﻿94 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  March, 
  1907 
  

  

  The 
  Garden 
  of 
  Charles 
  W. 
  McAlpin, 
  Esq. 
  

  

  Morristown, 
  New 
  Jersery 
  

  

  HILLSIDE, 
  gently 
  sloping, 
  with 
  long, 
  

   broad 
  stretches 
  almost 
  level 
  ; 
  a 
  generously 
  

   wide 
  field 
  of 
  ground, 
  bordered 
  on 
  right 
  and 
  

   left 
  by 
  pleasant 
  growths 
  of 
  trees 
  of 
  forest 
  

   size, 
  and 
  long 
  uprising; 
  and 
  a 
  great 
  belt 
  of 
  

   foliage, 
  dense 
  and 
  green 
  at 
  the 
  summit, 
  a 
  

   curtain 
  of 
  nature's 
  own 
  devising, 
  shutting 
  in 
  

   the 
  open 
  space 
  below. 
  This, 
  in 
  briefest 
  outline, 
  is 
  the 
  garden 
  

   of 
  Mr. 
  Charles 
  D. 
  McAlpin 
  at 
  Morristown, 
  N. 
  J., 
  designed 
  

   by 
  David 
  W. 
  Langton, 
  landscape 
  architect, 
  of 
  New 
  York. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  an 
  isolated 
  garden, 
  a 
  garden 
  for 
  itself 
  alone. 
  That 
  

   is 
  to 
  say, 
  it 
  is 
  neither 
  related 
  to 
  the 
  house 
  nor 
  immediately 
  in 
  

   juxtaposition 
  to 
  it. 
  A 
  house 
  there 
  must 
  be 
  for 
  every 
  garden; 
  

   since 
  there 
  can 
  be 
  no 
  garden 
  unless 
  there 
  be 
  some 
  one 
  to 
  

   enjoy 
  it; 
  and 
  enjoyment 
  in 
  the 
  countryside 
  is 
  difficult 
  without 
  

   the 
  house 
  — 
  as 
  difficult, 
  no 
  doubt, 
  as 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  without 
  a 
  

   garden 
  wherein 
  one 
  may 
  be 
  at 
  peace 
  with 
  nature. 
  and 
  oneself. 
  

   But 
  the 
  McAlpin 
  garden 
  lies 
  alone 
  on 
  its 
  hillside, 
  with 
  the 
  

   house 
  before 
  and 
  below 
  it, 
  and 
  separated 
  from 
  it 
  by 
  a 
  vast 
  

   wall 
  of 
  arbor 
  vitae, 
  whose 
  great 
  arch 
  frames 
  the 
  central 
  path 
  

   and 
  forms 
  an 
  open- 
  

   ing 
  and 
  approach 
  of 
  

   wonderful 
  dignity 
  

   and 
  charm. 
  Thus 
  

   the 
  garden 
  is 
  not 
  un- 
  

   heralded. 
  On 
  the 
  

   contrary 
  its 
  bound- 
  

   ing 
  wall 
  of 
  everlast- 
  

   ing 
  green 
  piques 
  

   one's 
  curiosity 
  as 
  to 
  

   what 
  may 
  be 
  beyond 
  

   it. 
  The 
  great 
  arch, 
  

   moreover, 
  lifts 
  its 
  

   head 
  proudly 
  and 
  

   may 
  be 
  seen 
  from 
  

   afar; 
  truly, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  

   mark 
  of 
  some 
  signi- 
  

   ficance; 
  no 
  mere 
  

   hint, 
  but 
  a 
  true 
  em- 
  

   blem 
  of 
  triumph. 
  

  

  Though 
  the 
  slope 
  

   of 
  the 
  ground 
  is 
  

   moderate, 
  the 
  level 
  

   of 
  the 
  lower 
  garden 
  

   area 
  is 
  almost 
  above 
  

   the 
  roof 
  of 
  the 
  

   house, 
  whose 
  sum- 
  

   mit 
  may 
  just 
  be 
  dis- 
  

   cerned 
  above 
  the 
  

   dense 
  enclosing 
  

   hedge. 
  The 
  arch- 
  

   way 
  passed, 
  one 
  

   stands 
  within 
  the 
  

   flower 
  garden. 
  It 
  

   is 
  an 
  immense 
  rec- 
  

   tangle, 
  hedge 
  bor- 
  

   dered 
  on 
  right 
  and 
  

   left 
  with 
  central 
  

   beds 
  of 
  grass 
  and 
  

   flowers, 
  cut 
  by 
  

   straight 
  paths. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  design 
  it 
  

   could 
  not 
  be 
  sim- 
  

  

