The so-called "Japanese garden" was made by the late Lord Ilchester. It is extremely pretty, but is entirely an English idea of what a Japanese garden is like, and, however pleasing it may be to the uninitiated, would probably shock the Japanese gardener, who is guided by as precise rules in his garden, as the painter in his art. In Japan the rules governing the laying-out of a garden are so exact that, apparently, it requires years of study to acquire the rudiments. The Japanese garden at Holland House, which is pleasing to the English eye, consists of a little stream descending through grassy lawns, with groups of plants, a stone lantern, and rustic bridges, and water plants at each little pond. The delightful Iris kï¾µmpferi flowers well, and yuccas, which, by the way, come from America, and not Japan; neither do Aralia spinosa or Saxifraga peltata, which together form charming groups, with auratum lilies in the summer and other Japanese plants. The French hybrid water-lilies, of varying shades of pink, red, and yellow, here too make a picture, with their brilliant blossoms floating on the miniature pools -while bamboos, maples, and eulalias, true natives of Japan, make a soft and feathery background. Above the Japanese garden there is a well-furnished rock garden, and between that and the roses, which make such a grand display on the north of the house, green walks through rhododendrons and flowering shrubs unite the gardens. There are some really fine trees, as well as all the charming flowers, in the grounds. Near the bridge leading to the Japanese garden there is a beautiful evergreen oak and rare forest trees, while on the lawn some old cedars, planted by Charles James Fox, are showing signs of decrepitude, although the delightful picturesque effect a cedar always has, adds one more to the many charms of this, the most beautiful as well as the largest of London gardens.
