HOUSE AND GARDEN 
May, 1913 
A back yard of hopeless outlook had its very limited space transformed from unsightly bareness to considerable attractiveness by the use of garden 
furniture and ornaments and the judicious planting of vines. The walls are brick covered with plaster 
urns can be had in concrete, which is not only so much cheaper, 
but much more suitable for our rigorous American climate. The 
cement does not become weather-stained, and its gray tones are 
always charming. 
The planting of the garden depends, of course, on individual 
preference. Blooming plants, however, are hard to raise where 
sunshine and air are limited. Evergreens, shrubs and ivies will 
prove more practical, with, perhaps, a few potted flowers from 
the florists to lend color. 
The accompanying illustrations show what has been done by 
the Arts and Crafts League of Philadelphia with the yard in the 
rear of its shop and studios. Quaint and beautiful, it is also 
extremely practical and has some points well worth considering. 
The low trellis, stained in dark brown, and covered with ivy, 
is delightful against the brick and plaster walls. At intervals the 
trellis is divided by posts which serve as pedestals for cement 
and mosaic jardinieres. An arbor at the back of the garden 
obscures the high board fence separating the garden from the 
alley, and gives an air of distance. 
In the background is a little old brick court belonging to some 
of the League studios. This is connected with the main garden 
by an arched opening which, with its columns, has a most alluring 
air of mystery. In front of the archway the narrow pebbled path 
is enlarged into a good-sized square. 
Across the pebbled square from the arch is a wall fountain 
and a concrete bench. Several flower urns on pedestals of good 
lesign are extremely decorative. 
No elaborate horticulture has been attempted. Instead the 
floral effects have been wisely restricted to English ivy clambering 
over the walls and trellises, urns filled with ferns and ornamental 
evergreens, and here and there a brilliant-hued geranium making 
a gorgeous splash of color. In spring the path is bordered with 
crocuses and hyacinths. 
To all those who know and visit the Arts and Crafts League 
the garden is a delight. Where the League has pioneered, we 
hope that others will follow, and that the neglected back yard will 
soon be a thing of the past. 
There are many cases where the formal treatment is adaptable 
to country as well as city gardens. The pergola should lead to a 
summer-house, and where this is of old, damp' woodwork, some 
dry, comfortable concrete structure of simple design, floored with 
brick and roofed with tile, can well be substituted. Here formal¬ 
ity and the use of architectural ornament give unusual and artistic 
results. Again, where the serving-yard is separated from the 
garden by a wall, arches will give the most attractive vistas—and 
the walled-in garden is by no means unusual in the country. In 
fact, people are growing more and more to appreciate the advan¬ 
tages of this type, especially in the South and the Southwest, 
where it forms a practical out-of-door room to the house and can 
be used throughout the greater part of the year. Here the en¬ 
closed garden can easily be made to conform to the attractive tvpe 
of the Spanish mission, and the ideas that have been employed by 
the League can be varied in an infinite number of ways, all of 
which may have equal artistic possibilities. 
