The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1911-07-04

average sort. inasmuch as most of the flowers
la Ia nave pace in a colonial garden of the
olulashloned hardy sort. There are however
some features of the layout of the flower beds
that render the colonial garden distinctive and
particularly Is this the case with the neatly
trimmed little hedges that serve as borders for
the various flower beds and in many instances
supply screens and boundary markers for the
garden.
In the case of many of the older gardens all
or portion of these hedges are formed of the
richly tinted and sweet scented box Indeed It
ls the presence of this shrub which is likely to
distinguish a genuine colonial garden from the
newer sort of floral setting For be il known the
ooX ID very dithcult to transplant successfully
some say impossble-and it is of very slow
CROWN 80 much so, indeed, that a handsome
hedge of box is more likely than not to represent
the fruits or century or more of and atten-
ton. Withal the box will grow fairly well II left
70 itself and only given time. but the watchfu
care or gardener is required II 1t is desired
TO restrict it to certain limits, as. for instance
the borders of flower beds
In the days preceding and following the Revo
luton there were colonial gardens in all the thir
teen original states, but the finest of these were
located In Virginia Nor was this to he won
dered at, for the Old Dominion was at that time
the seat of the most notable country seats in the
new world. History tells of the magnificent es
tates maintained by George Washington. Thomas
Jefferson Madison, Monroe and other prominent
Virginians of that period, but there were dozens
or other wealthy landed proprietors who though
perhaps not nationally as prominent lived in the
same baronial style their expansive planta-
lions and had the slave labor that contributed so
much to the development OF such estates A CO.
Ionial garden was not only an inevitable adjunct
OF Virginia estate In those days of lavish liv
ing, but 1t was In many instances the special
pride and hobby Of the lord mistress of the
manor house.
Now, strange 70 say. surprising number of
these old colonial gardens retain to this day
much Of their old-time splendor We say surpris
Ing. because II must be remembered that when
the devastating tide Of great Civil war swept
over virginia II played havoc with many an an
cestral estate and IL would he too much TO expect
that the gardens should not suffer as did the
mansions. Furthermore. many OF the old Vir
ginia families have been in greatly reduced cir
cumstances since the and have not had the
means 10 maintain the old gardens in the man
ner that their ancestors did. That in spite OF
these conditions the colonial gardens in the state
known as THE Mother OF Presidents" retain so
much OF their beauty and fascination is a tribute
TO the advantages OF this form OF gardening
There are some formal gardens I'm old Vir
ginia. but for the most part the gardens are what
are known as informal, suggestive OF natures
own arrangement rather than masterpieces OF
tho fancy gardeners ingenuity. Only in rare in
stances do we see the box or other hedge shrubs
trimmed and fashioned into fantastic shapes TO