The Valley of Virginia 



ticularly the hemlocks. The terraces, the pool, and the general out- 

 line were also there. But wild-cherry trees, a foot in diameter, 

 had grown up in the flower beds, and weeds and scrub were more 

 than head-high. For some years efforts at restoration were made 

 without professional advice. A great deal of clearing and renovat- 

 ing was done, but the results were not very satisfactory because of 

 the lack of knowledge of garden desig^t. Much moving was done 

 and some planting, but the sum total was without effectiveness, be- 

 cause it was without a closely-knit composition. The essence of art 

 lies in composition. 



What was desired was to restore, as nearly as possible, the old 

 general plan of the garden; to remove the picket fence and throw 

 into the garden the little lawn next the house. It was felt that 

 the garden plan should be symmetrical as to the north and south 

 axis of the house, but it was in the close interrelation of its parts 

 that difficulty was encountered. No home-made plan seemed satis- 

 factory, so there followed much study of Humphry Repton's "The 

 Art of Landscape Gardening," of Robinson's various fine books, 

 of the work of Charles Eliot, and much reading of the Garden 

 Magazine. But; at length, the conclusion was reached that profes- 

 sional advice must be had, both for purposes of economy and to 

 obtain a workable, livable and beautiful result. 



Very fortunately, the services of the well-known landscape 

 designer, Mr. Warren H. Manning, of Boston, were secured. 

 The plan that Mr. Manning made has proved most satisfactory 

 and, though it is still far from being carried out completely, it Is 

 being built up, little by little, year by year. The problem was to 

 utilize the basis of the old garden, bring it Into closer association 

 with the house, link up all the utilitarian parts of the place, 

 screen out the unattractive and, in short, to combine the useful and 

 the beautiful. In addition, the plan was to be direct and simple 

 and permanent, as well as economical In upkeep. A difficult prob- 

 lem It seemed, and It Is, to the untrained, but not beyond easy 

 accomplishment by the professional. That the result Is free from 



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