The Project Gutenberg eBook ofGarden OrnamentsThis ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online atwww.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.Title: Garden OrnamentsAuthor: Mary Harrod NorthendRelease date: January 8, 2011 [eBook #34885]Language: EnglishCredits: Produced by Annie McGuire. This book was produced fromscanned images of public domain material from the GooglePrint archive.*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GARDEN ORNAMENTS ***
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online atwww.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.
Title: Garden OrnamentsAuthor: Mary Harrod NorthendRelease date: January 8, 2011 [eBook #34885]Language: EnglishCredits: Produced by Annie McGuire. This book was produced fromscanned images of public domain material from the GooglePrint archive.
Title: Garden Ornaments
Author: Mary Harrod Northend
Author: Mary Harrod Northend
Release date: January 8, 2011 [eBook #34885]
Language: English
Credits: Produced by Annie McGuire. This book was produced fromscanned images of public domain material from the GooglePrint archive.
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK GARDEN ORNAMENTS ***
Book Cover
TALL POPLARS LEND DIGNITY TO A GARDEN SETTINGTALL POPLARS LEND DIGNITY TO A GARDEN SETTING
Copyright, 1916,
byDuffield & Co.
FOREWORDI.The Garden Path and BorderII.The Pergola and ArchIII.The Tea House in the GardenIV.The Garden StepsV.EntrancesVI.Bird BathsVII.Garden SeatsVIII.Garden PoolsIX.The Sun-dial in the GardenX.The Fountain
Tall Poplars Lend Dignity to a Garden SettingLet Gutters of Cobblestones Line Your PathA Successful Grass PathA Brick-paved Path Flanked by Many-hued IrisThe Sunlight Sifts Through the Sheltering Vines of the PergolaBuild Your Pergola with Cobblestone Supports and Rustic TopThe Moss Grows Between the Stone WalkA Tea-houseStepping-stones in a Grass PathLily Ponds in a Formal GardenStone Steps Attractively PlannedA Fountain that Serves as a Background for a Lily PondMarble Steps Leading to the Water in a Formal GardenAn Old-fashioned Garden Is Often Entered Under an Arch of LatticeworkA Fine Decorative Iron GatewayA Successful Entrance to a Formal GardenThe Central Feature of the Garden May Be a Bird-bathA Well-placed Bird-bathAn Ornament Delightfully Used to Mark the Opening of Paths Through WoodsA Formal Garden SeatA Simple and Attractive Garden SeatStately Lilies Add Charm and Dignity to a Gravelled WalkA Pond-lily Pool of a Very Attractive ShapeA Lily Pond that Fills Charmingly a Corner of a GardenThere Is an Ever-changing Beauty to a Garden Whose Paths Are Broken Here and There by PoolsGrassy Paths Lead Pleasantly to the Sun-dialThe Sun-dial Is a Feature in ItselfAn Old Well Used Effectively as a Decorative FeatureNarcissus Stands in the Heart of the FountainA Roman Fountain Placed Against a Very Appropriate BackgroundAn Artistic Fountain Particularly Well PlacedThis Wall Fountain with Its Shell Background and Basin Is Most Fittingly Placed
Doubtless we have all realized the allurement of the garden, as we walk between the beds, drinking in the sweet perfume of the many flowers, or as we watch the birds perched on the branches or lazily swinging on the flowers, twittering to their mates as they sip the nectar or prune their plumage, after bathing in the sparkling water of the pool.
There is more than enjoyment that comes to the garden lover through his life among the plants. He grows broader and becomes forgetful of the trivial cares and prejudices of every-day life as he watches their development. He comes to the garden for inspiration and finds it among the flowers.
We are by nature garden lovers, and though with some the feeling has not as yet been developed, yet deep in the depths of their soul is a yearning for intercourse with Nature and her lessons—taught through the cultivation of flowers. It spells Contentment, Happiness and Love.
