Historic Gardens of Virginia 



The grounds, including the garden, comprised about one hun- 

 dred acres. In the fourteen flower beds in this old garden there 

 were, at the various seasons, snowdrops, blue bells and violets; 

 hyacinths, tulips and jonquils, with narcissus poeticus for spring. 

 Then came larkspurs, columbines, lilies, "old maid pinks," iris, prim- 

 roses, lilies of the valley, and "Fair Maids of February." 



The shrub list included all the old-fashioned ones — snov/balls, 

 forsythia, pomegranate, pyrus japonica, spiraea, syringa, crepe 

 myrtle, honeysuckle, althea, wistaria, yellow jessamine, and the old 

 favorite, white "Confederate" jessamine. 



The list of roses at Banister Lodge is both comprehensive and 

 interesting. There were, first of all, moss roses, so rarely seen now. 

 The Maiden's Blush grew along garden walks and beautified more 

 than one bed, while Giant of Battles, Marechal Neil and delicate 

 tea roses followed on the heels of the prodigal Harrisonia. One 

 whole bed was covered with an arbor covered with running roses. 



The front yard, which was laid off with formality, was sepa- 

 rated from the rear by a hedge of tree-box, probably thirty feet 

 in height. On either side of the front porch, stood trees of arbor 

 vitae and boxwood. Of the two driveways, one led straight away 

 (after rounding the large circular center of the lawn) through a 

 grove of magnificent oaks, to the main highway; while the other, 

 approaching from the stableyard at the right, swept around towards 

 the left and back, through the plantation, to the river. 



On the opposite side of the house from the garden, and in a 

 corner of the lawn, was a flower bed in the form of a large five- 

 pointed star. On the rear lawn stands one of the largest oak trees 

 to be found in Virginia. 



Ethel Clark Williams. 



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