﻿August, 
  1 
  907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  •7 
  

  

  The 
  Garden 
  of 
  T. 
  Jefferson 
  Coolidge, 
  Esq. 
  

  

  Magnolia, 
  Massachusetts 
  

  

  By 
  William 
  Taylor 
  

  

  HE 
  chief 
  element 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Coolidge's 
  place 
  

   at 
  Magnolia 
  is 
  its 
  garden. 
  It 
  is 
  at 
  once 
  a 
  

   distinction 
  and 
  a 
  glory. 
  The 
  house 
  itself 
  

   is 
  an 
  old 
  white 
  rambling 
  structure, 
  which 
  

   probably 
  Mr. 
  Coolidge 
  himself 
  would 
  be 
  

   the 
  first 
  to 
  admit 
  to 
  be 
  without 
  interest. 
  It 
  

   is 
  simply 
  a 
  good 
  old 
  house, 
  amply 
  sufficient 
  

  

  for 
  the 
  summer 
  home 
  of 
  its 
  owner 
  and 
  a 
  very 
  good 
  base 
  from 
  

   which 
  to 
  observe 
  and 
  to 
  enjoy 
  the 
  beautiful 
  garden 
  that 
  has 
  

   been 
  created 
  across 
  the 
  lawn 
  before 
  it. 
  A 
  formal 
  garden 
  

   has, 
  of 
  course, 
  nothing 
  to 
  do 
  with 
  an 
  old 
  New 
  England 
  home- 
  

   stead, 
  and 
  a 
  building 
  of 
  this 
  type 
  in 
  immediate 
  juxtaposition 
  

   with 
  a 
  garden 
  laid 
  out 
  in 
  formal 
  style, 
  decorated 
  with 
  formal 
  

   paths, 
  with 
  statuary 
  and 
  with 
  other 
  adjuncts 
  of 
  the 
  archi- 
  

   tectural 
  garden, 
  would 
  exhibit 
  such 
  a 
  singular 
  and 
  hetero- 
  

   geneous 
  arrangement 
  of 
  ideas 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  completely 
  at 
  variance 
  bridge 
  which 
  is 
  paved 
  with 
  brick 
  and 
  which 
  is 
  reached 
  by 
  

   with 
  the 
  most 
  ordinary 
  rules 
  of 
  artistic 
  unity. 
  Mr. 
  Coolidge 
  stone 
  steps, 
  rising 
  again 
  at 
  the 
  further 
  side, 
  where 
  the 
  path 
  

   has, 
  therefore, 
  placed 
  his 
  formal 
  garden 
  at 
  some 
  distance 
  is 
  continued 
  to 
  an 
  arbor 
  or 
  summer 
  house 
  at 
  the 
  further 
  

  

  only 
  wise 
  course 
  by 
  thoroughly 
  separating 
  his 
  garden, 
  not 
  

   only 
  from 
  the 
  grounds 
  immediately 
  surrounding 
  it, 
  which 
  in 
  

   itself 
  was 
  a 
  proper 
  and 
  natural 
  thing 
  to 
  do, 
  but 
  also 
  com- 
  

   pletely 
  divorcing 
  it 
  from 
  his 
  house, 
  which, 
  while 
  also 
  proper 
  

   and 
  natural, 
  is 
  much 
  less 
  seldom 
  done. 
  It 
  is 
  well 
  to 
  dwell 
  

   somewhat 
  on 
  this 
  point, 
  since 
  a 
  garden 
  must 
  not 
  only 
  have 
  

   interest 
  as 
  a 
  garden, 
  but 
  convey 
  to 
  others 
  lessons 
  of 
  more 
  

   or 
  less 
  practical 
  import. 
  

  

  Standing 
  on 
  the 
  entrance 
  porch 
  of 
  the 
  house, 
  one 
  sees 
  to 
  

   the 
  right 
  a 
  rustic 
  pergola 
  bordered 
  with 
  evergreens 
  on 
  its 
  

   outer 
  margin. 
  On 
  the 
  left 
  is 
  a 
  rustic 
  arch 
  thickly 
  overgrown 
  

   with 
  vines, 
  which 
  forms 
  an 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  garden. 
  The 
  

   rustic 
  archway 
  is 
  quite 
  in 
  keeping 
  with 
  the 
  simple 
  character 
  

   of 
  the 
  road 
  from 
  the 
  house, 
  but 
  immediately 
  within 
  it 
  one 
  

   enters 
  upon 
  a 
  new 
  world. 
  The 
  garden 
  path 
  gives 
  way 
  to 
  a 
  

  

  from 
  his 
  house, 
  

   screened 
  it 
  with 
  

   plants 
  and 
  walls, 
  

   and 
  made 
  it 
  a 
  spot 
  

   completely 
  apart. 
  