It is a delight to visit gardens, and study the character of the designer. It is no hard matter to read through varied planting likes and dislikes in the owner. It brings us closer together, this mutual love of floriculture, and it is in discussion of this theme that we forget the sordid phases of life.
Visit the gardens with me, listen to the anthem of the birds sung at morn and eventide. Learn their habits, and make them friends, so that they will nestle into your often lonely life, bringing with them a gladness that is not only delightful but alluring.
Many a love story has been told among the flowers, many a real story has been developed as one sat gazing at some flower-laden field. Joy and sadness has been our varied lot since we began our garden work, but as the years go on, gladness predominates. We grow to look forward with a tender longing for the coming spring. We hang lovingly over the opening buds of the early flowers. We are glad that we, too, have grown to know the flowers, that we have learned through their poetic language solace for the wounded soul, and how to live better lives, through intercourse with them.
To my many friends who have made it possible for me to visit their gardens, and to reproduce their carefully thought out schemes in pictures, I extend my hearty thanks. It has done much to make not only my life but other lives happier. It is with the hope that others may find the same enjoyment in this work that I have that I send it forth to perform its mission and with the hope that it may encourage others to start gardens of their own and to give to them a happiness they have never known before. If I have accomplished this I have met the desire of my heart.
LET GUTTERS OF COBBLESTONES LINE YOUR PATHLET GUTTERS OF COBBLESTONES LINE YOUR PATH
"All the world's a garden and we are garden lovers in it." This is not a new theme, for it has been in existence ever since the planting of the early flower plots, those that were in evidence in our grand-dames' time. There is a distinct atmosphere connected with those simple one-path gardens that is most delightful. It lies not only in the gravel paths and the stiff box-borders, but in the fragrant old-fashioned flowers that were grown promiscuously inside the trim line of box. Perchance some dainty line of cinnamon pinks whose delicate blossoms when we find them in the twentieth-century gardens, carry us back vividly to the Colonial days when they so often formed a part of the garden scheme.
Great changes have taken place in the evolution of the posy beds, for, with the passage of time, theyhave developed into wide expanses of floral landscape, subtly moulded into charming pictures and fascinating vistas.
In the planting and the planning of the flower beds of the present day many of the general motives of the older gardens have been retained. They have, however, been enlarged upon and developed until they are perfected in every detail. The landscape architect of to-day realizes that the achievements of yesterday can be interwoven with the possibilities of to-morrow.
As we saunter leisurely through the twentieth-century garden, we come occasionally upon a simple box-border, much more scientifically treated than those of long ago. This special feature of garden culture should be planted in the early spring that it may obtain deep rooting, so as to resist the ravages of the winter season. The plants should not overcrowd but be set three inches apart in narrow, shallow trenches, with plenty of mulching to insure the best results. Unlike those found in the gardens of Colonial days, they should be carefully clipped, sometimes for topiary effects.
Here and there, we come unexpectedly upon old-time flower plots, showing a box-border, not likethose of the present day, carefully trimmed, but scraggly and unkempt, preserved for sentiment's sake. They still line the central walk, much as they did long years ago. In those days there was no laying-out of gardens or creating odd designs, but, instead, there was a simple, narrow, dividing line, worked out by the removal of turf and filling in with earth.
Few realize that garden culture can be divided into periods, each one of which is well defined, so that it is possible to determine where the old-fashioned ideas left off and the new-fashioned ones began. The earliest period has a straight, simple path, about six feet in width. These gardens came into existence when our shipping was greater on the sea and the merchant princes demanded large and more elegant houses with gardens laid out in the rear. Many of these were planned by the mistresses of the stately homes, while some were designed by English or German gardeners, who in their planting reproduced the gardens across the seas. There are a few only that deviate from the general plan of the single walk dividing the beds and ending in a summer house, vine-clad, where the Colonial dames during the summer months heldafternoon teas. These garden houses were the nucleus of the garden furniture that has come into fashion with the passing of time.
