the greatest number of fine gardens, but there is little risk of
misstatement in placing New Jersey as fourth or fifth on the list; New
York, including Long Island, in the lead, then Massachusetts, and
possibly Pennsylvania or California next. Near the sea the climate is,
of course, an especial incentive to flower-growing, and along the Jersey
coast, especially in Monmouth County, there are numerous gardens. Many
excellent specimens are to be seen at Princeton, Trenton, Short Hills,
and Morristown, as well as in the country around Bernardsville, in all
of which places garden clubs are rapidly developing the cult. Only about
fifty miles separate Trenton, Princeton, and Monmouth Beach, in central
Jersey, from Morristown, Short Hills, etc., at the north, so that spring
gardens practically begin in both sections at the same time, with
possibly not more than three or four days' difference between them.
While the south Jersey soil does not always encourage gardening, the
northern half of the State may be considered on the whole quite fertile,
and the summer temperature is not too hot for flowers. Occasional
droughts are to be expected, but the water-supply is usually adequate.
In the northern part of the State the usual date for Crocuses is March
25; Daffodils, April 15; Lily-of-the-Valley, May 12; late Tulips, May
10; German Iris, May 22; Oriental Poppy, Columbine, Lupin, and
Pyrethrum, May 26; Roses, Peonies, Anchusa, and Sweet William, early
June; Delphiniums, June 20; Hollyhocks, July 1. In fact, the climatic
condition, as it affects plant life, is very similar throughout the
region surrounding New York City--not different enough to require
special attention.
The beautiful garden at Glen Alpine is one of prolonged bloom from May
22 until frost, and its planting plans are shown in the author's
"Continuous Bloom in America." Both English and Italian inspiration
commingle in this beautiful spot. Its setting of old trees on three
sides, with the upsloping hill to the rear covered with choice blossom
trees and evergreens, as well as the ancient hedge, furnish a background
in keeping with the dignity of the place. The pergola is only the
beginning of an interesting upper shrub and bulb garden with rambling
paths. Other views are given in plates 86 and 172.
At Cherrycroft, the garden also blooms continuously, and some of its
plans are likewise given in the book above-mentioned. The pergola and
tea-house lead out to a maze formed by a tall Arbor-Vitae hedge.
Adjoining is a Rose garden, more or less continually in bloom, and near
by a garden for cutting-flowers. The outlook over the formal garden,
both from house and pergola, is upon a sea of flowers, possibly
unequalled in its profusion of bloom. The four beds encircling the pool
are first covered with Pansies and English Daisies, each bed containing
one large clump of German Iris, edged with Cottage Tulips. For later
bloom, white Petunias fill two beds, light pink Petunias the other two
beds. Surrounding the rim of the pool there are Campanula medium,
alternating with fall-sown Larkspur, the former replaced by Balsam. The
four large beds opposite the pool-beds are planted in predominating
tones of yellow, blue, pink, and dark red respectively, with white
freely intermixed. The beds on the upper level are treated rather
similarly.
At both Glen Alpine and Cherrycroft nurseries of cold-frames abundantly
supply the many annuals and perennials required to fill the broad beds.
The prevailing colors required in both gardens are pink, dark red,
blues, and yellows. Of the latter, the stronger tones are used only in
yellow and blue beds. If there is strict adherence to their planting
schemes the richness of their bloom will continue through future
seasons. But, alas! how uncertain the fulfilment, when the most
necessary flowers may disappoint at the eleventh hour, or the gardeners
fail to abide by the plans, especially concerning the color scheme!
At Ridgewood Hill the planting is for spring and autumn bloom, and its
three-terraced garden is an excellent piece of work, nestling to the
hillside with its vista of hills beyond. This lovely nook deserves to
rank among the best in terraced gardens.
Mrs. Fraser's garden, enclosed within the semicircle of the house and a
curving Hemlock hedge, is veritably a gem in lovely color-blending. All
the periods of the garden season are represented here, difficult as it
is to accomplish continuous bloom in narrow beds. First Pansies and
early Tulips, followed by the later ones, flood the little court with
wonderfully tinted tones. Then Lupins, Canterbury Bells, Sweet William,
Chinese Delphinium and Lilium candidum, followed by Larkspur, Zinnia,
Snapdragon, Scabiosa, Salpiglossis, Heliotrope, Ageratum, and compact
Petunias, Gladioli, and September hardy Chrysanthemum. Constant
ministration to the needs of this garden keeps it in a state of fresh
bloom and order.
