82 
The Garden Magazine, October, 1923 
FRAMING THE GARDEN IN GREEN 
When planned primarily for summer use rather than for four-season effect the garden is often 
appropriately enclosed by living green. A hedge of clipped Privet lends seclusion to this 
Southampton (L. I.) garden of Mrs. Frederick A. Snow, designed by Mr. Clarence Fowler, L. A. 
I he modern stone wall, as framing the garden, is not a method 
of getting stones out of the way. It is an architectural feature, 
and the use of it and of the concrete wall increases with the in¬ 
creasing influence of the landscape architecture of southern 
Europe. The brick wall, on the other hand, shows the influence 
of English Georgian architecture. Brick walls often have 
stone copings, and usually wrought iron gates. Where a stone 
or brick wall incloses the more intimate parts of the garden, one 
seems drawn by some secret instinct to put wall fountains there, 
bits of sculpture in bas-relief, or niches with sculpture in the 
round. Where the wall is on the north side of the garden, it 
protects from the cold north wind, offers a southern face to the 
sun, and makes a warm spot for growing early fruits or 
semi-exotic plants. It is a pleasant sheltered nook for early 
spring days. None of the other fences have these ingratiating 
qualities. 
An interesting variation in brick walls is gained by leaving 
out bricks so as to get perforated patterns. But a brick or 
stone wall may be a beautiful thing by its mere surface. It 
does not shut off the house and grounds from the view of the 
street without compensation to the street. It can enrich the 
street by its color and architectural form, and by the stimula¬ 
tion of interest in the hidden or half-seen things beyond it. A 
street of garden-glimpses through gateways seems more inter¬ 
esting than a street bordered by shaven lawns that hold no 
secrets in clumps of Hydrangea and beds of Canna. 
I F THE house is New England Colonial, a picket fence, 
though less interesting than a wall, is still in keeping; and a 
brick walk, bordered with old-fashioned perennials and leading 
up from a gate in such a fence—a green gate with an iron latch 
and Lilac bushes on either side—is something whose sentiment 
is realized as soon as suggested. 
There is no end to the variety of wooden fences. The rustic 
fence, favored of “late Victorian” sentiment, is less and less 
used. Whatever the sentiment was, it seems now to ring false. 
Lattice in decorative patterns is full of possibilities and beloved 
of creeping vines. 
1'he subdivisions of many ancient gardens were in the form of 
hedges. The hedges of old Renaissance formal gardens were of 
clipped evergreen, often tormented into fantastic shapes. The 
hedge, however, gains in charm if it is not clipped too smugly 
and flowering hedges seem more interesting than the prim and' 
trim evergreen. In the thrice happy Californian climate they 
are grown of Geranium and Heliotrope; in New England they 
are sometimes of Lilac and might be of Syringa. The common¬ 
est hedge in the northeastern part of this country for the 
enclosure of lawns is the semi-evergreen and quick growing Cali¬ 
fornia Privet. Japan Barberry makes a good quick growing 
low hedge, with reddish leaves (and later in the season), droop¬ 
ing racemes of scarlet berries. Another flowering hedge is 
Flowering Quince which has glossy green leaves and brilliant 
scarlet flowers. The Rugosa Rose bears large variously deep 
pink or white blossoms, which are followed by the vivid red fruit 
or hips, both fruit and leaves lasting well into the autumn. The 
best native evergreens for hedge planting are Cedar, Fir, and 
Hemlock; Spruce and White Pine are also seen. They all make 
a dense growth, and lend themselves to clipping. 
Some clipping is necessary, but a hedge looks best when it 
looks as if it had forgotten the necessity. We are returning to 
formal gardens, but not to “topiary architecture,” it is to be 
hoped. 