One of the distinctive features connected with these gardens is the border. This varies in width with the size of the plot and the flowers enclosed. It must be borne in mind that the gardeners of those days knew little of the theory of color schemes, yet the results were pleasing to the eye, so much so that to-day the old-fashioned garden stands in a class by itself.
With the evolution of gardens, new ideas sprang into existence. All landscape architects realize the importance of giving particular attention to the laying-out of the path. Here the bit of garden demands a straight path, yonder to bring gardens into unity a grass path should be laid, while level stretches demand charming floral treatment, wrought out through proper use of flowers in the borders.
A SUCCESSFUL GRASS PATHA SUCCESSFUL GRASS PATH
Every ambitious gardener realizes that during the summer months, his particular garden will be on dress parade, and must be always at its best. Therefore, he gives special attention to the trimming of the borders, the smoothing of the path andthe right coloring in beds, so that no discordant note be found. Every part must be kept in good condition, for there are no closed doors for untidiness to skulk behind. This he knows means constant and unremitting care and that he may avoid sameness, he changes the flower scheme every year, to give a fresh note to the planting of his own particular plot.
The greatest care must be taken that borders are properly balanced, for any deviation from this rule results in lop-sided effects that spell failure. No walk in any part of the garden but should be planned to serve a definite purpose, either to connect other paths or at its end to bring out some carefully laid plan that will lend a picturesque effect to the finished design.
Let us take as an instance a curved path. First of all, we must realize that it is not following any haphazard plan but has a definite aim. Perchance it has been most carefully laid out to avoid the felling of a tree that is needed for picturesque effect, but whatever the object may be, it is fulfilled by the design of this particular path.
There are to be found, quite frequently on large, extensive grounds, grass paths that cut the lawn,connecting separated gardens. In any case like this, how much better to introduce English stepping stones. There is a picturesque coloring in their soft, gray hue, contrasting pleasingly with a line of grass between. They also break the monotony given by a solid mass of green and lend to this particular part of the ground an old-world aspect.
Have you ever stopped to think when planning for your next year's garden that designs can be easily varied to bring out some new thought and make a change that is alluring? It is the careful introduction of these novel ideas that gives zest to garden culture. Every person has a different idea of what is right in garden culture and unconsciously treats the old plan in an individual manner. A little touch here and there goes a great way in producing odd effects.
Among the many materials that can be used for this feature of the garden is brick, and of this there are many kinds. For the old-fashioned garden the second-hand brick gives a Colonial atmosphere. For the gardens of to-day it is generally better to use the hard, burned brick—these can be laid in straight lines or herring-bone fashion as fancy dictates,and should show a line of straight brick or headers as they approach the border. This feature should be used generally in formal types of garden landscape. Great care should be taken, however, that the brick be laid perfectly dry and cemented in mortar.
If you are looking for novelty, why not try cobblestones? They are very inexpensive, particularly if you live in a seaport town where the beaches are strewn with them. Be sure to pick out those that are nearest the same size and shape, for this gives a better effect. There is nothing that gives a better backing for earth beds, especially as they are easily kept weeded. If the cobblestones prove too conspicuous for the scheme of the garden, it is a comparatively easy matter to plant as a background a flowering plant that will in time fall over them and hide them from view.
A turf walk is, properly speaking, the most effective path. It also has many advantages, chief among them the fact that it is not hard to keep up and can be replaced with very little trouble, save the cutting of new sod. Be very careful not to make the mistake of laying old sods that have been piled for a considerable length of time and havethus lost much of their vigor. In order to have them at their best they should be freshly cut and laid carefully in a rich foundation, the pieces joined as closely as possible together and the crevices filled in with either grass seed or dirt. Plenty of watering means success; still one should not be impatient, for it is not until a second season that grass comes to its own. One difficulty in a border like this, which can, however, be easily remedied, is that it needs constant cutting to keep the grass from overrunning the beds.
