July, 1916. 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



173 



The Garden and Grounds of Clydagh House 



'0 define all the lovely floral pic- 

 tures which are revealed through 

 a visit to the grounds and gar- 

 iens of "Clydagh House," the resi- 

 dence of George Lynch Staunton, K.C., 

 bf Hamilton, would be as impossible 

 adequately portray by pen sketch 



f 



This beauty spot in Uie garden at Clydagh 

 showvS anchusa in the foreground with pink 

 raiTtblers dimblng the frameworic behind and 

 hollyhocks Ln pink and pinky fawn in the rear. 

 (Photo by Mrs. R. B. Potts.) 



the beauties found in this place. The 

 sketch I here attempt is not the result 

 of a single inspection, but an eifort to 

 sum up the impressions left on the 

 eniory from several visits, strength- 

 ined by the camera, whose aid has fre- 

 quently been sought when garden visil- 

 iiig. 



To enter the grounds one may choose 

 e small gateway which is the first 

 trance reached, or by the carriage 

 rive way. If the former is selected the 

 isitor passes under vine-clad arches, 

 through what might be termed a wild- 

 tame flower garden, nestling in a 

 bracket of the escarpment. Here, 

 while the hardy varieties other than 

 native have been introduced, the old 

 nature of things has not been too 

 rudely intruded upon, and the gay 

 beds with the grey of the escarpment 

 for a background, are sufficiently at- 

 tractive to cause one to linger before 

 ascending the steps, which will bring 

 the visitor upon the lawn surrounding 



Mrs. R. B. Pelts, Hamilton, Ont 



the house. If this is the route chosen, 

 the beautiful iris border, an illustrfUion 

 of which appeared in the March issue 

 of The Canadian Horticulturist, would 

 be immediately to the visitor's left. It 

 is worthy a close inspection. The iris 

 of lovely violet tones have behind them 

 paeonies in rose and rose-pink shades, 

 while to the rear of these again one 

 sees weigelias (rosea and Eva Rathke), 

 with the rose-colored acacias to add to 

 the beauty of this section of the 

 grounds. 



Y\ hile the borders of shrubs which 

 ciu'ircle this lawn are very enticing, an 

 initiated visitor might be apt to sug- 

 gest that the entry be made through 

 the other entrance. On following this 

 plan the iris border is now immediately 

 on the visitor's right, while to the left, 

 running the whole length of the long 

 drive-way, from the very portals of the 

 gate 10 the carriage-house, is a deep 

 herbaceous border, gay throughout the 

 season, and varying in color as the 

 weeks pass. At one time the tone pre- 

 vailing seems to be a salmony-pink due 

 to the edging of dianthus barliatus ; 

 again the anchusa blue seems to be the 

 jii'edominating note, but whatever the 

 tone-color the inmates of this border 

 are most interesting, and cause a ling- 

 ering, though the garden proper has 

 not yet been reached. 



Passing along the walk and reaching 

 the front of the house the green SAvard, 

 with its tree-studded stretches, and 

 shrub borders might again lead to a 

 tarrying did not the rustic frame-work 

 which encircles the garden and the per- 

 golas — all vine-clad with roses, clematis, 

 dutchman's pipe — suggest beauties yet 

 to be explored, since, through the open- 



ings, what is revealed cannot be resist- 

 ed. The eye catches at one moment 

 sprays of Dorothy Perkins' roses and 

 brown frame work, enclosing masses of 

 delphinium, suggesting a framed pic- 

 ture ; or the red rambler rioting over 

 the rustic frame, giving a glimpse of 

 huge masses of Frau Karl Druschki 

 and clumps of hollyhocks beyond. 

 Whatever the bit i-evealed, it is all 

 alluring, and leads to the desire to en- 

 joy the comfort of the gai'den seats so 

 happily placed, and there to dream and 

 peacefully drink in to the full the 

 beauty of the scene. This spot is never 

 more beautiful than when the sun is 

 gliding down in the west, producing a 

 spirit of Morship, making Stoddard's 

 words part of the ritual: 



"Once more we thank thee, i'lora, and 



once more 

 Perform our rites as we were used to 



do. 

 bless us, smile upon, us, fair and true. 

 And watch the flowers till summer's 



reign is o'er." 



Passing under the trees, and through 

 the pergola, one enters the flower gar- 

 den proper. Here are long rectangular 

 beds full of blooming flowers, masses 

 of nearly all the hardy varieties one' 

 usually finds in garden beds. From the 

 walks here, A\hichever way one turns, 

 are picture bits, some framed with the 

 rustic frame-work, which bears its rose 

 — and other vine — decorations through- 

 out its length. One glorious bit was 

 composed of Anchusa italica in the 

 foreground, the brown of the frame 

 with its rosy covering in the rear, and 

 beyond this stately hollyhocks in pink, 

 and pinky-fawn shades, which seemed 



A walk in the flower garden at •'("lycliiKh" wilh i-'rau Karls notiii-^i Ul.\ in cviilcnce. This walk 

 ends in a pergola that is covered with rose and clematis vines. (Photo by Mrs. R. B. Potts.) 



