OLD-TIME GARDENS
There was a restful charm and dignity surrounding the garden of olden
times that is lacking in the formal ones of to-day. This effect was
gained partly from the prim box borders and the straight, central path,
and partly from the stateliness of the old-fashioned flowers. Gardens
formed a distinctive feature in the colonists' home grounds, from the
time of their landing on unknown soil. At first they were very small,
and consisted mostly of wild flowers and plants that had been brought
from their homes in England and Holland. The early settlers brought with
them to this new land a deep love for floriculture, and the earliest
garden plots filled with flowering plants, though rude in construction,
saved the house mother many a heartache, reminding her as they did of
the beautiful gardens in the motherland left behind.
We find in the earliest records of the new settlers allusions to
flowers, and Reverend Francis Higginson speaks of the wild flowers which
he saw blossoming near the shore. He considered them of enough
importance to record in his diary on June 24, 1629, writing "that wild
flowers of yellow coloring resembling Gilliflowers were seen near the
shore as they sighted land, and that as they came closer they saw many
of these flowers scattered here and there, some of the plots being from
nine to ten feet in size."
Four of the men who went ashore on the twenty-seventh of that month
found on the headlands of Cape Cod single wild roses. Later on he tells
again of the number of plants found growing, giving their names. These
facts have enabled people in later years to locate the same flowers
growing near the same places as when they were first discovered.
Governor Bradford also considered the flowers of importance, and in his
historical account of the Colonies of New England, he tells us that
"here grow many fine flowers, among them the fair lily and the fragrant
rose."
On Governors Island in Boston Harbor were rich vineyards and orchards,
as well as many varieties of flowers. Governor Winthrop, inserting a
clause in the grant, said that vineyards and orchards should be planted
here; that this was complied with is shown from the fact that the rent
in 1634 was paid with a hogshead of wine.
Following the growth of colonist gardens, we find that John Josslyn
arrived in Boston four years later, in 1638, and that soon after his
arrival he visited his brother's plantation in Black Point, Maine. He
made a careful list of plants that he found here, each one of which he
carefully described and sent in part to England, and it is interesting
to note that in those days, the colonists in the spring gathered
hepaticas, bloodroot, and numerous other wild flowers.
His description of the pitcher plant is graphic: "Hollow leaved lavender
is a plant that grows in the marshes, overgrown with moss, with one
straight stalk about the bigness of an oat straw. It is better than a
cubic high, and upon the top is found one single fantastic flower. The
leaves grow close to the root in shape like a tankard, hollow, tight,
and always full of water." The whole plant, so he says, comes into
perfection about the middle of August, and has leaves and stalks as red
as blood, while the flower is yellow.
Mr. Josslyn also speaks of the fact that shrubs and flowers brought from
England and Holland by the Puritans as early as 1626 were the nucleus
of old-fashioned gardens, and that woadwaxen, now a pest covering acres
of ground and showing during the time of blossoming a brilliant yellow,
was kept in pots by Governor Endicott, while the oxeye daisy and
whiteweed were grown on Governor Endicott's Danvers farm.
He also tells us of the gardens with "their pleasant, familiar flowers,
lavender, hollyhocks, and satin." "We call this herbe in Norfolke
sattin," says Gerard, "and among our women, it is called honestie and
gillyflowers, which meant pinks as well, and dear English roses and
eglantine."
The evolution of the garden commenced at this time, and from then until
fifty years ago the old-fashioned garden was in vogue. There was much
sameness to this kind of garden; each one had its central path of
varying width, generally with a box border on either side, while inside
were sweet-smelling flowers, such as mignonette, heliotrope, and sweet
alyssum. Vine-covered arbors were the central feature, and at the end of
the walk stood a summer-house of simple proportions, sometimes so
covered with trailing vines as to be almost unseen.
It was here on summer afternoons that our grandmothers loved to come for
a social cup of tea, knitting while breathing in the sweet-scented air,
permeated with the fragrance of single and double peonies, phlox, roses,
and bushes of syringa. Tall hollyhocks swayed in the breeze, holding
their stately cups stiff and upright, and there were tiger lilies, as
well as the dielytra, with its row of hanging pink and white blossoms,
from which the children made boats, rabbits, and other fantastic
figures.