The garden at "Onunda," Madison, attracts many visitors and has long
been famous for its beauty and order. It is ablaze with color from May
to October. Annuals in richest massing fill all the small beds, and
perennials with annuals are closely grouped in the wall beds. The color
effect is unusual and the adjoining Rose garden is complete with
choicest bloom.
The planting at Blairsden, near Peapack, is probably the most perfect in
the State. The accompanying pictures give a limited idea of its beauty.
The hill covered with wild shrubs sloping to the lake, the formal
garden, the water garden and Rose garden, with the long inclined pathway
seeming to lead out to space immeasurable into the green Garden of
Everyman, combine with the scenery to make it a place of remarkable
beauty. The formal garden with vine-covered brick wall is like the
villa, Italian in design.
The numerous gardens of Short Hills must be represented by one charming
glimpse of Brooklawn, an idyllic spot embodying the creative sense of a
poet. Its design is quite unusual in the garden world, and perfect in
its simplicity. Informal rather than strictly formal, with beds of
curving lines and grass paths it may be considered the most original
plan in this collection.
Old Princeton, with its picturesque university, is additionally favored
in possessing gardens worthy of such associations and equalling the best
in our country. The one at Drumthwacket is probably more reminiscent of
English gardens than any other. The broad beds, profuse in glowing yet
orderly bloom, are especially lovely in June. The garden has the benefit
of ancient trees as a setting and the richness of its planting combined
with the white balustrade lends a noble effect, comparing favorably with
many of those abroad. The beautiful water garden, reached by a winding
stone stairway, is encircled by willows and forest trees which fill the
little lake with green reflections.
A winter garden is a luxury so rare that one dwells with keenest
pleasure upon the view from Thornton--a most perfect specimen of its
kind. This evergreen planting is the central scheme of an elaborate plan
and divides the perennial and Rose garden on one side from the "cutting"
garden on the other. The best of the evergreens in clipped forms,
Barberry with its bright winter berries, Laurel, and Rhododendron
foliage unite to enliven the winter scene in this pleasant space, when
outside all is gray and lifeless.
Mrs. Seabrook's garden belongs to still another distinctly different
class, illustrating a planting which appeals strongly to the many
Americans who ardently admire simplicity in outdoor art. Here we find a
sweet place in which to live in idle hours, with favorite flowers
well-kept, a pool, and shaded retreats from summer sun.
[Illustration: PLATE VI
"Glen Alpine," Morristown, N. J. Mrs. Charles W. McAlpin
_From a photograph, colored by Mrs. Herbert A. Raynes_]
[Illustration: PLATE 75
"Cherrycroft," Morristown, N. J. Dudley Olcott, Esq.
_From an autochrome photograph by Parker Brothers_]
[Illustration: PLATE 76
A three-terraced garden
"Ridgewood Hill," Morristown, N. J. Mrs. Frederic H. Humphreys
_From a photograph by Parker Brothers_]
[Illustration: PLATE 77
Morristown, N. J. Mrs. George C. Fraser
_From a photograph by Parker Brothers_]
[Illustration: PLATE 78
"Blairsden," Peapack, N. J. C. Ledyard Blair, Esq.
_Reproduced by courtesy of Doubleday, Page & Co._]
[Illustration: PLATE 79
"Blairsden," Peapack, N. J. C. Ledyard Blair, Esq.
_Reproduced by courtesy of Doubleday, Page & Co._]
[Illustration: PLATE 80
"Blairsden," Peapack, N. J. C. Ledyard Blair, Esq.
_Reproduced by courtesy of Doubleday, Page & Co._]
[Illustration: PLATE 81
"Brooklawn," Short Hills, N. J. Mrs. Edward B. Renwick
_From a photograph by Jessie Tarbox Beals_]
[Illustration: PLATE 82
"Drumthwacket," Princeton, N. J. Mrs. Moses Taylor Pyne
_From a photograph, copyright, by Miss Johnston--Mrs. Hewitt_]
[Illustration: PLATE 83
"Drumthwacket," Princeton, N. J. Mrs. Moses Taylor Pyne
_From a photograph, copyright, by Miss Johnston--Mrs. Hewitt_]
[Illustration: PLATE 84
"Drumthwacket," Princeton, N. J. Mrs. Moses Taylor Pyne
_From a photograph, copyright, by Miss Johnston--Mrs. Hewitt_]
[Illustration: PLATE 85
"Onunda," Madison, N. J. Mrs. D. Willis James
_From a photograph by Parker Brothers_]
[Illustration: PLATE 86
"Glen Alpine," Morristown, N. J. Mrs. Charles W. McAlpin
_From a photograph by Parker Brothers_]
[Illustration: PLATE 87
"Thornton," Rumson, N. J. Mrs. J. Horace Harding
_From a photograph by Alman & Co._]
[Illustration: PLATE 88
Highland, N. J. Mrs. H. H. Seabrook
_From a photograph by Jessie Tarbox Beals_]
VI
PENNSYLVANIA
The most zealous advocate of gardening in the early days was William
Penn, the original proprietor of the State, who persistently urged his
Quaker followers to plant gardens around the homesteads. With numerous
old ones and an ever-increasing number of new gardens the State stands
among the foremost as a garden centre. In olden times the Quaker ideas
against extravagant appearances resulted in the making of simpler places
than those built by the people who settled in the Southern States; but
these modest Pennsylvania gardens did not suffer the ravages of war, and
many of them have lived serenely through the years.
