The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-14

When the SHOW places of Birmingham
are pointed out. and one finds himself re-
counting TO the visitor the number Of
beautiful residences in and about this
big city, the home of Mr.. and Mrs. Brad
| ley J. Saunders at Roebuck Springs is in
yariably suggested as being one of the
handsomest, one of the best kept, one OF
the most tastefuly arranged and from
the standpoint of landscape gardening,
one of the most perfect of them all.
The Saunders home Is not only beau
tifu piece of architecture, with its broad
verandas, spacious rooms, artistically dec
| GRATED walls and handsome furnishings,
but it carries with 1t message as we'll
the message Of what thrift and taste and
perseverance can do, when it comes to
beautifying lot on which nothing is
visible in its first stages, except the na-
tive trees and uncultivated soil.
Somebody said of Mr. Henry NJ. Flag
ler's work in Florida
Mature made the country and man
made the town, but man had beaten her
In Florida
This sentiment might easily be applied
certainly no moro artistic and original
i6ea has been executed in any suburban
colony about Birmingham than right here,
where many of the most influential and
prominent citizens have purchased homes
and have improved them extensively.
'Of course" some one will say, TITS
the country, and you can do anything with
big country place. There is no air as
good as country air; the sunlight out of
town is rarer. and altogether better than
| the town quality, and it's perfectly Won
derful to be able to get away from the
streets cars and the noises and have some
time to call your own and improve your
home, as we'll as your mind
All of which is very true. but beyond
and above this, there must be back of such
things taste, civic patriotism eternal Wig
ilanee and perseverance that is unquali-
fled In making n home beautiful and int
proving its premises-whether one lives in
town or in the country.
In these strenuous days, when society
demands so much of it's popular members
woman who bears the reputation OF be-
ing one of the most favored of its mem
bers, charming, gracious and always at
tractive, and who adds to this n real tall
ent for being a perfect housekeeper, and
exceedingly clever in regard TO all of her
domestic affairs, receives more than a
compliment; it is an encomium.
All of this and more, too, may be said
of Mrs. Saunders, who has been most sue
cessful in her share OF the work that has
made the Saunders home what il is today.
II have never considered myself espc-
cially lucky with flowers and plants"
Mrs. Saunders ssid to me the other day,
as we chatted about the best methods and
plans of heautifying a new place, but l
have learned that better than luck in
such things is perseverance and determi-
nation. Whom Mr.. Saunders and I re-
moved to Roebuck Springs two years and
half ago, you will recall, I am sure, the
fact that our place was as barren and as
bare as a wilderness. The massive for
est trees stood as q magnificent back
ground to the improvements that We
planned, and all we had to work with was
just the soil-ilve acres of that-and lot
of energy on our part and desire to make
a>heautiful place out OF Red Rock"
"Such an undertaking would discourage
most people," | suggested.
For while it is dscouraging, adj
nit" said Mrs. Saunders. Patience is
another virtue that most predominates in
such matters. After preparing the soil
to receive it's contents, 1t seems perfect
ages before even a sprig peeps out of the
ground to tell you that your work has
not been in vain. For the first six
months things seemed almost hopeless
to me. True, 1t was bad time-for the
winter that year was very had-but the
first flowers and shrubs that we had
planted in the fall early in the spring be-
came her first faint harbngers, and pro-
claimed the approach of the season which
was to recompense us for our trouble
'And with your experience for the past
two years and half, what have you
found to be the best way to go about
planting flowers and do landscape garden ,
ing on brand new unimproyed place."
L asked.
"Of course, we went to headquarters for
that sort of thing" said Mrs. Saunders.
I"The Colmant Nurseries had entire charge
of our work at Red Rock, giving lis at
first a prospectus OF what they intended
to do Mr.. John Mitchell Colmant Is let
ter perfect in his profession. and his taste
and judgment are to be relied on at ali
times. Take, for instance. the hedge that
surrounds our place. We have had the
best results possible from it; also with
our evergreens. Our wistaria, clenatis,
spirea and hydrangeas have been beauti-
full
"And Your Rose Bed--I recall the won-
derful roses that you had all during the
summer" | remarked.
eve planted in all f40 roses, said Mrs.
Saunders. "and out of that number we
scarcely lost a single one. Even during
the first summer we had quantities OF
roses up to the first of November. and
they have matured and become more
beautiful and prolific with age Our climb
ing roses-Dorothy Perkins, for instance
and the Wiciluriana--have been planted
among the hedges and have flourished
wonderfully"
cone variety OF fower-the bulbous
| plants-seem especially adapted to the
soil of Roebuck Springs. My neighbors,
| Mrs. Rosa Smith and Mrs. Leslie Fulen-
wider, have become famous for their mag
nificent jonquils. the handsomest ever
grown in or around Birmingham.
| "All OF the bulbous plants-hyacinths.
tulips, tube roses and the rest--have done
splendidly.'
| The nut trees also which we have plant
ed" Mrs. Saunders continued, walnut.
| hickory nut, and pecan trees-have turned
out successfully OF course, the pecan
sssssssssss.s..ssssssssss.s sss.ss"s..ss.ss.sssUsssss
| her visit, attending many of the festivi-
ties incidental to the installation of Gov
ernor Hooper
| sss
Mrs Clarke of Princeton n t. is the