THE GARDENS OF WARLEY PLACE.
47
and timber gate-house, serves as orchard and as a vegetable and
herb garden, and also as nursery for shrubs, whilst against the
long south wall is a collection of Fig-trees, illustrating the com-
parative value of the different varieties which thrive and bear
fruit in Essex. Different varieties of dessert-grapes are also
grown here, such as Chassellas de Fontainebleau, Madeline Royal
Norillon hatif, Malingris precoce, Charles Vibert and others.
Although the crop is not so plentiful, and the grapes have not the
fine flavour of those grown under a Continental sun, they are,
nevertheless, good, whilst some varieties, such as Grenache, are
very beautiful in the autumn, when the foliage becomes brilliantly
scarlet.
As a rule the "Herb Garden" now exists in England upon
sufferance, for our modern cooks prefer the flavouring essences
prepared from chemicals. On the Continent the culinary herb
still holds an important place in the "jardin potager" and are
cultivated with care. A large number of herbs were cultivated
at Warley, and many still remain, such as Sorrel, Wormwood (or
Dian's blood of "Midsummer Night's Dream"), Rue, which
Pliny tells us grows best if filched from a neighbour's garden,
and which was formerly planted near to Sage, to counteract the
poisonous effects of toads, whose favourite resting place was in
a bed of Sage. Tarragon, Pimpernel, Purslane, Clary, Camomile,
and many other culinary and medicinal herbs are to be found in
the garden. Nor are the sweet-scented herbs, used in olden times
for strawing floors, and also for keeping insects away from
linen, overlooked. Amongst these we find Bergamot, Hyssop,
Balm, "Old Man," Basil, Tansy, Woodroffe, and many others.
A notable feature is a double hedge of Lavender, with a foot-path
between, two hundred and ten feet in length; a similar one of
Rosemary may be seen in another part of the garden. The land
slopes to the south-east, thus rejoicing in the early morning
sunshine, and below are a few acres of wild land divided from the
Well-Mead Garden by a valley (a natural depression) and a pool
of water. On this land a large part of our British flora has
been naturalized, to which has been added many interesting
plants collected from the Continent by Miss Willmott. These
have been planted in a natural way, so that, in wending along the
little tracks, one could imagine oneself upon a botanical expedi-
tion, findng surprises at every turn, and coming suddenly upon a