Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-03-12


into prepared soil and give Il the
chance YOU give your delphlnlums|
II YOU have, you know that the result
il a spike OF gold Incompatible. I'M
agine drift Of such spikes on either
side OF your drive. with the asters
coming into flower at their base I'M
agine, too, instead OF the stilted pop
lars in regular rows, such Irregular
alteration OF elm and maple and ash
and pine as you find along New
England road, with the drive now
sunk between banks of flowers. now
rising on bend to sweep beneath a
great pine limb and command sweet
prospect over Il grassy slope where
an outcropping boulder is left in its
natural state, TO the far blue hills. II
Is incredible TO me that a man who
can have drive like this. so seem.
ingly and fitting and beautiful, will
go TO the great expense to obliterate
what is natural and substitute an
alien prospect which almost inyari-
ably is tanner and less suitable.
II we are TO develop American gar
dens, we must work from American
natural models, with American ma
terials. Copying English manor
houses and Italian formal gardens
will not get us anywhere. AS matter
OF fact, for all our boosted garden en-.
ttusiasm. it isn't getting us anywhere.
In the garden proper, the outdoor
liying.ro0m OF the dwelling. have
often found more charm on estates
which were simply old farm.houses
fixed over at comparatively small ex.
pense, or modest dwellings. than in
the great places created by the very
ricn, This isn't always due TO superior
taste on the part OF the owner, though
Of course, In the case of MaXfeld Par
IRISH, whose Cornish garden reaches q
climax in gigantic pine tree and {
view beneath It's limbs OF the Connec
ticut valley and 'Scutney Mountain
, taste has created the remarkable fit
, ness OF the gardens. 1t is probabl,
{ more often due to the fact that tn
owner hasn't had money enough Il
, dig up the native features and substi
. tute others He has been forced {
4. put his pool under a sprawlng apple
1 tree and let the far end OF garden n
/. main unhedged or unwaled, ramb
Y ing out into a bayfield, and so to III
r edge OF the woods or the lake. Tn
4 result Is the same--thr native seen
!, dominates, his garden has true An
). erican flavor.
@ There IL nothing loyelier in the An
4 erlcan scene than white birch stal
$ bed against the dark backing of
pine grove That peculiar effect,
II Japan, would have been raised to
O religious symbol. and would appear
II every garden. Sometimes. quite i
q accident, you will see 1t lin the II
II distance) from an American verand
4. But how often have you ever seen
n consciously arranged as a part of Il
u? garden landscape? Not often
n Owners will plant a group Of PIN
# somewhere out on their lawns. Tn,
n. will plant a clump of birches som
where else But deliberately to CT
N ate wall Of Whispering pine shade
ar and place against il the hghtnil
10 stab Of single birch to copy one
~ the lovelest and most characterize
n. effects OF our wild scene--is beyo
Id their powers Of imagination--just
nj II Is beyond their powers OF imagiT
II tiol to wind through the garden
r.. brook, falling over stones and MIR
10 Ing q cardinal flower. instead OF C
ar structing geomctrical concrete pt
OF with spouting park fountain In
re middle. 50 one might go on indci
itely. But space does not permit