SANDRINGHAM 139 



bay is formed ; in the centre of which, raised on two stone 

 steps, a quaint ItaHan well-head of the seventeenth century is 

 placed, and, on either side of this, two magnificent white 

 marble seats, designed by Sir L. Alma Tadema, occupy the 

 recesses of the large octagon. The pathway is laid with flat, 

 roughly dressed pieces of Car-stone. Spaces between the 

 stones (except in the centre) are planted with dwarf flower- 

 ing plants, such as Thymes, Ajuga reptans, Allyssums, 

 Antennarias, Arenaria balearica, Aubretias, Dianthus alpinus, 

 D. deltoides, D. d. albus, Iceland Poppies, Thrift, Violets 

 and Saxifragas. Two lo-feet borders on the outer sides of 

 the Pergola are planted thickly with Lavender and with 

 climbing Roses on rustic oak posts at intervals, the whole 

 being enclosed in a low hedge of Golden Yew. The Pergola 

 is now completely clothed with a variety of climbing plants 

 which are allowed to ramble freely and hang in festoons 

 from the beams above. Polygonum Baldschuanicum, 

 Lonicera fragrantissima, and the sweet-smelling early and 

 late Dutch varieties of Honeysuckle, Periploca grsca, Aris- 

 tolochia Sipho, Ceanothus Gloire de Versailles, Clematis 

 montana, C. m, rubens, C. paniculata, C. Jackmani and 

 Henryi, Vitis coignetis, V. purpurea and climbing roses 

 such as Dorothy Perkins, American Pillar, Longworth 

 Rambler and climbing Caroline Testout are most of the 

 plants used for this purpose. 



The Pergola divides a flower garden, at one end of which 

 the head gardener's house is situated. This garden contains 

 a series of variously shaped beds cut out in the grass, the 

 centre of the larger ones having climbing Roses on poles, 

 while many long-stemmed weeping standards of Dorothy 

 Perkins and Hiawatha are planted and present pictures of 

 great beauty during their flowering period. East Lothian 

 Stocks, Larkspurs and other fragrant free-flowering annuals 

 and biennials are used, and sweet little Alyssum minimum 

 (of which large numbers are planted) is not forgotten. A 

 Rose border with an irregular edging of variously coloured 

 Dianthus, having the Kitchen Garden wall (covered with 