If you are planning a garden of the English type, it is well to carry out the idea of introducing irregular stones for the walk. It is desirable that the stones should not all be of the same size, otherwise there will be no chance for grass and moss to grow between them and give them the old-world aspect. In gardens of this type such a path is really imperative, for the flowers crowd against the dividing line and would be much less interesting if stones were not introduced.
Bear in mind, in dealing with this particular subject that the width of the walk depends in a great measure on the size of the garden. Here a narrow path is all that is necessary to carry outthe scheme; there, a wide one seems to fit appropriately into the plan. It is not always possible to have gardens large enough to allow a wide path, yet the effect of one can be produced by a little contriving; for instance, if you use grass for the central feature with an earth border on either side.
If you desire a successful garden you should seek for variety, not only in the cutting of the walk, but in the planting of the borders. To-day everybody is striving for originality and to work out odd ideas that still are practical. One should remember, too, that no two gardens are exactly alike, any more than two faces bear an exact resemblance.
In describing the border, one might liken it to the setting of a gem. Doubtless, it might be said to be artificial but so is the planting of the flower plot. It is not nature's work, but designed by the hand of man and in it harmony should be developed in the highest degree.
Let us take as an example the damp garden. This is usually laid out in one corner of the estate. If we should treat it with a gravel walk, what would be the result—dampness and disappointment. Now, let us change the whole plan and place stringers on which boards are laid, so nailed thatthey can be lifted during the winter season and stored away in a friendly barn or cellar. Watch the result and you will find it is always dry and practical for usage. Better still, if wearing properties do not have to be taken into consideration, use cedar boughs that resemble in contour miniature logs. They fit into place as if put there by nature, all the more if they are bordered by ferns. If you build at the further end a rustic summer house, it gives a refreshing touch.
Many garden lovers delight in collecting wild flowers, digging them up in the neighboring woods to blossom in their cultivated garden. Why not give them a home by themselves in a rough rockery? This can easily be built from stones found on the estate. Here we deviate from the stilted idea of paths and introduce stone steps. These should be large and rough enough to fit in with our plan. Hardy ferns should be planted on either side and rock plants between the steps. You will then see the wisdom of creating a path like this which is in sympathy with the general idea of the garden.
A BRICK-PAVED PATH FLANKED BY MANY-HUED IRISA BRICK-PAVED PATH FLANKED BY MANY-HUED IRIS
Landscape gardeners are at the present day endeavoring to work out results that are in harmonywith any period that they are called upon to reproduce. Occasionally they come upon a subject that is very difficult to treat, such as the concrete walk. This is an absolute necessity in some locations. Yet, when finished, it presents a bare appearance and demands special treatment. Very successful results are produced by bright borders of flowering plants, and if in addition to this an arch of wire or rustic boughs is made for the entrance and covered with rambler roses, of which to-day there are many varieties, a happy solution will be found to the perplexing problem of a colorless path. During the time of blossoming, the touch of brightness adds to the effect while later on the bright green of the leaves relieves the cold gray of the concrete.
The late Joseph Jefferson, in speaking of gardens and their borders, once said, "They are all expectation." And so they are from the early spring when the first bulbs come into bloom until the falling of the late chrysanthemum. As we con the seedman's list to prepare for the spring gardening, we go through the procession of the seasons noting the colors and finding a joy in anticipation that is exhilarating.
In order to give correct handling to your paths, the color scheme of the borders should be taken into consideration. Different kinds of gardens demand varied treatment, and for this, the situation on the grounds and the type of the walk, should be carefully thought out.
For earliest bloom, one should use bulbs. To have them at their best they should be planted in the fall, about six weeks before the hard frost sets in. Trenches are first dug, from twelve to eighteen inches deep, enriched and topped with a layer of sand, to insure the bulbs touching nothing else. Each bulb should be planted six inches deep and the same number of inches apart. They should be covered with from four to six inches of straw, dead leaves—hardwood ones being best for this purpose—or pine branches. Great care should be taken that these are not removed too early in the spring. Years of careful experiment have developed better colors and more strength in bulbs and have succeeded in producing a greater variety, both single to double. This evolution in bulbs makes it possible to choose suitable varieties for any border work.
