Historic Gardens of Virginia 



The most imposing garden of that region was the garden of 

 Mrs. Winston Henry. It covered several acres, and was sur- 

 rounded by a faultlessly trimmed osage orange hedge. It descended 

 to the lowgrounds in a series of turfed terraces, and displayed in 

 a variety of evergreens many specimens of topiary art — the only 

 examples of that art in the neighborhood. It was filled not only 

 with hardy flowers, but with rare exotics, housed during the cold 

 season in a conservatory extending from the ground to the third 

 story of the mansion. It was no uncommon thing for Mrs. Henry 

 to commandeer from the plantation thirty men at a time for her 

 garden, while every drop of water for the conservatory had to be 

 "toted" from a distant spring upon the heads of negroes. Demand- 

 ing the labor which does not now exist, this, the most ambitious 

 of the Charlotte County gardens, has wholly vanished, save for a 

 few scraggly evergreens and straggling plants. Th^ conservatory 

 is only a heap of shattered glass. 



It is well that these ladies of the century past, feeling them- 

 selves in the creation of beauty "workers together w^ith God," had 

 no prophetic vision. 



When a cedar hedge at Ridgeway, having fallen into decay, 

 was destroyed, an ancient "mammy" mournfully remarlced: "I 

 hates to see dat hedge cut down. Ole Miss scuflled and baffled 

 over it so." 



Unless a new generation of owners is inspired to carry on the 

 work of their predecessors, it will not be long before "Scuffled and 

 Baffled" is written over many of these gardens that hold the very 

 heart of the old Virginia. 



It is well, therefore, to gather what we may of the loveliness 

 and perfume of the day that is dead. 



Marie Gordon Pryor Rice. 



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