The Washington times., 1934-04-28
Christ Church Is
To Benefit
BY Act
By BETSY CASWELL
Wom.Gn's Page Editor

town, has q proud and ancient
history, as well as q wealth Of
charm and lovely bloom.
It is part Of an original grant
Of land to Col. Ninian Beall on
November 8, 1903, and then
known as the ''Rock Of Dunn
barton. This particular sec.
ton, comprising about three
acres. was later sold to Chris
tiana Mackall, in about 1905.
It remained the property Of
the Mackall family, and was
called "Mackall Square" until
it was bought in 1911 by the
present owner, who laid out the
garden as it now appears, al
though retaining the name Of
''Mackall Hill Garden" from
the past.
The actual garden design was
made by Q prominent Philadel-
phia landscape architect, Rob-
ert B. Cridland, whose particu-
lar aim was to produce q gar
den that gave the maximum
effect Of beauty with the mi1i-
mum amount. Of labor and at
tention.
Old Oaks and Ivy
The garden itself covers about
two and one-haf acres, and is
mainly on sloping terrain. It
stands raised some 10 feet above
street level, and is surrounded
by thick shrubbery, which in
Sures privacy and yet at the
same time gives a feeling Of
spaciouSnesS impossible to OBJ
tain within q walled incloSure.
One enters via a flight Of old
brick steps and along q winding
brick path, past a cutting gar
den, full Of iris, peonies and
narciSsus, beneath great oak
trees centuries DID,, entwined
with English ivy, dark and
softly green, to first come upon
q long bed Of dancing tulips
and narcissus. bordering a rock
edged terrace.
This latter iS, In itself, inter
esting, as it forms q small and
charming rock garden, full Of
alpine blooms. grey Ichen and
rosy dwarf phlox clinging to the
weathered stones.
Color Effects
Right here, q tall horse chest
nut tree rearS its graceful can
dies Of bloom to the sky. and
nearby q white birch CLEANS
like silver against the dark
background Of the dense shrub
berry.
This Shrubbery, by the way, is
mostly Of the spring -flowering
varieties, which usually have
plenty Of berries for the birds
in the autumn.
There Is q drift Of golden
forSythia across one end Of the
garden, contrasting with the
heavy purple Of the tall nlacS
grouped q short distance away.
A slender path Of stepping
stones, old and gray, leads one
down the grassy slope, past a
magnolia Just shedding the last
Of its pale pink petals, toward
seats placed under q tall cedrela
tree. Not far away is q long.
curving border Of white dog
wood trees, about four feet
high, beneath which blooms q
riot Of pale yellow and white
narcissus, yellow cowslipS, and
purple grape hyacinthS.
There are peonies, too, and
beds Of charming old-fashioned
flowers, such as Johnny Jump
ups, ice hyacinths, white Eng.
1ish violetS, wild blue violets,
and bleeding heart.
A tremendous and beautifully
shaped box bush was started
many years ago from a slip
taken from q great box bush
that stood as q famous land.
mark right on the site Of the
present British Embassy. Truly
a gentleman Of the old school, !"
it stands aloof and dignified,
mellow in the spring sunlight,
emitting its gentle, old-world
fragrance.
The damson trees, covered
with white blossoms, have been
there for years, and q lovely
Nikko fir stands straight and
dark against the green spring
grass.
Perfect Blending
This garden Is informal In
character, but is exquisitely bal
anced in every detail, from the
wild violets growing everywhere
underfoot, to the tops Of the
mighty oak trees.
The blending Of color is per.
feet, and the carefully planned
viStaS are so well done that
they give the impression Of O
special diSpensatlon by Q gra-
CiouS Providence. One emerges
from this little paradise q bit
bewildered at so abruptly COM
ing into a busy city street.
Mrs. Hollerith has been per-
Suaded to throw her garden
open to the public today, for
the benefit Of Christ Church, in
Georgetown, so, If possible, do
60 and see it, for 1t is well worth
the time and effort, I can as.
sure you!
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