THE LURE OF THE GARDEN 
Here in America there are necessarily none that are 
really old. For the red man was in no other way so 
truly a savage as in the fact that he knew nothing of 
gardens. Nevertheless, there are a few in the Old 
Dominion and in New England that date back almost 
as far as the white occupation, and which breathe the 
gracious perfume of a vanished day. In the generous 
climate of California, moreover, nature brings flower 
and vine and tree to so quick and vigorous a growth, 
and mellows the sun-kissed walls so soon after they 
are built, that the passage of time is scarcely needed to 
give these southern places all the beauty of long- 
lapsed years. 
Italy and England may well dispute the palm for 
supreme loveliness in gardens. The warm ardor 
of the former, the adoration of her people for art, 
form, color, for keeping outdoors and living among 
flowers, has evolved one beautiful expression of this 
art, as the moist fertility of England, the country life 
there, and the long tenure of the estates, with a dis¬ 
tinct passion for growing things, has brought about its 
own consummation of perfection. 
In the wonderful days of the Italian Renaissance, 
women took a keen joy in building and planting 
gardens that have survived to this day, and are among 
the most exquisite on earth. Much of the medieval 
life was passed in them. Here duchesses and prin¬ 
cesses held court under the ilex and the rose; here the 
8 
