THE LURE AND FASCINATION OF OLD BOXWOOD 



BY A. A. LEWIS 



THERE is no other plant which has such a lure, fas- 

 cination, and romantic atmosphere about it as old 

 boxwood. This plant has often been called the 

 aristocrat of shrubs, for age lends it an air of dignity 

 that no similar plant enjoys. At the mere mention of 

 its name, the imagination paints pictures of stately old 

 Colonial mansions, beautiful gardens, lovely women, and 

 courtly gentlemen. 



From the time the Druids of old England made long 

 pilgrimages to the temple on the Hill of Box in the 

 South of England and carried back with them a little 

 sprig of the shrub which grew so luxuriantly there, to 

 be planted at their own home shrine, down through cen- 

 turies of garden progress in England, through many ro- 

 mantic and historic periods to our own times, there has 

 never been a shrub so popular for its romantic associa- 

 tion. The peculiar odor of sun drenched box seems to 

 carry one back to other years and to people the scenes 



before us with the characters of by-gone romances. 



Boxwood had been known for many years in England 

 as an edging plant, for hedges, and to be carved into 

 grotesque forms of topiary work. In fact, it formed 

 one of the most important factors in the English gardens 

 and so in view of this, it is little wonder that this is 

 among the cherished possessions of the early colonists. 

 The* little sprigs were planted and carefully nursed, per- 

 .haps they were watered by the teardrops of the gentle 

 housewife who longed for her pleasant home in Eng- 

 land. Some of these little sprigs grew and prospered. 

 This is especially true of those planted by the settlers 

 in New Amsterdam and Virginia for here the winter 

 conditions were not as severe as those of the Massa- 

 chusetts Colony. 



Along the Potomac and Delaware Rivers where there 

 are so many of the old homes, in the remains of former 

 gardens, now long forgotten, are found great masses of 



THE BEAUTIFUL GARDEN ON THE PRATT ESTATE AT GLEN COVE, LONG ISLAND. THE QUIET BEAUTY AND RESTFULNESS OF 

 THE SPOT IS ATTAINED THROUGH THE SHADOWS CAST BY THE LARGE TREES, THE FOOL, AND THE HALO OF ROMANCE AND 

 WITCHERY WHICH SURROUNDS THE OLD BOX USED BY THE LANDSCAPE ARTIST TO MAKE THE PICTURE PERFECT. IT 

 WOULD HAVE TAKEN YEARS AND YEARS TO SECURE THIS EFFECT OF AGE IF YOUNG PLANTING STOCK HAD BEEN USED 



