THE WOOD 13 



This green wood walk, being the widest and most 

 important, is treated more boldly than the others — 

 with groups of Rhododendrons in the region rather 

 near the house, and for the rest only a biggish patch 

 of the two North American Brambles, the white- 

 flowered Rubus nutUanus, and the rosy R. odoraius. 

 In spring the western region of tall Spanish Chestnuts, 

 which begins just beyond the Rhododendrons, is 

 carpeted with Poets' Narcissus ; the note of tender 

 white blossom being taken up and repeated by the 

 bloom-clouds of Amelanchier, that charming little 

 woodland flowering tree whose use in such ways is 

 so much neglected. Close to the ground in the distance 

 the light comes with brilliant effect through the young 

 leaves of a widespread carpet of Lily of the Valley, 

 whose clusters of sweet little white bells will be a 

 delight to see a month hence. 



The Rhododendrons are carefully grouped for 

 colour — pink, white, rose and red of the best qualities 

 are in the sunniest part, while, kept well apart from 

 them, near the tall Chestnuts and rejoicing in their 

 partial shade, are the purple colourings, of as pure 

 and cool a purple as may be found among carefully 

 selected ponticum seedlings and the few named kinds 

 that associate well with them. Some details of this 

 planting were given at length in my former book 

 " Wood and Garden." 



Among the Rhododendrons, at points carefully 

 devised to be of good effect, either from the house or 

 from various points of the lawn and grass paths, are 

 strong groups of Lilium awatum ; they give a new 



