172 ROYAL GARDENS 



line its sides with stone, and build rough stepways down to 

 narrow paths winding between mounds of rock, in which 

 many pockets, crevices and fissures must be made for the 

 little Alpine plants to grow in. One object being to bring 

 the plants up to the eye level ; and another, because a sunk 

 rock garden will not look incongruous in a flat country, 

 whereas one raised high above the general level is too 

 obviously artificial. Water, either as a running stream or 

 placid pool, is a great aid to success in all rock gardens. 

 The Japanese designers make marvellously good use of both 

 water and rock work in their gardens ; and no better models 

 for imitation can be found than their exquisite and most 

 carefully thought out productions. Some remarkably beau- 

 tiful examples of rock gardens at the International Horti- 

 cultural Exhibition held at Chelsea in May 19 12, presented 

 many features of surpassing interest and novelty. And many 

 of these gardens owed a considerable part of their charm and 

 beauty to a skilful and successful adaptation of the principles 

 invented and handed down by Japanese garden designers. 



Flowering Shrub Gardens. — A most interesting feature at 

 Bagshot Park is its American, or flowering shrub garden. 

 One of a series of small retreats divided from each other and 

 from the rest of the grounds, there, by banks, or thick hedges, 

 of rhododendrons, is entirely planted with very many and 

 most lovely shrubs. The charming eff^ect of this can hardly be 

 surpassed. By a careful choice and judicious placing of dif- 

 ferent varieties, there are flowers almost throughout the year. 

 Not half enough use is made of flowering shrubs in this 

 country. Few plants give more pleasure, scarcely any are so 

 easily cultivated, no flowers are finer in colour, very many are 

 extremely fragrant, and some among them are as beautiful 

 when leaves are dying in autumn as when in full bloom. 

 In winter, too, their berries are rich and bright in colour, and 

 provide a most welcome contrast to sad greys and browns, 

 frequently, in that dull season, only broken by the almost 

 equal sadness of evergreen foliage. Where the soil allows and 



