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AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



March, 1910 



controlled by the po- 

 sition of the basin. 

 When a fountain 

 is the center from 

 which radiate 

 shady paths and sun- 

 flecked vistas, their 

 charm is doubled 

 and their excuse 

 for being is multi- 

 plied a hundred 

 fold. 



One of the most 

 charming of all of 

 the possibilities of 

 a water-garden, is 

 demonstrated in the 

 one devised by Mr. 

 Charles Frederick 

 Eaton, on his place 

 at Montecito, as 

 shown in Fig. 3. 



On a small arti- 

 ficial lake he has 

 built a pavillion 

 boat. 



This is an exquisite little Boating tea-room over which 

 vines and blossoms clamber. It is manipulated by means 

 of a secret cable under the water which sends it ghd- 

 ing among the water lilies in any given direction; nere 

 the hostess of Riso Rivo ("Laughing Rivulet") sits en- 

 throned beside her tea-table while her guests occupy the 

 scarlet cushioned seats by the rail : and with music and tea- 

 drinking they are wafted as by a gentle breeze about the 

 lake. The real excuse for this miniature lake is, that from 

 the prominent place on the hill-top that it occupies, an ap- 

 parently illimitable 

 view of the ocean is 

 obtained, with the 

 Santa Barbara Isles 

 in the foreground. 

 When seen from 

 the protecting 

 shade of enormous 

 live-oak trees, their 

 twisted branches 

 interlacing over- 

 head, and over the 

 tops of groves, of 

 palms, olives, and 

 other semi-tropical 

 growth, the blue 

 Pacific sparkling in 

 the sunlight is en- 

 trancingly bewitch- 

 ing. 



From the earth- 

 filled boxes that are 

 about the base of 

 the pavillion, spring 

 vines that flower 

 and foliate at all 

 seasons of the year, 

 and in the wistaria 

 season, from its 

 rooi of yellow 

 thatch hang white 

 •and purple clusters 

 of blossoms so 

 thickly as to clothe 



Fig. 7 — The terrace and pool in Mr. Gillespie's Persian garden 



Fig. 8 — The patio in Mr. Borden's villa at Alhambra, California 



it with a wonderful 

 beauty. 



Papyrus, and all 

 kinds of Egyptian 

 water grasses flour- 

 ish on this lake, to- 

 gether with the huge 

 leaved lotus of the 

 Nile (Fig. 5) ; bril- 

 liant birds are often 

 attracted to it in 

 their passage 

 through this por- 

 tion of the world, 

 and the pathway of 

 the little pleasure 

 boat among the 

 flowers and floating 

 plants is one of en- 

 chantment. 



In Mr. Borden's 

 vdla at Alhambra, 

 the owner has se- 

 cured this enchant- 

 ment within doors, 

 for his house is 

 built in Pompeian style about an open inner court, as shown 

 in Fig. 8. 



The space enclosed by the fluted columns which up- 

 hold the roof is given over completely to a luxuriant 

 garden of water plants, and it can be readily imag- 

 ined that the domestic life which is carried on about 

 this lovely central garden spot would be tinctured by its 

 unique charm. 



The sunken garden of the modern Italian villa de- 

 pends for it chief interest on the method of using the waters 



for embellishments 

 and beautihcation. 



A marble tank in 

 the open sunshine 

 may not possess 

 quite the charm of 

 the sequestered 

 pool surrounded by 

 bending trees, where 

 shy wild creatures 

 stop to drink, but 

 without it the most 

 elaborately planned 

 garden would ap- 

 pear lifeless. No gar- 

 den is complete with- 

 out the water feature 

 — in fountain, in run- 

 ning stream, in cas- 

 cade or still pool; 

 birds and butterflies, 

 fountains and rivu- 

 lets, are in a garden 

 the needed touches 

 of life, and no mat- 

 ter how beautiful 

 the picture, it is 

 dead without them; 

 dead without that 

 contrast which ani- 

 mation gives to the 

 quiet and placidity 

 of the pool. 