   Two 
  purposes 
  were 
  

   thus 
  accomplished 
  : 
  

   the 
  house 
  was 
  thor- 
  

   oughly 
  dissociated 
  

   from 
  it, 
  and 
  hence 
  

   any 
  idea 
  of 
  incon- 
  

   gruity 
  in 
  building 
  

   was 
  immediately 
  

   dispensed 
  with 
  ; 
  

   the 
  garden 
  was 
  

   strengthened 
  and 
  

   bettered 
  in 
  every 
  

   way 
  by 
  its 
  isolation, 
  

   for 
  one 
  standing 
  in 
  

   its 
  midst 
  saw 
  the 
  

   garden 
  only 
  and 
  

   took 
  no 
  thought 
  of 
  

   the 
  house. 
  

  

  The 
  formal 
  gar- 
  

   den 
  has 
  become 
  so 
  

   exceedingly 
  popular 
  

   in 
  this 
  country 
  that 
  

   comparatively 
  few 
  

   country 
  seats 
  are 
  

   now 
  built 
  that 
  do 
  

   not 
  exhibit 
  it 
  in 
  one 
  

   form 
  or 
  another. 
  In 
  

   many 
  instances 
  the 
  

   proper 
  relationship 
  

   of 
  the 
  formal 
  gar- 
  

   den 
  to 
  the 
  house 
  is 
  

   completely 
  ignored, 
  

   for 
  any 
  sort 
  of 
  a 
  

   house 
  is 
  apt 
  to 
  have 
  

   one 
  attached 
  to 
  it. 
  

   Mr. 
  Coolidge 
  has 
  

   followed 
  out 
  the 
  

  

  Urns 
  Are 
  Tastefully 
  Placed 
  Among 
  the 
  Flowers 
  

  

  end 
  of 
  the 
  garden. 
  

   This 
  bridge 
  spans 
  a 
  

   beautiful 
  brook 
  

   completely 
  hidden 
  

   in 
  foliage 
  and 
  col- 
  

   ored 
  shrubs, 
  beneath 
  

   which 
  you 
  hear 
  its 
  

   gentle 
  murmur. 
  The 
  

   borders 
  beyond 
  are 
  

   ablaze 
  with 
  bloom- 
  

   ing 
  plants 
  brought 
  

   to 
  a 
  high 
  degree 
  of 
  

   cultivation. 
  At 
  the 
  

   far 
  end 
  is 
  the 
  arbor, 
  

   thickly 
  overgrown 
  

   with 
  wistaria. 
  On 
  

   either 
  side 
  are 
  mar- 
  

   ble 
  urns, 
  and 
  within 
  

   the 
  shaded 
  interior 
  

   is 
  a 
  marble 
  table. 
  

  

  The 
  walk 
  to 
  the 
  

   arbor, 
  while 
  it 
  com- 
  

   mands 
  two 
  chief 
  

   points 
  of 
  interest, 
  

   namely, 
  the 
  brook 
  

   and 
  the 
  arbor, 
  sep- 
  

   arates 
  the 
  garden 
  

   into 
  two 
  entirely 
  dis- 
  

   tinct 
  parts. 
  On 
  the 
  

   right 
  are 
  rows 
  

   of 
  old- 
  fashioned 
  

   flowers 
  for 
  picking, 
  

   like 
  foxglove, 
  gladi- 
  

   oli, 
  sweetpeas, 
  and 
  

   further 
  on 
  a 
  quan- 
  

   tity 
  of 
  rose 
  bushes 
  

   of 
  every 
  variety. 
  On 
  

   the 
  left 
  is 
  the 
  formal 
  

   garden 
  proper 
  at 
  a 
  

   somewhat 
  lower 
  

   level, 
  reached 
  by 
  

   short 
  flights 
  of 
  stone 
  

  

  