Historic Gardens of Virginia 



Brandon, and Sir Christopher Wren, at Westover, here Downlng's 

 influence seems to prevail. This is especially seen in the grounds, 

 and nowhere could there be found a house more perfectly set. The 

 broad, open lawn in front, the careful selection and grouping of 

 trees, the avenue of elms, are all a monument to Mrs. Watson's 

 taste, and an inspiration to the landscape architect of this day. 



The site of Westend is on a part of Bracketts, the older estate 

 of the Watson family. When Mrs. Watson began her garden 

 here, the place was little more than a bare field. Under her ef- 

 ficient direction, however, it soon literally blossomed as the rose. 

 Trees she ordered planted just where they would mean the most. 

 Shrubs she placed where screens were needed to hide the more 

 barren spots. 



The grounds around the house, including the garden, consist of 

 about twelve acres, all enclosed by a hedge of clipped osage orange. 

 The garden itself is two acres in extent and is rectangular in shape. 

 The lower part is for vegetables, and this is charming in its sim- 

 plicity of straight rows and grass walks. This, too, has an osage 

 orange hedge for border. The upper end of the rectangle is given 

 over to the flower garden, which is divided from the lower by 

 shrubbery, and enclosed by a boxwood hedge. 



There is a raised circle in the center of the garden, about fifty 

 feet in diameter. This is divided into small beds of roses that 

 slope gradually upward to a center circle surrounding a pillar rose. 

 The walks on the "mound," as it is called, are of grass, and the 

 beds though originally bordered with box, are now edged with 

 periwinkle. In addition to the roses, there are quantities of 

 Madonna lilies; and these lilies, as well as almost all of the roses, 

 were planted over seventy years ago. Unfortunately, no record of 

 the names of the roses has been kept, but to a rosarian they are 

 particularly interesting, as so many have joined the ranks of "old 

 and forgotten far-off things." 



The beds that surround the mound are large and irregular in 

 shape in order to conform to the circle In the center and to the 



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