Andalusia came into the possession of the family of its present owners
in 1795, and a village has gradually grown around the place. The garden
is about one hundred years in age, and has been long noted for its trees
and hedges, its fruits and old-fashioned flowers. The simplicity of its
plan, so characteristic of the early gardens, detracts nothing from its
charm, but rather is it filled with picturesque features that are truly
American.
At Fancy Field the formal garden is made somewhat on the plan of a type
of small English garden that is becoming familiar to us through the
English prints. This formal view is but one of a group or series of
lovely enclosed and connecting gardens, all seemingly bound together by
a long pergola bordering their rear;--a most pleasing study, as is also
the garden at Edgecombe, with its old Box and perennials, shut in
peacefully from the outer world and suggesting the type so dear to the
heart of the lady of the olden time.
Krisheim was the name given by some early German settlers in 1687 to a
locality where is now a famous garden. This beautiful enclosure, in its
spring garb, so unique in style, and with an adjoining flower garden,
has its place among the best of the many that adorn the State.
The garden at Willow Bank is a charming home of flowers, and its
attraction is enhanced by the spacious green court surrounding it,
giving double privacy to the flowery sanctum within.
Typical of some of the splendid newer gardens of the State is the one at
Timberline, rich in its background of old trees, gracefully designed and
planted. It is one of the best productions of a celebrated architect.
The Ballygarth garden, a section of which is shown in this chapter, is
beautifully situated on one of the oldest estates near Philadelphia, and
is of the kind so evidently the creation of a garden lover.
Near Philadelphia the climate is slightly warmer than in north New
Jersey, to which spring bloom comes at least a week later. In this
vicinity German Iris appears about May 15, Sweet William, May 28, and
Delphiniums, June 10, Hollyhocks, June 18. The time of the first frost
is as variable as it is elsewhere. Pansies are usually wintered in the
open, with a certain amount of covering. Tender annuals are set out
about May 10. The soil is mostly fertile enough for good results in the
garden. The best-known gardens lie chiefly in the neighborhood of
Philadelphia.
[Illustration: PLATE 89
"Allgates," Haverford, Pa. Horatio G. Lloyd, Esq.
_From a photograph by Jessie Tarbox Beals_]
[Illustration: PLATE 90
Andalusia, Pa. Mrs. Charles Biddle]
[Illustration: PLATE 91
Andalusia, Pa. Mrs. Charles Biddle
_From a photograph by C. R. Pancoast_]
[Illustration: PLATE 92
"Edgecombe," Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pa. Mrs. J. Willis Martin]
[Illustration: PLATE 93
"Krisheim," Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pa. Dr. George Woodward
_From a photograph by J. W. Kennedy_]
[Illustration: PLATE 94
The outer court]
[Illustration: PLATE 95
The inner garden
"Willow Bank," Bryn Mawr, Pa. Mrs. Joseph C. Bright
_From photographs by Jessie Tarbox Beals_]
[Illustration: PLATE 96
"Fancy Field," Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pa. Mrs. George Willing,
Jr.]
[Illustration: PLATE 97
"Timberline," Bryn Mawr, Pa. W. Hinckle Smith, Esq.
_From a photograph by Julian A. Buckly_]
[Illustration: PLATE 98
"Ballygarth," Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pa. Mrs. B. Franklin
Pepper]
VII
MARYLAND
Flower gardens adorn many of the places in Maryland, most of them of the
old-fashioned kind so characteristic of the Southern States, and others
of a more recent date. The latter, though less elaborate than those of
New England, are quite as attractive in the studied simplicity of their
design.
Conspicuous often are the Ivy-edged paths sometimes replacing the low
Box border, and the great growths of Box and rare shrubs, once imported
luxuries from old England, speak the prosperity of early days.
In the low country of the interior the midsummer climate is humid and
hot enough to discourage the flowers of this season, but when certain
annuals are kept sufficiently moist and mulched they may pass unscathed
through the trying season and join the few fall perennials for several
weeks of bloom.