Snow drops are the first to poke their tiny headsup through the cold, hard earth. They rise above the snow, bringing gladness in their train. Then comes a procession of dainty bulbs including the hyacinth with its many hues, and the tulips, that stay by us until late in May, clothed in Dolly Varden gowns, or simple Quaker garb. It is a good plan to plant pansies among the bulbs, so that they will show their painted faces before the last bloom has disappeared. Many people in such borders use sweet alyssum for the outer row, but this, while it is decorative, is not always satisfactory for it grows so high that it is apt to shadow the major scheme. Bulbs can be left in the ground for a second year's blossoming or if new varieties are desired they can be carefully lifted and replaced by potted plants, such as the scarlet geranium or the dusty miller, whose soft gray sheen makes an interesting note of color as a foreground for the bed that stretches down to touch it, a solid mass of one-toned flowers.
Within the last few years iris has become a popular accessory for border use. One reason for this is that it stays in bloom from the time of its first opening until the hot blast of the August sun touches its closed head. Well may this be termedthe "fairy's favorite flower," it is so dainty in its hues.
The rose moss or portulaca is a valuable border plant. It grows luxuriantly in sandy soil, where no moisture is retained, and seems to draw sufficient sustenance from the dews that fall at night, rather than from the unkindly sand which touches its tiny roots. One advantage in its use is that it grows quickly from seed, that is, if it is planted in a dry spot. The needle-shaped foliage is inconspicuous, while the blossoms are as brilliant as poppies and are produced in large numbers. A serious fault, however, is that it closes during the afternoon. If one decides to use portulaca, choose solid colors rather than to mix a mass of varied ones.
For a shady bit of garden, why not try out delphiniums? They are not expensive, the roots costing about a dollar and a quarter a dozen, but they are so graceful that they are effective for use of this sort.
The plants chosen must be in harmonious contrast to those that fill the beds, otherwise one shudders as they view the completed scheme and wonders how it is that the gardener is so color-blind. Hardy borders or annuals are used very often.Each of them having a distinctive charm, some gardens demanding one, and others another, so that one cannot dictate to the owner of a garden which kind is best for his use, it lies with his own whims and fancies, to develop beautiful combinations, and to work out variations of the last year's scheme, so that the gardens of yesterday may differ essentially from those of to-day.
It may be that long borders of bright-eyed verbenas greet our eyes as we gaze upon the vari-colored beds, or perchance gorgeous Sweet Williams, vieing in hue are shown. Tall rosy spikes of lythrum lift their heads, while stately hollyhocks uncurl their silky petals, shaking out thetucks and wrinkles of the bud like newly awakened butterflies stretching their wings. There is a busy hum of bees as we saunter down the garden path, stopping now and again to watch their flight as they light on flowers to sip their nectar, furry with golden pollen dust.
So we stand wondering what our grand-dames would say could they view, with us to-day, the transformation of the old-fashioned garden, into a magnificent show of rare plants in a well-developed design.
THE SUNLIGHT SIFTS THROUGH THE SHELTERING VINES OF THE PERGOLATHE SUNLIGHT SIFTS THROUGH THE SHELTERING VINES OF THE PERGOLA
"I have made me a garden and orchard, and have planted trees and all kinds of fruit." Thus spake the wise Solomon who in all his glory found time to enjoy his flowers. Nowadays, blossoming plants are intermixed with marble fragments, and the garden contains many interesting features that were then unknown. Sir William Temple, on his return from a visit to Holland, where he went for garden study, tells us that he found that four things were absolutely necessary in order to complete a perfect garden. "Flowers, Fruit, Shade, and Water."
