The Making of a Walled Garden 
THE FUNCTION OF A WALL IN RELATION TO THE GARDEN—VARIOUS SUITABLE TYPES AND THEIR 
MANNER OF CONSTRUCTION-HOW PLANTS ADD TO THEIR ATTRACTIVENESS AND WHAT KINDS TO USE 
by Harold Donaldson Eberlein 
Photographs by Jessie Tarbox Beals, the author, and others 
T HE walled garden is no longer regarded as an exotic in 
America. Here and there architects and their clients have 
awakened to its attractions and each year more garden walls arise. 
Possession of a walled garden is not the 
exclusive prerogative of great estates. 
The smallest country place may readily 
have one, and the question of construction, 
in many instances, may be considered a 
problem for "home made” solution. With 
a little thought and the aid of an intelli¬ 
gent workman the building of the garden 
walls is a comparatively simple matter. 
Care and foresight, to be sure, must be 
exercised in choice of location and expos¬ 
ure and the selection of the kind of wall* 
• • « 
to build. • . I” \ ' 
Though perhaps there are not the ^ame 
reasons in America for the walled garden 
as in England, or parts of Continental 
Europe, we have quite sufficient cause to 
regard it with high favor. Since it affords 
privacy, it provides at once an outdoor liv¬ 
ing apartment and a place for gathering 
together the choicest garden things that 
we would have always nearest us. It 
shelters the tenderlings of early arrival 
and more intensive care of the things 
within its limits is possible. It has too 
strong a hold on our liking to need an 
apology for its existence. 
In choosing the site for the walled garden the two chief points 
to consider are exposure and the contour of the land. Where 
conditions permit it is best to face the garden to the southeast, 
south or southwest; this exposure will give the plants the full 
benefit of the spring sun and in summer the prevailing southwest 
breezes will add to the comfort of sitting there. By laying out 
the garden so that 
a stretch of timber, 
a hillside or the 
house and outbuild- 
ings make the 
northern boundary 
you may oppose an 
effective barrier to 
the biting blasts ,of 
winter. The more 
protection your 
garden has on the 
north, northwest 
and northeast the 
better; earlier 
blooms will result. 
When the situation 
does not admit of 
such a plan, the 
northern wall 
should be carried 
up to a greater 
height than the other walls and, if practicable, a windbreak of 
trees planted beyond it. There is no reason why the walls should 
be of uniform height; diversity is rather pleasing than otherwise. 
If it be possible so to place the garden 
as to have running water the opportunity 
should not be neglected; to secure this 
feature it is even worth while to make 
some sacrifices. The presence of water 
will make many pleasant things possible. 
It may be utilized for a foundation or, if 
there is sufficient slope, for a succession of 
foundations by piping the overflow from 
one to another lower down and so on. The 
matter of proper drainage must also be 
taken into account. 
Having determined the location, shape 
and size of the garden, the next thing to 
settle is the kind of walls to have. Other 
things being equal, it is ahvays a wise 
principle economically to select building 
material from the source most readily 
available. From the aesthetic point of 
view, too, it is generally true that the ma¬ 
terial provided by Nature ready at hand 
will conduce to sincerity of feeling and 
harmony with the surroundings. Sundry 
causes, however, may make it advisable in 
certain cases to set aside this principle. 
If brick be decided, upon the variety- 
will naturally be the same as that used in 
the house and other buildings on the place. Rough-textured 
bricks, however, will be best as they give support to climbing 
plants and vines and reflect the sun's rays less fiercely. This may 
seem a trifling matter but it is not. In our climate it is of the first 
importance that garden walls exposed to the summer sun for 
any considerable portion of the day be covered with growths of 
some sort; other- 
w i s e the plants 
within the zone 
of reflection will 
be withered a n d 
scorched. The 
foundation m a y 
be of rough rub¬ 
ble or of concrete 
and should go at 
least two feet be¬ 
low the surface of 
the ground. A 
greater depth is 
preferable, for it 
is better to err on 
the side of pre¬ 
caution than to 
have mishaps. No 
structure is satis¬ 
factory that can¬ 
not defy all con- 
The dry wall is a great deal more effective 
if irregularly laid 
A type of dry wall with finished side that is not fitted for crevice planting. Flowers at its base 
appear attractive, however 