Winter protection is not a matter of importance and Pansies need but an
ordinary covering of leaves. An extreme of cold, which is rare, might
bring disaster to the leaf-covered Canterbury Bell in the open, but this
is one of the gambles in garden life.
In Maryland, as generally elsewhere in this section, spring and June
gardens prevail. The Crocus season opens in early March; Daffodils
follow a little later; late Tulips and German Iris come near May 1;
Sweet William and Peonies about May 20; and soon after the Delphiniums
and Hollyhocks appear. Spring work begins three weeks earlier than in
the latitude of Long Island, and frost may finish the persistent
Marigold near November 1; but, as elsewhere, by that time green life has
had its day, vitality has been spent, and nothing satisfactory can be
expected of any but the hardy late Chrysanthemum.
There is another region of this State to be separately accounted for
that has been more or less overlooked, and where the climate is more
inviting to summer gardening. From near Snow Hill, on the narrow
peninsula south of Delaware, a resident writes in part: "As to this
eastern shore, its flowers, climate, etc., too much cannot be said in
its praise. The wonder is that this section has been overlooked by
wealthy people seeking homes. With proper planting one can have flowers
in the garden ten months of the year. During the winter Holly and other
choice evergreens give plenty of color for the lawns." The distance
across between the Chesapeake Bay and the sea is about thirty-five
miles. Near the shore the place has a climate of its own, and summer
gardens need not wilt as they do inland, providing they can at times be
moderately sprinkled. Usually the summer climate is pleasant with an
evening sea-breeze in hot weather; sometimes a prolonged dry spell
causes many things to suffer, but as a rule all sorts of flowering
plants succeed--Roses, China Asters, and bulbous plants especially grow
to perfection.
The illustrations representing Maryland are gathered from the vicinity
of Baltimore, the particular garden region of the State. Hampton is the
oldest of them all, being an entailed estate and one of two old
manor-houses in Maryland still extant. A severe cold snap a few winters
past did great damage to the Box, which in consequence had to be cut
back, but time, it is hoped, may restore its original form and beauty.
The spring view of one of Hampton's gardens was taken recently prior to
the period of fullest bloom. This charming Box-edged parterre, with its
fine surroundings and associations, is possibly the best-known in the
South.
Evergreen-on-Avenue is delightfully located on the outskirts of
Baltimore, where many old country-seats abound. The lower garden only is
discernible in the illustration, showing the dignity and charm of an
evergreen garden, relieved by a massing of color in narrow beds which
form a setting to the clipped Box and other shrubs. The upper garden is
full of bloom and kept chiefly as a place for cutting-flowers. Some of
the paths on this estate are edged with broad bands of Ivy.
The wild garden at Roland Park is a work of art too intricately devised
to be treated satisfactorily by picture or pen. The eye can only absorb
and memory retain it, but description will ever fail to present it. At
every turn there is a delightful surprise, at every season it is lovely;
even January finds it so dressed in evergreen that winter seems far
away. A few years ago the hillside was a wooded and abandoned
stone-quarry until purchased for the purpose of creating a place of
beauty out of chaos. An inspired imagination only could have wrought
this miracle.
The old Indian name for the Cylburn plantation was Cool Waters; it
covers two hundred acres, about five miles beyond Baltimore. Cylburn
House is of stone with broad verandas, and stands majestically on a high
plateau, surrounded by gardens, shrubbery, and an extensive lawn, which
is fringed by a beautiful primeval forest that stretches away on three
sides to the valley below. The garden is one of the old-fashioned
rambling kind, made lovely with a combination of tall shrubs and flowers
and occasional trees.
The fair little glimpse of a section of the garden at Ingleside breathes
of spring perfume and color, with that indescribable sense of peace
pervading especially a little enclosed garden where good taste and
harmony prevail. So great is the impression of seclusion produced by the
attractive picture that the farmer's cottage in the near background
seems almost disconnected from this inviting spot. The four white
standard Wistarias are remarkable enough to demand special attention.
The beds are early filled with the Tulips of both periods, blooming in
company with the Wistaria. Annuals follow, and the place is kept in
long bloom under the careful supervision of the owner.
At The Blind, Havre de Grace, on the Chesapeake, is a charming and
typically Southern garden with ancient Box hedges for a background, and
filled with the bloom of many old-fashioned hardy plants and shrubs. The
property of two hundred acres is partly under cultivation and partly
covered with Holly and ancient trees. Around the gray stone mansion in
springtime the place is like a fairy-land, with hundreds of blossoming
shrubs and fruit trees. Originally the land belonged to the Stumpp
family, who acquired it by grant from one of the early English
governors. It is now in the possession of a New Yorker, who keeps it as
a shooting-preserve and stock-farm.