  A 
  Great 
  Wall 
  of 
  Arbor 
  Vitae 
  Separates 
  the 
  Garden 
  from 
  the 
  House, 
  Which 
  Is 
  Reached 
  

   Through 
  a 
  Superb 
  Living 
  Archway 
  

  

  pier; 
  as 
  a 
  garden 
  it 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  finer. 
  The 
  borders 
  are 
  faced 
  

   with 
  the 
  gayest 
  bloomers, 
  chiefly 
  annuals, 
  that 
  run 
  from 
  end 
  

   to 
  end, 
  and 
  are 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  arch 
  of 
  entrance. 
  The 
  

   grassed 
  spaces 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  are 
  so 
  large 
  that 
  even 
  though 
  

   much 
  of 
  their 
  surfaces 
  is 
  taken 
  for 
  flower 
  beds, 
  the 
  green 
  

   sward 
  counts, 
  and 
  counts 
  considerably, 
  in 
  the 
  general 
  effect. 
  

   The 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  has 
  the 
  Venetian 
  wellhead 
  one 
  looks 
  

   for 
  almost 
  instinctively 
  in 
  such 
  places, 
  with 
  clusters 
  of 
  bay 
  

   trees 
  in 
  earthenware 
  pots, 
  standing 
  sentinel-like 
  around 
  it 
  on 
  

   the 
  nearby 
  grass. 
  Rectangular 
  borders 
  of 
  evergreens, 
  placed 
  

   well 
  within 
  the 
  grass, 
  mark 
  still 
  more 
  definitely, 
  the 
  impor- 
  

   tance 
  of 
  the 
  center; 
  while 
  flower 
  masses 
  on 
  each 
  end 
  and 
  

   on 
  the 
  outer 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  grass 
  complete 
  the 
  planting 
  here. 
  A 
  

   wall 
  fountain, 
  truly 
  Byzantine 
  in 
  design, 
  forms 
  the 
  chief 
  fea- 
  

   ture 
  of 
  one 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  garden 
  — 
  an 
  interlaced 
  slab 
  let 
  into 
  a 
  

   backing 
  of 
  brick, 
  with 
  an 
  open 
  arch 
  above 
  for 
  further 
  em- 
  

   phasis. 
  

  

  Looking 
  straight 
  ahead 
  from 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  entrance 
  — 
  the 
  

   mammoth 
  arch 
  of 
  arbor 
  vitas 
  — 
  the 
  ground 
  rises; 
  at 
  first 
  with 
  

   a 
  sharp 
  slope; 
  then 
  more 
  gently; 
  and 
  all 
  this 
  upper 
  area 
  is 
  

  

  crowned 
  with 
  a 
  

   group 
  of 
  pergolas, 
  

   pergolasbuilt 
  around 
  

   a 
  second 
  garden, 
  one 
  

   at 
  a 
  higher 
  level 
  

   than 
  the 
  first, 
  over- 
  

   looking 
  it, 
  in, 
  per- 
  

   haps, 
  much 
  the 
  same 
  

   way 
  that 
  the 
  Acro- 
  

   polis 
  at 
  Athens 
  over- 
  

   looked 
  the 
  city 
  at 
  its 
  

   feet. 
  The 
  simile 
  is, 
  

   perhaps, 
  somewhat 
  

   far-fetched; 
  yet 
  the 
  

   effect 
  of 
  these 
  per- 
  

   golas, 
  bounding 
  a 
  

   silent, 
  open 
  square, 
  

   actually 
  above 
  the 
  

   lower 
  ground, 
  actu- 
  

   ally 
  overlooking 
  the 
  

   nearby 
  foreground 
  

   below 
  it, 
  actually 
  

   giving 
  the 
  eye 
  a 
  new 
  

   outlook 
  over 
  distant 
  

   hills 
  and 
  valleys 
  be- 
  

   yond 
  — 
  the 
  effect 
  is 
  

   one 
  of 
  stimulating 
  

   interest. 
  

  

  The 
  pergolas 
  gar- 
  

   den 
  is 
  of 
  agreeable 
  

   spaciousness. 
  One 
  

   w 
  a 
  n 
  d 
  e 
  rs 
  through 
  

   long 
  alleys, 
  bordered 
  

   with 
  great 
  piers 
  of 
  

   stone, 
  vine 
  clad, 
  

   with 
  open 
  roofs; 
  or 
  

   pauses 
  a 
  moment 
  at 
  

   the 
  central 
  openings, 
  

   marked 
  with 
  clusters 
  

   of 
  plain 
  white 
  col- 
  

   umns; 
  or 
  lingers 
  in 
  

   the 
  tea 
  houses 
  

   or 
  observatories 
  

  

  