House and Garden 
VoL. XIII 
APRIL, igo8 
No. 4 
Practical Pergolas 
Hy MARY H. XORTHEND 
I N planning the modern suburban or country 
residence, every architect and every house¬ 
owner takes into account the porch, the ve¬ 
randa, and the garden. In any one of these, or in 
them all, the pergola may enter into the scheme, for 
its possibilities are boundless, and it w ill lend itself 
charmingly to almost any scheme of decoration. 
In its simplest form the pergola is a booth, an arbor 
or a mere trellis for the support of vines. The happy 
inspiration came to us from Italy, where it originated 
among the vineyards of the peasantry, and spread 
from them to the owners of lands and mansions, who 
w'ere quick to perceive its beauty, and who changed 
the simple framework, upon which grapes might 
ripen, into an artistic creation of stucco or marble. 
The name. Itself, is Italian, derived from 
the older Latin word, pergida. It 
means simply an open arbor. Its 
most common form consists of 
a double row of columns, 
perhaps ten feet apart each 
way, supporting at the top 
a coarse lattice-work of 
square beams, over 
which vines are trained. 
In Italy, these climbers 
are usually grape¬ 
vines, and the arbor 
furnishes a shady re¬ 
treat in summer and a 
sunny walk in winter, 
after the leaves have 
fallen. 
Ihe Italian scheme 
of c o n s t r Li c 11 o n is to 
have the pillars sub¬ 
stantial and the color 
light, in order that it 
may contrast well with 
the dark foliage of the 
vines. The walk is 
paved with bricks or 
with Italian tiles, and 
flanked at each side hy fig. i 
A PERGOLA 
stately lilies or formal shrubs, while roses clamber 
up the posts, among the grape-vines. As to location, 
the pergola position, par excellence, is at the end 
of some w^alk w'hich .terminates in a cliff, from 
w hich may be obtained a fine and unexpected view 
of sea, or mountains, or river valley stretching away 
between the hills. I'he pleasing surprise which 
aw aits the stroller enhances the charm. 
In our modern days, the pergola has been adapted 
to all climates sufhciently warm that a part of the 
year may he passed in the open. We may follow the 
Italian ideals, if wx will. '1 hey are sure to be artistic. 
We may also follow the Persian models, or the In¬ 
dian; or we may modify them all, and evolve, from 
the resulting chaos, a plain and unpretending Amer¬ 
ican pergola which shall harmonize with its 
surroundings. It will yield shelter 
from the passing breeze and a 
screen from the too fervid sun; 
It wdl furnish for your eyes 
a continual feast of tender 
green things growing, 
and of tendrils climbing 
ever upward tow^ard 
the blue. Whether it 
may he a stately 
structure, along clas¬ 
sic lines, or a rude 
trellis-work upon 
which vines may run 
riot, if those vines are 
well selected, and so 
trained as to fulfil their 
purpose, your pergola 
is sure to he “a thino- 
of beauty” and “a joy 
forever. ” 
The types and forms 
of the pergola are 
almost endless, and 
the materials used in 
construction differ 
almost as widely 
ITALIAN FEELING asthe Specimens 
Copyritiht. ms. hy The John C. Winston Co. 
”3 