[Illustration: PLATE VII
A rock garden]
[Illustration: PLATE VIII
A rock garden
Roland Park, Baltimore, Md. Mrs. Edward Bouton
_After autochrome photographs_]
[Illustration: PLATE 99
"Hampton," Towson, Md. Mrs. John Ridgely
_From a photograph by Laurence H. Fowler_]
[Illustration: PLATE 100
"Evergreen-on-Avenue," Baltimore, Md. Mrs. T. Harrison Garrett
_From a photograph by Christhill Studio_]
[Illustration: PLATE 101
"Cylburn House," Cylburn, Baltimore Co., Md. Mrs. Bruce Cotten
_From a photograph by Art View Co._]
[Illustration: PLATE 102
"Ingleside," Catonsville, Md. Mrs. A. C. Ritchie]
[Illustration: PLATE 103
"The Blind," Havre de Grace, Md. James Lawrence Breese, Esq.]
VIII
VIRGINIA
Virginia was the first of the States to adopt a luxurious mode of
living. Its early men and women, so recently English, were not many of
them of the strictly Puritan type, but rather the ease and pleasure
loving class, and shortly their fertile plantations, developed by
countless slaves, yielded rich results, and Virginia, followed soon by
the neighboring States, became famous for homes and gardens on an
extensive scale.
One of the earliest and best of these estates was Mount Vernon, so well
preserved and yet so familiar as not to need an introduction or even a
space in this book. Brandon, Westover, Shirley, Berkeley, Castle Hill,
and others on the River James, as well as some of the splendid places in
the "hill country," have been renovated in recent years and should be
considered among the treasures of America.
Mr. William du Pont is the fortunate present owner of Montpelier, the
home of President Madison, in Orange County, and situated between
Charlottesville and Richmond. This splendid garden was planned by Mr.
Madison soon after 1794. To quote Mr. Capen:[4] "On the plan of our
House of Representatives, it is made in a series of horseshoe terraces
leading down to a flat rectangular stretch of ground. The walk from the
entrance to the garden passes first under a charming rustic arbor, and
then through a dense Box hedge in which some of the bushes have grown so
high that their branches form an arch overhead ... and when one emerges
from the arch of Box he finds spread before him in panorama the entire
garden ... the Box-edged aisle down its centre and every bed in
flower.... It must have been a rare garden, for trees and shrubs sent to
Mr. Madison by admirers from all over the world were jealously guarded
and nurtured."
At Rose Hill the terraced garden, with its distant view of hills and
valley, is among the best-known places of this section. Here the
flowers, most carefully tended, bloom considerably during the period
from April to October, which is unusually prolonged for a Southern
garden. Flowering plants and clipped evergreens border the broad, grassy
terraces and an air of simple stateliness pervades this charming
Virginia garden.
Delightful indeed is the spacious formal garden at Meadowbrook Manor, on
the James River. So cleverly arranged is the combination of trees and
flowers that the latter do not suffer from near association with the
trees--many of which are evergreens combining with the Box border to
gladden the winter garden with summer green, and giving the livable,
homey sense to this lovely enclosure in summer-time. In the old days
the property was known as Sequin and belonged to relatives of Sir Thomas
Gates of the same name. Upon this land in 1619 were operated the first
iron-works in the country.
Characteristic of the gardens of the older period is the lovely view of
the garden on the Valentine place overgrown and ripe as only a garden
can be that has lived through the years; unpretentious, yet richer in
that mellowed growth than the most costly planting of modern date.
In Virginia, mountains cover a part of the State, and the temperature
necessarily varies according to locality. The climate, at least of
Albemarle County, brings out the Crocuses in February or early March;
winter Jessamine in early February, sometimes January; Daffodils in
mid-March; Lily-of-the-Valley and Cottage Tulip early in April; German
Iris in mid-April. Roses and Sweet William appear in early May;
Delphinium in late May; Hollyhocks in early June; Phlox, July 1. And
thus before midsummer's heat many of the best hardy perennials have come
and gone. While summer bloom in the highlands is not necessarily
destroyed by hot weather, unless unusual drought occurs, yet the autumn
garden is apt to be a more refreshing sight with its fresh crop of
Roses, the late Chrysanthemum, Cosmos, and indefatigable Zinnia. Of
course to the south, and where altitude is lacking, the somewhat higher
temperature will more or less alter these garden dates.
FOOTNOTES: