August, 1915 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



American veranda. There 

 is no need to explain the 

 uses of such a place. But 

 few seem to realize their 

 wider possibilities. The 

 best ones are large rooms 

 without walls, not the 

 timid, house - clinging 

 things to which we are 

 accustomed. Twenty feet 

 square is none too much. 

 Such a place may often be 

 situated to advantage at 

 a short distance from the 

 house, connected by a 

 passageway, so that the 

 light will not be cut off 

 from the windows. The 

 floor should be down near 

 or on the ground. 



When I speak of gar- 

 dens I mean any unit of 

 the grounds which is de- 

 signed to fit some special 

 use. One that is growing 

 in popularity is fitted up 

 as a place to have meals 

 served out-of-doors. "Any 

 old place" will not do for 

 a comfortable outdoor 

 dining-room. It must be 

 easily accessible from kit- 

 chen and china closet. A 

 door should give on to it 

 from the butler's pantry. 

 The family should not 

 have to enter by the de- 

 serted dining-room but by 

 hall or terrace. Adequate 

 protection from wind and 

 sun are all - important. 

 There is no pleasure in 

 clutching tablecloth and 

 every moment or sitting under a glare of 

 sun at mid-day. A sheltered corner of the 

 house is best. Adjustable screens and 

 thick planting will furnish the needed com- 

 fort. Some people will exclaim that bugs 

 are always falling from a roof of foliage. 

 But there should be no bugs in foliage that 

 is properly looked after. Fly-screens, of 

 course, are the only refuge from mosquitoes 

 after every attempt has been made to 

 eliminate them in other ways. Electric 

 fans will help to keep insects away. It is 

 necessary to have a fairly smooth hard 

 floor to prevent wobbling of chairs and 

 tables. There must be sufficient room for 

 easy movement around the table. Lastly, 

 there must be seclusion. The outdoor 

 dining-room must be by itself, secure from 

 the gaze and interruption of the public or 

 unwelcome visitors. 



There should be a special garden for 

 reading and rest just as there is a special 



room — the 

 library — in 

 the house. 

 If the 

 house - lawn 

 is a thing 

 apart it will 

 serve. But 



Landscaping in the modern suburban home in which the garden and house are successfully tied together. 

 Both the "dooryard" and "straightaway" principles are combined in this scheme 



candle-shades 



usually it is open to all sorts of intru- 

 sion. The best place of the sort that I 

 know is in Cornish. The designer en- 

 closed a bit of sloping meadow and a few 

 great oaks within stone walls and hedges. 

 It is separated from the low windows of the 

 drawing-room by a turf passageway and 

 protected from sight on three sides. On the 

 fourth and lower side stretches a broad view 

 of valley and mountain. There is no 

 trivial planting anywhere of flowering plants 

 or bushes to disturb the restful simplicity 

 of this garden. It is an ideal place for 

 quiet reading or to he on the sloping turf 

 under high branches. 



Italy has showed us tricks in gardens 

 that we have been curiously slow to take 

 advantage of, considering our climate. 

 In the true Italian garden no matter how 

 small, one finds a walk, sheltered from the 

 winds, on which the sun pours down. On 

 chill spring and autumn days — even in 

 mild winter weather — one is grateful for 

 such a cheery promenade out-of-doors. 

 The reverse is also found, a walk through 

 densest shades for use in torrid summer 

 weather. Often the trickle of water down 

 banks of ferns adds to the cool refreshment. 

 Many and many a day out of the year 

 would be made pleasanter here by such 

 walks. 



One end at least should 

 be near the house. One 

 does not like to traverse a 

 long hot stretch to reach a 

 shady path, or a blizzard- 

 swept place to find a warm 

 corner. Ordinarily there 

 will be no difficulty in find- 

 ing a place for such paths, 

 as walks are needed 

 everywhere to connect 

 houses with outlying gar- 

 dens or stables. A good 

 use for them is to link 

 house with game courts. 

 Tennis is popular now and 

 a court is wanted on most 

 estates of any size. It is 

 apt to be a noisy game 

 and a dirt court is not a 

 handsome object in itself. 

 Consequently it should 

 not be located near or in 

 full sight of the house. 

 They should be connected 

 however. This may well 

 be by a shady walk which 

 will be agreeable for both 

 players and onlookers. 



Bowling, clock-golf and 

 croquet are also more or 

 less favored outdoorgames 

 requiring special greens or 

 courts which may be made 

 interesting features of de- 

 sign. Such features may 

 well be put close to the 

 house, tying it with flower 

 gardens or other parts of 

 the grounds. 



When one considers the 

 matter of cutting flowers 

 for the house, the convenience of having 

 a garden near at hand is obvious. A room 

 of the house should be provided where pos- 

 sible in which to keep all shapes and sizes 

 of flower vases. It should have running 

 water from high faucets and stationary tubs. 

 With the least possible delay after cutting, 

 flowers should be brought to this room and 

 floated until they can be finally arranged. 

 This will noticeably prolong their lives. 

 Less observed, though quite as important, 

 are the good results of having kitchen near 

 kitchen garden. This ensures the freshest 

 of vegetables and economy of use. 



No matter from what angle the question 

 is studied, a recognized usefulness and easy 

 accessibility will be the determining factors 

 in tying house and grounds together. But 

 there is one esthetic reason which should 

 not be forgotten. If care is taken that 

 every house window shall be a frame for a 

 beautiful picture and that there be as much 

 variety as possible in the views, the land- 

 scape will 

 become a 

 living pic- 

 turegallery, 

 tied up with 

 the house 

 in the best 

 way. 



