Evening star., 1926-06-13

"O the intriguing challenge, "Oh,
have you seen the rose gardens
along the Speedway" there is
Il now one cOnSummate, ecStatic
reply, Yes. But have you
seen the sunken gardens at Walter
Reed?"
Walter Reed. The headquarters of
the Army medical center in Washing
ton, with a general hospital and Army
schools of nurses, dentists, veterans
and physicians, covering tract OIL
more than 100 acreS--theSe are facts
generally known in the Capital. but
that on that same acreage is Il series
OF gardens whose plan and arrange
ment make them rare and lovely few
are aware.
1t is not an eXaggeration to say that
the whole personnel ut Walter Reed
fosters and helps maintain the per-
fected state of the gardens and merits
some of the credit that accrues from
their beauty, but the executive officer,
Maj. r. w. Kerr. himself an ardent
devotee of the flower spaces, states
that the gardens are the result OF the
efforts of Gen. J. ID. Glennan, who. as
comma nding general of the Army
medical center at Walter Reed, was
instrumental in securing the equip
ment and the services of skilled men
that a formal garden connotes.
While at Fort Myer Gen. Glennan
had studied landscape gardening, mas
terin2 the art as he progressed with
his subject. The lawns at Walter
Reed, rolling, sloping, dipping lnto
holloWs. made a strong appeal to Gen.
Glennan'S avocation of gardening, and
he began to plan gardens, wondering
all the while whether, since there was
almost no money available for such
purposes, he should ever be able to
secure equipment sufficient to make
his dreams come true.
Strange as it may seem, at con-
vention one day Gen. Glennan, stand
ing near q stranger man whose
appearance did not indicate either
wealth or position-entered into
conversation with him. telling him of
his hope that somehow. in some way.
he would be able to lay out formal
gardens commensurate with the dig
nifty and Importance of Walter Reed.
The stranger seemed we'll verSed in
the art of formal gardens, spoke SYM
pathetically of the proposed project,
and, like all good strangers. passed
on and was lost in the crowd, the
general little guessing what an un-
usual source of supply he had tapped.
One day the mail brought to Walter
Reed the information that a donation
of rosebusheS from Lyon, France,
was in quarantine in the Department
of Agriculture waiting to be deli--
cred to the hospital. In this laconic
fashion Gen. Glennan's stranger was
helping to materialiZe the garden
plans In time it was discovered that
the generous donor of rare roses is
the wealthy Arthur Decker of Ruther-
ford. y. J., who each year makes
large importation of roses from Lyon
for his own estate. Each year now
he includes in his order of importa-
1ion an order for Walter Reed, whose
greenhouses at the present hour show
an extensive number of these roses.
A few months after the casual con-
versation with the stranger Gen.
Cilennan persuaded the gardener at
the Soldiers Home grounds to resign
there and take over the management
of the grounds at Walter Reed. Again
the general builded better than he
knew. for James n. Holland, with 80
wears experience in the fingers of his
fiower-loving hands, has proved to he
q veritable magician in this new realm
Of plants, shrubs and trees.
As was to be expected Gen. Glen
nan let his scheme for gardens be
known, and needed supplies began
coming in from various sources. Do
nations of green growing things were
made by the Department of Foreign
Plant Industry. from the greenhouses
of the Department Of Agriculture and
from those of the White House. They
were surplus supplies that made a
fair beginning in what is now amazing
lovelineSs.
A part of Rock Creek Park was
turned into "a golf course. The ever
green trees uprooted in that process
i %oI rnIt tnr
today they stand stanch and loya, in
their cool, refreshing greennesS.
Often, too, grateful patients, upon
being discharged from the hospital,
travel at home and abroad. In their
wanderings they pick up rare growths,
which they send back to Walter Reed
for place on her lawns. In this
fashion, some Of the unusual plants
and trees have been obtained.
In that delightful gift from the
Japanese government to the Capital
there was a generous surplus of
cherry trees after the Tidal Basin
area and the Speedway had absorbed
their full share. These were placed
along the gentle slopes of the en-
trance to Walter Reed, where they
are growing in sheer luxuriance. This
Spring they seemed blessed with some
new and ineffable grace. for they
poured out their bloom in endless pro-
fusion to gladden. the very souls of
those who sojourned at the hospital.
All told, each year there are dona-
tions of $500 worth of growing things
to Walter Reed the gifts ranging
from few roots of spearmint from
an old estate up to the valuable ship
ment or roses from Lyon, France.
In addition to all the gifts here
enumerated, there have been built
and paid for by friends the necessary
greenhouses for the never-ending up
keep of extensive gardens. Today
there are four such structures on the