A Maine Garden 
BY Anna G . !> a l n \v i n 
Photographs by the Author 
E experience began with ,a stone heap, a 
wet spot and a clump of wild iris, with 
the veriest of tyros as its ambitious pro¬ 
moters. Previous experiments in various 
places on the stony hillside had all proved 
such dismal failures that the high hopes 
of the experimenters had well-nigh 
reached the vanishing- point. 
Possibly the more truthful—because 
the really fundamental instigation—was 
the forlorn hope that this naturally moist 
spot, encircled by sheltering evergreens, 
might prove more congenial than the 
other avowedly unfavorable selections. 
At any rate, it was decided in solemn 
family conclave to show what could be 
done by improving nature, and demon¬ 
strating that perhaps even a rocky Maine hillside could be made 
to blossom into beauty. 
Accordingly stone steps were built down into the “wet spot.” 
the sun-dial placed at the top to point the way. and the hitherto 
ever we approached. The stone he.ap, originally designed for 
sedums, was transformed into a sturdy bed of foxgloves rivaling 
their far-famed English cousins of the country hedgerows; and 
the solitary clump of iris attained the dignity of a stately twelve- 
foot bed, which was a pure delight from early June, when -the 
procession of bloom w.as ushered in by the delicate little cristata, 
followed in turn by the Spanish, German and Siberian varieties, 
until the Japanese forms closed the season with their regal 
showing. Plollyhocks. too, flourished against the rustic trellis 
l)uilt for their support during the times of stress when se.vere 
storms would otherwise have laid them prostrate. 
Two years in this garden plot have wrought .a complete trans¬ 
formation—a white latticed garden house affords an enticing- 
resting-place to the wear}- gardener—for it is a continual war¬ 
fare against cut-worms, drought and weeds. But the reward is 
great, for the pansies and other flowers have grown and flour¬ 
ished. and all summer long until the fall exodus cityward begins, 
they “make good" with such a luxuriance of growth as had not 
seemed possible during the experimental stage. 
There is a way out of this delectable spot, over a corduroy path 
and under a pergola destined eventually to give support to bitter¬ 
sweet and wild 
jessamine. At one 
side of this path 
is the “Birds’ 
Rock.” crowned 
by a miniature 
bath where rob¬ 
ins, flickers, pur¬ 
ple finches and 
crossbills contest 
precedence ,a 11 
day long and are 
totall}- unabashed 
by spectators on 
the garden seat 
nearby. w bile 
nuthatches hang- 
head downward 
on the cone-laden 
branches o v e r- 
{Continued on 
page 48) 
useless rocks met¬ 
amorphosed into 
artistic retaining 
walls for the ter- 
r a c e d beds on 
either side. Good 
soil was brought 
to fill up the 
space thus walled 
in, and at last our 
efforts were re¬ 
warded. 
A variety of 
annuals — scabi- 
osa, phlox, salpi- 
glossis, and snap¬ 
dragons, such as 
w e had only 
dreamed of in 
the dark days of 
failure — smiled a A rustic gate leads into the garden, which, although surrounded by clustering evergreens, is low 
welcome when- and moist enough for the successful growth of a variety of flowers 
corduroy path goes past a rough boulder on which is a bathing 
place for birds 
At the top of the stone steps which lead to the garden a sun-dial 
has been mounted 
(26) 
