise. This group was in 

 dry soil and in rough grass. During the summer 

 it was pleasant to contemplate that in the early 

 days of the year the brownish shoots would be 

 smothered with rosy bells — a mass of colour 

 lighted up by the weak January sunshine. 



Once I saw a path of heath turf. This was in 

 August and in Miss Jekyll's garden at Munstead 

 Wood. I wish there were more such paths in 

 our gardens. When pleasure-grounds are on 

 peaty soU where heath grows naturally, very 

 pretty and pleasant paths may be made of heath 

 turf. The ground must be dug over and have all 

 stones, bracken, and other roots removed. It is 

 then carefully levelled and trod firm, all hollow 

 places filled and rammed, finished with a wooden 

 rake, then rolled and left to itself. By the second 