In some of the old-time gardens, the small, thorny Scotch roses
intermingled with the red and white roses of York and Lancaster. Little
wonder that the perfume of their blooms was wafted through the air,
although they were hidden among the taller roses, and there was no
visible trace of their presence.
One walked along the broad sidewalks of the old-time cities, expecting
to find at every turn a garden of flowers. Not even a glimpse did they
obtain, for the gardens of those days were not in view, but hidden away
behind high board fences which have now in many cases been changed for
iron ones, thus giving to the public glimpses of the central arbor and
the long line of path with brilliant bloom on either side.
One reason that the gardens in the olden days were hidden from view was
that the houses, more especially the Salem ones, were built close to the
sidewalk, and there was no chance for flowers in front or at either
side.
[Illustration: PLATE X.--Whittier Garden, Danvers, Mass.]
[Illustration: PLATE XI.--Peabody Garden, Danvers, Mass.]
Most of the noted old gardens have long since become things of the past,
but a few are still left to give hints of the many that long ago were
the pride of New England housewives. The estate of the late Captain
Joseph Peabody at Danvers, Massachusetts, was at one time famed for its
old-fashioned garden. This lay to the right of the avenue of trees that
formed the driveway to the house. These trees were planted in 1816 by
Joseph Augustus Peabody, the elder son of the owner. The garden proper
was hidden from view, as one passed up the driveway, but lay at the
front of the house. In its center was a large tulip tree, which still
stands, said to be one of the oldest and largest in the country. One of
the unique features of the grounds, and one that has existed since the
days of Captain Peabody's occupancy, is a small summer-house, showing
lattice work and graceful arches. Its top is dome-shaped, surmounted by
a gilded pineapple.
There is, however, another historic summer-house on this estate. It was
formerly on the Elias Hasket Derby property, and was built about
1790. This was purchased by the present owner of the estate, who had it
moved to her grounds, a distance of four miles, without a crack in the
plaster. It was built by Samuel McIntyre, and is decorated with the
pilaster and festoons that are characteristic of his workmanship. Four
urns and a farmer whetting his scythe adorn the top. Originally a
companion piece was at the other end, representing a milkmaid with her
pail. This latter figure was long ago sold by the former owner and
placed with a spindle in its hand on the Sutton Mills at Andover,
Massachusetts, where it stood for many years until destroyed by fire.
The house itself contains a tool room on the lower floor, while at the
head of the staircase is a large room, sixteen feet square, containing
eight windows and four cupboards. It is hung with Japanese lanterns, and
the closets are filled with wonderful old china. Its setting of flowers
is most appropriate.
At Oak Knoll in Danvers is still left the garden that the poet Whittier
so much loved. It stands at the side of the house, bordering the avenue
that leads from the entrance gate. The paths have box borders, and
inside is a wealth of bloom, the central feature being a fountain which
was a gift from Whittier to the mistress of the home. It was here he
loved to come during the warm summer afternoons to pace up and down,
doubtless thinking over and shaping many of his most noted poems. The
garden has been carefully tended, and it shows to-day the same flowers
that were in their prime during his life.
Another fine example of a box-bordered, old-time garden is seen at
Newburyport, Massachusetts, on the estate of Mrs. Charles Perry. Here
the colonial house stands back from the main road, with a long stretch
of lawn at the front. Passing out of the door at the rear, one comes
upon a courtyard with moss-grown flagging that leads directly to the
garden itself, fragrant with the incense of old-time blooms.
At Indian Hill, the summer home of the late Major Benjamin Perley Poore
at West Newbury, much care has been given to the gardens to keep the
flowers as they were in the olden days. A feature of this estate, in
addition to the gardens, is a shapely grove of trees at the rear of the
mansion, that took first prize years ago as being the finest and
best-shaped specimens in the county. Many of these trees were named for
the major's friends, and they bear names well known to New Englanders.
More than a century ago, when Salem was the trade center of the world,
her gardens were renowned. These gardens were at the rear of the
dwellings, and it was here that the host and his guests came for their
after-dinner smoke, surrounded by the flowers that they loved.
The first improvements in garden culture were made by one George
Heussler, who, according to Captain Jonathan P. Felt, came to America in
1780, bringing with him a diploma given him by his former employers.