Originality is to-day the key-note in every garden design. Gardens have been developed with the passing of time so that instead of one type we find an infinite variety of styles, each one of them so distinctive that one need have little fear of repetition in results. Here we find the formal, the Italian garden while over yonder is the wild, and therambling one. They are carefully designed to bring out some individual scheme. Unlike the little posy plots of long ago with their unobtrusive green arbors, now we come upon a large space which has been laid out for picture effects. This is the work of the landscape architect, who takes as much pride in his garden structures, as does the architect in the design of his house. He vies with his rivals in producing odd effects with marble fragments and artistic combinations in his color scheme.
Each one of the many types, that are shown at the present day, shows distinctive features. These appear and disappear in endless variety, and among them are the pergola and the arch, the latter a grandchild of the green arbor that was in evidence in our grand-dames' time.
Unlike those seen in the old-fashioned gardens, it is not always built of wood. Sometimes it is so placed as to define the terraces, leading with its shadowy treatment to delightful glimpses of vistas beyond, well laid out for this very purpose. Again we find it shadowing the garden at one side, where it makes a covered walk, under which one can pass, and view the garden pleasantly.
Simple and unostentatious were the early gardens, for not until 1750, was there found any trace of garden architecture in the North. It was about that year that one Theodore Hardingbrook, came to this country bringing with him a fund of information to strengthen and enlarge this line of work. He gathered around him a faithful, interested little band of students, and taught them new ideas, and awakened an ambition for new designs in Colonial flower plots. Then was evolved the little summer house with its cap of green, which stood generally at the foot of the garden path ending the central walk and it was then that the green arbor came into existence, spanning the centre of the little plot. Covered with vines it made a pleasant break in the otherwise straight lines of the old-fashioned garden, and it also gave a touch of old-world gardens to the new-world plan.
This was not the commencement of pergola construction, which had its origin in the vineyards of sunny Italy. They were not like those of to-day, wonderfully beautiful in design but rude and rustic, roughly put together as a support for the vines. Through the intersecting crevices fell glorious clusters of pale green and royal purple grapes, to ripenin the glimmering shade. These rough arbors, shadowed by hardy vines, graced the Italian hillsides, when Columbus as a wool comber's son frolicked the summer days away long years before he discovered the new country that lay across the sea.
The birth of this feature was not romantic but plebeian, for it was built for practical use only. The hardy Italian grape growers had come to a realizing sense that their fruit throve better if held aloft, and so they conceived the idea of a supporting arbor. As the bright sun filtered through the vines, the picturesqueness caught the attention of gardeners on large estates and from this was evolved the long pillared pathways over which cultivated vines were twined, casting their long shadows far over the path beyond in Roman gardens.
When larger and better gardens were demanded to meet the architecture of the large, square, Colonial homes, green arbors were popular. They were crudely put together, often the work of the village carpenter, simple and unconventional in their treatment yet prettily draped with vines. During the summer months they were especially picturesque and inviting, with their little wooden seats placed on either side. To the garden came the gallant,dressed in knee breeches and wearing powdered wig, there to meet his lady love, bending low he plucked from the branches of the trailing vine a flower to deck his fair beloved's hair.
BUILD YOUR PERGOLA WITH COBBLESTONE SUPPORTS AND RUSTIC TOPBUILD YOUR PERGOLA WITH COBBLESTONE SUPPORTS AND RUSTIC TOP
These green arbors gave a distinct individuality to the old-time garden. Over them were carefully twined the Dutchman's pipe. It showed nestled away beneath its leaves, tiny, almost invisible little green pipes that were coveted by the little ones for "Let's pretend smoke." Invariably, the yellow and white Baltimore Belle rose sometimes known as the Seven Sisters, lent their charm, boldly peering out from under the vine to watch the lovers seated on the simple seats. They gave them a welcoming nod as they swayed to and fro in the passing breeze, mingling their blossoms, with a dainty Scotch rose and the pink moss, that seemingly grew on the same stem. It is the former rose that was the greatest favorite, for it lasted longer, giving dashes of yellow like sunshine to light the dark, autumnal days.
