The wonderful rain and all the watering done over the past few months set me thinking. Our water bill has doubled and yet there is no discernable improvement to the standard of the 'lawn'. Bedraggled is maybe a good word to use for the brown/green stuff on the arid front yard.

In the spring we spent on power-raking, aerating and having fertilizer spread. All seemingly to no avail. I have been admiring the startling, perfectly manicured, green lawns that are here and there in our area. The water bills to secure these verdant patches must be enormous. I frequently journey past these front yards but never seem to catch anyone doing any work for the quality of the lawn. Maybe it's a secret formula, special fertilizer and a 'green finger' touch.

English gardens have always been held in high esteem for their lawns, hedges, borders, shrubberies and kitchen gardens. This is of course due to the temperate climate, although there have been extremes this summer in Europe.

My first example is Hampton Court to the west of London, by the River Thames. I wouldn't find it surprising if some people from Lakewood have visited there, also the other garden I'm mentioning.

Hampton Court is often described as the grandest garden in England. The Court was built by Cardinal Wolsey (1475-1530) and given to him by Henry VIII (1491-1547) who laid out a tennis court (still there), bowling greens and archery butts. It owes its present form to King William III (1688) and his wife Queen Mary who spent their early married life in Holland and influenced by the continental style of gardening. Maybe he dreamt of a garden to rival King Louis XIV at Versailles.

With the aid of Sir Christopher Wren (1652-1723) great alterations were made to the garden- the Maze was planted, the Long and Broad walks laid out and the Great Fountain designed below the east faade. The knot garden, a tradition in Tudor times, had intricate interlocking hedges of box, lavender and santolina.

A complete comparison is the more domestic gardens of Hidcote Manor in the Cotswolds, Gloucestershire. The gardens create outdoor rooms with a central hall or passageway, each with its own character, opening to left and right. The special charm is of close-cropped yew hedges and tapestry hedges of mixed yew, holly and beech. There is a strong architectural feeling as one walks through archways of clipped hornbeams that contrast with lower hedges of yew and box. A visit is to be high on a gardener's list.

Foot Note: Hidcote was bought in 1907 by an American, Colonel Lawrence Johnstone, who set about planning and planting a garden on an exposed site.