32 Old Time Gardens 



show a formality of arrangement, for they were laid 

 out by a Dutch gardener whose descendants still 

 live in Salem. All had summer-houses, which were 

 larger and more important buildings than what are 

 to-day termed summer-houses ; these latter were 

 known in Salem and throughout Virginia as bowers. 

 One summer-house had an arch through it with three 

 doors on each side which opened into little apart- 

 ments ; one of them had a staircase by which you 

 could ascend into a large upper room, which was the 

 whole size of the building. This was constructed 

 to command a fine view, and was ornamented with 

 Chinese articles of varied interest and value ; it was 

 used for tea-drinkings. At the end of the garden, 

 concealed by a dense Weeping Willow, was a thatched 

 hermitage, containing the life-size figure of a man 

 reading a prayer-book; a bed of straw and some 

 broken furniture completed the picture. This was 

 an English fashion, seen at one time in many old 

 English gardens, and held to be most romantic. 

 Apparently summer evenings were spent by the 

 Derby household and their visitors wholly in the 

 garden and summer-house. The diary keeper writes 

 naively, " The moon shines brighter in this garden 

 than anywhere else." 



The shrewd and capable women of the colonies 

 who entered so freely and successfully into business 

 ventures found the selling of flower seeds a con- 

 genial occupation, and often added it to the pursuit 

 of other callings. I think it must have been very 

 pleasant to buy packages of flower seed at the same 

 time and place where you bought your best bonnet, 



