﻿December, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  479 
  

  

  The 
  Winter 
  Garden 
  

  

  By 
  Eben 
  E. 
  Rexford 
  

  

  |OST 
  persons 
  who 
  are 
  owners 
  of 
  gardens 
  

   seem 
  to 
  be 
  under 
  the 
  impression 
  that 
  we 
  

   must 
  close 
  the 
  summer 
  volume 
  of 
  Nature's 
  

   book 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  and 
  not 
  re- 
  

   open 
  it 
  until 
  the 
  winter 
  is 
  over. 
  In 
  other 
  

   words, 
  we 
  get 
  very 
  little 
  pleasure 
  out 
  of 
  

   the 
  garden 
  for 
  six 
  months 
  of 
  the 
  year. 
  

   This 
  is 
  completely 
  wrong. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  good 
  reason 
  why 
  the 
  

   home 
  grounds 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  attractive 
  the 
  year 
  round 
  if 
  we 
  

   plant 
  for 
  winter 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  summer 
  effect. 
  

  

  We 
  can 
  not 
  have 
  flowers 
  in 
  winter, 
  but 
  we 
  can 
  secure 
  

   color-effects 
  with 
  but 
  little 
  trouble 
  that 
  will 
  make 
  good, 
  to 
  

   a 
  considerable 
  extent, 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  flowers. 
  Without 
  these 
  

   the 
  winter 
  landscape 
  is 
  cold, 
  dreary, 
  and 
  monotonous 
  to 
  most 
  

   persons. 
  But 
  there 
  are 
  always 
  elements 
  of 
  wonderful 
  beauty 
  

   in 
  it 
  to 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  "the 
  seeing 
  eye." 
  And 
  there 
  is 
  ample 
  

   material 
  at 
  hand 
  with 
  which 
  to 
  give 
  it 
  the 
  touches 
  of 
  bright- 
  

   ness 
  that 
  can 
  make 
  it 
  almost 
  as 
  attractive 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  June. 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  reader 
  will 
  carefully 
  study 
  the 
  two 
  illustrations 
  

   which 
  accompany 
  this 
  article, 
  he 
  will 
  admit 
  that 
  the 
  winter 
  

   garden 
  has 
  many 
  attractive 
  features 
  which 
  the 
  summer 
  gar- 
  

   den 
  can 
  not 
  boast. 
  These 
  illustrations 
  are 
  summer 
  and 
  

   winter 
  views 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  spot, 
  taken 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  Brooklyn 
  

   parks. 
  The 
  summer 
  view 
  shows 
  a 
  wealth 
  of 
  foliage 
  and 
  

   bloom, 
  and 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  Nature's 
  beauty-spots 
  that 
  we 
  never 
  

  

  tire 
  of. 
  But 
  the 
  winter 
  view 
  has 
  in 
  it 
  a 
  suggestion 
  of 
  breadth 
  

   and 
  distance 
  that 
  is 
  most 
  charming, 
  brought 
  out 
  strongly 
  by 
  

   the 
  naked 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  trees 
  against 
  the 
  sky, 
  and 
  the 
  

   glimpses 
  of 
  delightful 
  vistas 
  farther 
  on, 
  which 
  are 
  hidden 
  

   by 
  the 
  foliage 
  of 
  the 
  summer 
  view. 
  Note 
  how 
  the 
  ever- 
  

   greens 
  stand 
  out 
  sharply 
  against 
  the 
  /background, 
  and 
  how 
  

   clearly 
  every 
  shrub 
  and 
  branch 
  is 
  outlined 
  by 
  the 
  snow. 
  

   Whatever 
  color 
  there 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  landscape 
  is 
  heightened 
  and 
  

   emphasized 
  by 
  the 
  contrast. 
  Here 
  are 
  little 
  touches 
  full 
  of 
  

   exquisite 
  beauty, 
  none 
  of 
  which 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  summer 
  

   garden. 
  

  

  Most 
  of 
  us 
  plant 
  a 
  few 
  evergreens 
  about 
  our 
  homes. 
  

   Sometimes 
  we 
  are 
  so 
  fortunate 
  as 
  to 
  locate 
  them 
  where 
  they 
  

   will 
  prove 
  effective. 
  Oftener 
  we 
  put 
  them 
  where 
  they 
  can 
  

   not 
  do 
  justice 
  to 
  their 
  beauty. 
  They 
  do 
  not 
  belong 
  near 
  the 
  

   house. 
  They 
  must 
  be 
  admired 
  at 
  a 
  distance. 
  You 
  must 
  be 
  

   far 
  enough 
  away 
  from 
  them 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  take 
  in 
  their 
  

   charm 
  of 
  form 
  at 
  a 
  glance, 
  to 
  observe 
  the 
  graceful 
  sweep 
  

   of 
  their 
  branches 
  against 
  the 
  snow, 
  and 
  to 
  fully 
  take 
  in 
  the 
  

   strength 
  and 
  richness 
  of 
  their 
  color. 
  None 
  of 
  these 
  things 
  

   can 
  be 
  done 
  at 
  close 
  range. 
  Looked 
  at 
  from 
  a 
  respectful 
  

   distance, 
  every 
  good 
  specimen 
  of 
  evergreen 
  will 
  afford 
  a 
  

   great 
  deal 
  of 
  pleasure. 
  But 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  afford 
  more 
  

   if 
  we 
  were 
  to 
  set 
  about 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  right 
  way. 
  Why 
  not 
  make 
  

   our 
  evergreens 
  serve 
  as 
  backgrounds 
  against 
  which 
  to 
  bring 
  

  

  

  In 
  Winter 
  There 
  Is 
  a 
  Charming 
  Suggestion 
  of 
  Breadth 
  and 
  Distance 
  

  

  