Now and again, we come unexpectedly upon a garden such as this. It lies in the heart of a Colonial city, hidden away from passers-by behind a high paling fence.
The twentieth century pergola in the modern garden lends itself to a great variety of treatment. It is an important feature and should be properly treated in order to bring out the right effect. Often the amateur, when dabbling with garden culture, neglects this feature on his grounds and gives it a wrong setting.
It must be remembered that the mere setting out of a garden does not always bring about the best results. It should be done with some definite aim in view, such as color or suitability to situation. In this way only can one obtain perfection. There should be taken into consideration the formation of the different beds, especially those that are in close proximity. It cannot be a successful experiment unless carefully planned.
If you have never tried to form combinations that will intensify the loveliness of the grounds by a happy gathering of right colors, you have missed a delightful experience. This idea does not come quickly to the amateur floriculturist, but once he fully grasps it, he turns as if by instinct to the structural part of the garden plan. It is then that he realizes that while he has not seemed to have progressed during his first year's work, yethe has laid a solid foundation that will stand him in good stead. In the midst of his garden he rears a house of flowers, placing it in a situation where he can watch the growth and maturing of the plants. Each corner of the garden is given separate treatment. In some gardens, where the space is small, it would be impossible to carry out the pergola scheme. Then it can be simplified and condensed into the child of the pergola, the arch, excellent for decorative effects. This means for flower showing can be made of wire, simply fastened to posts, bent into shape, or of wood and painted white; either of these methods is satisfactory and can, if properly used, be most successful.
The arch, to fit in with the garden plan, should span the entrance. Over it should be trained either a blossoming vine or many, to work out a succession of bloom. Sometimes it will be the wisteria with its drooping clusters of lavender, or the rambler rose found in such a variety of colors to-day. These two with the clematis, are especially adapted for this purpose, if one is willing to use proper fertilizer and depth of planting.
In order to insure better and more prolific growth, the vines should be cut back to about six oreight inches in height when first set out. It must be remembered in dealing with them that they are like little children, each one requiring individual care. We must also be sure that the soil is frequently stirred to avoid caking.
Properly placed, the curved trellis is a joy. It gives a decorative setting to the garden proper. As the eye travels down the path, it greets a charming bit of color in the bed of solid green that tops the roof.
The arch would not be a proper note of setting for every garden. There are only certain kinds with which it blends. The narrow path demands it, for it needs a break to show it at its best. A judicious fashioning of a series of arches, extending here and there along the entire depth of the walk is sometimes attractive. They serve to break the monotony and add a flower note that is delightful. In the planning of these, great care should be taken that they are set at proper intervals. They should be on the same level and correspond in width, otherwise the result would be a wavy line that is most distressing.
THE MOSS GROWS BETWEEN THE STONE WALKTHE MOSS GROWS BETWEEN THE STONE WALK
The color scheme depends on garden planting. If lavender is chosen it should be reproduced allthrough the line. Do not be so foolish as to choose one vine only but plant them in order to make a succession of bloom. One does not wish to view a spot of color now and a mass of green later on.
There are so many different kinds of vines that can be planted for this use, each one of which is admirable, that it is hard to choose. Commencing with the earliest why not take the American or the loose-cluster wisteria. It has many advantages over other vines, in that it is a strong grower and bears an abundant cluster of flowers resembling the sweet pea in formation.
One can reasonably assert, that the wisteria is the leading flower for the pergola or arbor. It dons a rich and graceful foliage and unlike other vines, has two distinct seasons of bloom. It is especially good if one wishes to carry out a one-tone color scheme, making lavender the key-note, and using this particular vine for the early bloom in May, at which time the luxuriant clusters of drooping flowers show their wonderful shading as they peer through the arches dropping down below the leafy growth and making a note of exquisite beauty. In August, when they show their second season of bloom, the flowers are less abundant.
