Varied Gardens Fair 
79 
In these few words, then, is defined the charm of 
the formal garden — a well-ordered, a classic re- 
straint. 
Some of the new formal gardens seem imperfect 
in design and inadequate in execution; worse still, they 
are unsuited to their surroundings ; but gracious 
nature will give even to these many charms of color, 
fragrance, and shape through lavish plant growth. 
I have had given to me sets of beautiful photo- 
graphs of these new Italian gardens, which I long 
to include with my pictures of older flower beds ; but 
I cannot do so in full in a book on Old-time Gar- 
dens, though they are copied from far older gardens 
than our American ones. I give throughout my 
book occasional glimpses of detail in modern formal 
gardens ; and two examples may be fitly illustrated 
and described in comparative fulness in this book, 
because they are not only unusual in their beauty 
and promise, but because they have in plan and exe- 
cution some bearing on my special presentation of 
gardens. These two are the gardens of Avonwood 
Court in Haverford, Pennsylvania, the country-seat 
of Charles E. Mather, Esq., of Philadelphia; and of 
Yaddo, in Saratoga, New York, the country-seat of 
Spencer Trask, Esq., of New York. 
The garden at Avonwood Court was designed and 
laid out in 1896 by Mr. Percy Ash. The flower 
planting was done by Mr. John Cope; and the 
garden is delightsome in proportions, contour, and 
aspect. Its claim to illustrative description in this 
book lies in the fact that it is planted chiefly with 
old-fashioned flowers, and its beds are laid out and 
