The Livable House 



of the country is illustrated in this and his handling of the Rubens 

 water garden, which shows the marshy planting of the prairies. 



No vegetation is quite so markedly characteristic of its habitat 

 as that which grows near water. The grassy leaves of cat-tails, 

 spike rush and iris, the luxuriant marsh mallow and swamp milk- 

 weed, bending willows, alders and birches, all have a quality 

 which is associated very definitely in our minds with streams and 

 ponds, or brooks and marshes. On the other hand, such nursery 

 shrubs as lilac, weigelia, golden bell, and deutzia belong to the 

 tamed company of the house garden — hollyhocks and nasturtiums 

 are quite appropriate among these, but in the naturalistic garden 

 they introduce a gardenesque note which is altogether out of tune 

 with the native chorus. 



The principle of adhering closely to native forms and plant 

 materials is not confined to water gardens, but applies as well to 



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Pltin for the Pool Estate of H. Rubens, Glencoe, Illinois 



[118] 