They should be followed by the Clematis Jackman. This vine, if it reaches maturity, is most effective, but it has the distinct disadvantage that though it starts right, and sends out shoots, they are apt to blight early and disappoint the gardener by dying before putting forth its wonderfully beautiful flowers. June, the month of roses, is a suitable time for one to watch for the blossoming of this vine.
Many people avoid the Cobœa Scandens on account of the large, conspicuous flowers it produces. They make a decided mistake when they shun this particular vine, for it has good qualifications for pergola covering. No vine grows more rapidly, as it reaches often from twenty-five to thirty feet in a single season. It bursts into blossom in July, in rich, purple, trumpet-shaped flowers.
For the successful growth of vines many things have to be considered but principally the soil. The amateur makes a mistake in starving the ground, and thus losing half the quality it would otherwise have had. In order to obtain the best results, put plenty of barn-yard manure, or bone meal, at the foot of the trellis, and this should be plentifully renewed at the commencement of each year.
Rambler roses are one of the most effective treatments for arbor or pergola growth, and the most popular of these are the white, yellow, crimson and pink. Each year new varieties are put upon the market and if one wishes to follow the new ideas they will be forced to constantly change the plants.
In some cases, the pergola is used to form a trellised pavilion or summer house to shelter a marble statue and again with carved setting to outline a bed, as the central feature around which the flowers are arranged. Thus the simple vineyard trellis has been transformed into a gem of graceful construction, and we find it to-day, with its slender marble columns, supporting a delicately carved marble roof of slabs, over and through which the green of the vine, and the glint of the flower hover, dipping down between the intervening sections, in festoons of green and color.
It can well be called a distinctive summer structure, for with the sun streaming through its mass of vines, it shadows the walks from May until late October. In the long winter months boxed in it stands like a sentinel guarding the long, bare paths, and showing a leafless network of interlacing vines.
The pergola of to-day is not like that of yesterday. When first introduced into our gardens it was taken up on many small estates, and so badly designed that it combined badly with the garden. It was then it fell into disfavor and was pronounced a failure for use in our garden plan.
But landscape gardeners, with an eye to the unique, felt that it was a necessary rounding-out of the garden design, and rescued from ignominy, it took its place in right surroundings, in the heart of the garden with a border of elaborate flower designs. Garden seats were placed inside and when it fronted on an Italian garden, a fountain was often introduced, the musical tinkle of the spouting water giving a special charm.
Among the many designs the simplest is a simple rustic frame structure, appropriate for small or wild gardens. It is formed of cedar posts driven four feet into the ground, and reaching to the height of eight feet. This is covered with a beam or a slab roof structure over which is trained the morning glory, the California creeper, or the grape. This latter is much used, the picturesqueness of the ripening fruit adding to its attractiveness. Thesepergolas are generally eight feet wide and have for a flooring irregular flags through which peer grass or moss.
This type of garden furniture is perfectly well adapted to Italian, English, or Colonial types of architecture, and is constructed often of marble. It is not merely an ornament but a useful adjunct to a garden, and can be made of concrete, or cobblestone, if one does not wish to go to the expense of using marble.
There is a modern form of this feature that is a development from century-old customs, the porch-pergola which is fast supplanting the old covered porches of yesterday. This is designed with an open, vine-covered roof. It gives an added charm to the exterior of the house and furnishes a shady nook for sunny days, without the drawback of the old porch whose roof darkened the house in winter by withholding the sun.
No one, no matter how small their grounds, need deny themselves a pergola. It is such an important feature and so decorative that it is almost a necessity. For the little backyard it may be simply a rustic porch planted in the middle of the garden. Properly laid out, it can be used as an out-of-doorsliving room. Across the end a hammock can be swung, while table and chairs can be fitted in at one side.