322 



THE GARDENS OF NEWPORT. 



combining in small space the fruitage of the rough 

 hillsides and the rich valleys in their best condi- 

 tions. And yet there are a few exceptions, where 

 especial attention is bestowed upon some particular 

 department of floriculture to the exclusion of most 

 others. 



The most distinguished and successful of such 

 specialists, whose work adorns the cliffs, was the 

 late George Bancroft, whose celebrated rose garden 

 has attracted so much attention and been so often 

 described. For many years Mr. Bancroft made 

 Newport his summer home, occupying one of the 

 choice locations on the cliffs, and dividing his time 

 between his books and his flowers. This garden 

 was largely the work of his own creation. It is 

 situated in one of the most exposed positions on 

 the coast, and extends to within a hundred feet of 

 the open sea, whose spray sometimes falls within 

 the enclosure. 

 The dwelling, 

 less pretentions 

 than many in 

 the vicinity, 

 stands a few 

 hundred feet 

 from the shore, 

 and is embow- 

 ered with trees 

 and vines, ex- 

 cept i n front, 

 where the ve- 

 r a n d a s and 

 broad piazzas 

 afford a n un- 

 broken view of 

 the ocean. The 



well-kept lawn is skirted on either side, as the 

 ground slopes seaward, with long, narrow rose beds, 

 cut in the grass, the whole being protected by out- 

 side borders of thickly planted trees and shrubs. 

 In these grounds are representatives of the rose 

 family from all parts of the world, including hun- 

 dreds of species and varieties, all hardy and 

 remaining out of doors during the whole year. A 

 few of the beds, filled with the more delicate tea 

 roses and the like, are always covered in winter 

 and guarded with more than ordinary care ; but 

 with this exception, the whole is as expssed to sun 

 and frost as is an open field. Mr. Bancroft, with 

 the weight of advancing years upon him, added 

 few or none of the new varieties during the past 

 two or three summers, but it is estimated that about 

 four thousand plants are in blossom each season, a 

 collection not often paralleled in this country. In 



The late George Ba.ncroft's Residence. 



this quiet retreat, so full of romance and so clothed 

 with beauty, the venerable historian long sought 

 and found needed rest and recreation amid his 

 severe labors on the great historic work that must 

 carry his name to future generations ; and it would 

 be difficult to tell how much he was indebted to his 

 garden for the physical and mental vigor that 

 enabled him to work on until more than ninety 

 years of age. It would be impracticable to attempt 

 a detailed account of such a collection in an article 

 like this. It is simply a garden of roses massed in 

 the most favorable conditions for effect, and com- 

 prising most of the varieties at command, has 

 always been greatly admired. 



One of the especially attractive villas in New- 

 port is that of Mr. Fairman Rogers, of Philadel- 

 phia, who spends his summers here and his winters 

 in sunnier climes. Mr. Rogers has a fine yacht, 



the Magnolia, 

 in which he 

 "roams the 

 seas," and 

 which affords 

 him pastime 

 and pleasure 

 both north and 

 south. When 

 n Newport, he 

 drives his 

 tally-ho, and is 

 always a promi- 

 nent figure in 

 social festivi- 

 ties. H i s es- 

 tate is situated 

 near the elbo(v 



of the shore line, at what is known as Ochre Point, 

 and is thus exposed to the full force of ocean winds 

 and storms. The higher ground bordering on the 

 street slopes gradually to the water's edge, so that 

 it is almost impossible to secure protection for 

 trees and shrubs, such as they are supposed to 

 need. And yet the partial shelter afforded by his 

 buildings, and his judicious system of planting, 

 enable him to produce and perpetuate some fine 

 arboricultural and floral effects. As in many other 

 cases the California privet, Ligustrum ovalifolium, 

 occupies an important place as a wall of defense, 

 the hedge at one point being from ten to fifteen feet 

 in height, and affording an almost impenetrable bar- 

 rier against the fierce winds which come sweeping 

 in from the Atlantic. 



On entering these grounds one meets, directly 

 opposite the open gateway, a circular wall of shrub- 



