Canadian Gardens — A First Prize St. Thomas Garden 



A MAN who dreamed of a garden 

 and whose dreams have come 

 true, is W. R. Rewbotham, of 

 St. Thomas, Ont. His is the first prize 



A. J. Elliott, Aylmer, Ont. 



eye. The lawn extends some twenty 

 feet north of the house, and for that dis- 

 tance there is a border, between the 

 fence and it on both sides, that is sown 



Mr. Rewbotham's Horn* — The Top of the Ruttic Arbor in the Garden may be Seen. 



garden among those which have com- 

 peted for the prizes offered by the local 

 Horticultural Society. 



I reached its portals one sweltering 

 afternoon in early July, and just the sight 

 of the red pressed brick residence, sur- 

 rounded by the lawn, and such a lawn ! 

 cooled one nicely. On the front, facing 

 the south, were four rustic vases, con- 

 taining [Xitunias, geraniums, smilax and 

 foliages, giving me an idea that some- 

 thing might be expected worth talking 

 about in the rear of the house. 



The owner, a railroad man, a big Eng- 

 lishman, was out on his "run," and his 

 pleasant little Scotch wife courteously 

 gave me all the information I needed, es- 

 pecially so when she learned that it was 

 to appear in The Canadian Horticultur- 

 ist, a publication they both appreciate 

 and enjoy, and to which she often re- 

 ferred while I was there. 



A BORN nARDKNER. 



As I passed to the rear of the house 

 I was particularly struck with the perfect 

 order, beauty and system displayed. It 

 showed that Mr. Rewbotham is a born 

 gardener, although until quite recently 

 he had no idea thai he possessed any 

 talent in this ()articular line. 



After the lawn had been admired, with 

 its composition of a little grass and a 

 lol of white clover, a lovely bank of 

 sweet alyssum forced its presence on the 



to sweet alyssum, stocks and convol- 

 vulus or morning glory. This makes a 

 glorious flanking for the lawn. This 

 beautiful alyssum ribbon of pure white 



starts from a level with the house, goes 

 west till it meets the garden path, north, 

 along that to the end, jumps across it, 

 then back south to the lawn, then west 

 to the fence nearby, then south to the 

 house line, then east to the lawn. Never 

 have I seen sweet alyssum present so 

 beautiful an effect. 



Midway of the lot is the only path. It 

 starts from the lawn, and runs north till 

 it reaches a rustic arbor, circular in 

 shape. The sides of this arbor are built 

 of open rustic sticks, and its peaked roof 

 is shingled with large sections of elm 

 bark. It is a neat affair, and gives a 

 grateful shade to the seats and ham- 

 mock it contains. Sweet peas are train- 

 ed up the wood-work. The effect is at- 

 tractive. 



An arch introduces one to this path. 

 A moon flower on one side and a ram- 

 bler rose on the other also enrich the ef- 

 fect. On the right and left is a new per- 

 ennial border just started in which year- 

 old Hernerocallis, digitalis, columbine, 

 perennial phlox, star anemones, fuschias 

 and gaillardia grow together, with the 

 interstices planted with gladioli, stocks, 

 salvia, pinks and other similar varieties. 



On the right is a small park leading to 

 a tent against the east fence for "the 

 kiddies," two sturdy little lads anyone 

 would like to own. Then come rows of 

 onions, lettuce, carrots, beans, tomatoes, 

 cucumbers and late asters, showing that 

 while the eye is to be pleased, the table 

 is not forgotten. 



On the left of the path are a gladioli 

 '■"d, rose garden, asters and stocks, cel- 



The Path to the Summer House —The Plan of the Garden is Here Revealed 



