A GARDEN NOTE-BOOK 



then, turning to the right sharply, my eye was held 

 by a delicious wrought-iron gate, lightness itself, 

 with birds, flowers, and an initial letter gracefully 

 outlined; along a terrace walk then, passing on 

 the left another stone stairway to a third level. 

 The notable thing about these steps was the use 

 in pots, set on every step, of Phlox Drummondi 

 Chamois Rose, slender plants in full bloom, lightly 

 staked to keep them upright. A magical effect 

 of decorative color this was, a thing to commend 

 where surroundings make it suitable. 



A little revelation of beauty lay in wait for me 

 at the end of a stroll among barberry bushes on a 

 rocky knoll not far from the house; we came upon 

 a narrow shady walk, locusts closely planted on 

 either side. At the farther end of this, without 

 other warning than the formal lines of small trees 

 just mentioned, one of the loveliest imaginable 

 of little walled gardens burst upon my delighted 

 eye. Here was the element of surprise beloved 

 of the good landscape architect, that element 

 which plays alike upon the mind of the statesman 

 and the school-girl, and gives pleasure to both. 

 A garden of low plants, a garden of perfect edges 

 and greensward — to sum up, the garden of an 

 artist. The centre of this garden is a round of 



144 