Previous to this period he had served an apprenticeship in the gardens
of several German princes, as well as in that of the king of Holland,
and was, in consequence, well qualified for the work. The first
experience he had in America in gardening was at the home of John Tracy
in Newburyport, where he worked faithfully for several years. Ten years
afterwards he came to Salem to take charge of the farm and garden of
Elias Hasket Derby, Senior, at Danvers, and later worked in other
gardens in the city of Salem, where he lived until his death in 1817.
From the records we glean that on October 21, 1796, Mr. Heussler gave
notice that he had choice fruit trees for sale at Mr. Derby's farm,
while a newspaper of that date informs us that the latter gentleman had
recently imported valuable trees from India and Africa and that he had
"an extensive nursery of useful plants in the neighborhood of his rich
garden." His son, E. Hersey Derby, had a garden of great dimensions at
his estate in South Salem, or, as it was then called, South Fields. This
was in 1802, and for a long time the fame of this rare and beautiful
garden was retained.
Both of the Derby gardens were worthy of attention, and it is said by
those in authority that in the Derby greenhouse the first night-blooming
cereus blossomed. This was in 1790, and the flower was the true _cereus
grande flora_, not the flat-leaved cactus kind that is now cultivated
under that name. It was largely the influence of the beautiful Derby
gardens that gave to Salem its impetus for fine garden culture.
Who knows how many romances have been enacted in the old-fashioned
gardens of long ago! They were fascinating places for lovers to wander
and in their vine-clad summer-houses many a love-tale was told. The
sight of an old-time garden recalls to-day the early owners, and in
imagination one can hear the swish of silken skirts as the mistress of
the home saunters down the central path to take tea with friends in her
beloved arbor. There were warm friendships among neighbors in those
days, and the summer season was marked by a daily interchange of visits;
and so the old-time garden is fraught with memories of bygone
festivities and perchance of gossip.
After the close of commerce, the Derby Street houses, formerly occupied
by the old merchants, gradually became deserted, and new houses were
sought in different parts of the town, farther removed from shipping
interests. Chestnut Street was the location of many of these new homes,
and here the beautiful old-fashioned gardens were shown at their best.
These were usually inclosed, and were reached by a side door, opening
directly into a veritable wealth of bloom.
Among the extensive gardens cultivated here was a smaller one containing
a greenhouse. This was owned by John Fiske Allen. Mr. Allen was an
ardent lover of flowers, and was always interested in adding some new
and rare specimen to his collection. From Caleb Ropes in Philadelphia he
purchased seed of the _Victoria Regia_, the water lily of the Amazon.
These plants blossomed for the second time in our country on July 28,
1833, the grounds being thronged with visitors during the time of their
blossoming. This fact was called to the attention of William Sharp, who
had illustrations made for a book on the subject. The following year an
extension was made to the greenhouse, and more seed was planted, which
had come from England, and, in addition, orchids and other plants were
grown.
The Humphrey Devereux house stands almost directly across the street
from the Allen house. This garden, under the care of the next owner,
Captain Charles Hoffman, became famous, for here the first camellias and
azaleas in this country were planted. One of the former plants is still
seen in a greenhouse in Salem. Captain Hoffman had a well-trained
gardener, named Wilson, whose care gave this garden a distinctive name
in the city. This garden is now the property of Dr. James E. Simpson,
and it shows like no other the direct influence of olden times. There is
the same vine-clad arbor for the central figure, and the plants which
are grown behind box borders are the same that grew in our grandmothers'
time. This scheme has been carefully carried out by the mistress of the
house, who is passionately fond of the old-time blossoms.
In the garden of the Cabot house on Essex Street, the first owner of the
house imported tulips from Holland, and, during the time of their
blossoming, threw open the garden to friends. The later owners improved
the garden by adding rare specimens of peonies and other plants, and
have kept the same effects, adding to the gardens' beauty each year.
While the old-fashioned garden has gone into decline, yet the modern-day
enthusiast has brought into his formal gardens the flowers of yesterday.
The artistic possibilities of these have appealed so strongly to the
flower lover that they have been restored to their own once more. The
box border is practically a thing of the past, having been replaced by
flower borders of mignonette and sweet alyssum, which afford a fine
setting for the beds. Like pictures seem these old-fashioned gardens,
framed with thoughts of days long gone by, and one unconsciously sighs
for those days that are gone, taking with them the sweet odor of the
flowers that grew in our grandmothers' time.