38 
A GARDEN IN TWO 
House & 
Garden 
PARTS 
At the Home of Mr. E. If \ Sparks, Upper Montclair, N. J.—-The Solution of a 
Problem JVhich Confronts Many Gardeners 
G. T. HUNTINGTON 
I r was an interest¬ 
ing problem in 
landscape design, 
that abrupt • sloi)e 
w h i c h fell away 
from the living 
porch of the house. 
A continuous ]>lant- 
ing was precluded 
by its very nature— 
contrast, a series of 
effects, as it were, 
was essential, and 
this no customary 
treatment w'ould af¬ 
ford. So out of the 
very difficulties of 
the situation came 
the solution, a gar¬ 
den of different 
levels. 
'r h e general 
scheme is simple. 
From the porch steps 
one comes out upon 
a small lawn framed 
on either side by old 
hemlock trees, which 
leads to the first 
garden with its ob¬ 
long grass plot and 
double tier of sur¬ 
rounding borders. 
The two paths which 
cut through the flower ranks join at the broad 
stairway that connects, via a dividing wall, 
with the larger garden below. There the flower 
l)orders are framed in on one side by a long 
grape arbor and on the other by a hemlock 
hedge with arbored ends. The whole plan 
is terminated by a semi-circular pergola at 
the end wdth a great curve of shrubbery be¬ 
hind it. 
The lower garden in 
tulip time is soft with 
the varied tones of the 
Darwins. Phlox diva- 
ricata is used for edgings 
Planting DetaiLs 
In the detail of the planting, as in the 
general design, the upper 
garden serves admirably as 
an introduction to the low^r. 
'The spring effect, above, is 
of yellow flow'ers—daffodils, 
Spanish iris and azaleas wdth 
a groundwork of pachysan- 
dra and a background of / 
laurel. Hannonizing with 
this, and yet differing some¬ 
what as befits its separate 
]wsition, the lower garden at 
this season is in the soft 
shades of Darwin tulips, 
white, soft lavenders and 
])inks, wdth Phlox divaricaia 
used as edgings. As the 
spring advances these are 
succeeded by yellow- and blue 
flowers with many white ones 
intermingled. 
Summer and early autumn 
jrnd the beds of the upper 
garden quiet with lavender 
and purple verbenas that 
One side of the lower 
garden, where the flow¬ 
er borders are framed 
in by a hemlock hedge 
with arbors at the ends 
make a ground cov¬ 
er for abelias and 
luxuriant bands of 
heliotrope in front 
of buddleias, while 
the second level, be- 
low' the wall, is rich 
and gay with pink, 
salmon buff, yellow 
and orange flowers 
such as snapdrag¬ 
ons, annual phlox, 
calendulas, gladioli 
and zinnias inter¬ 
mixed in great pro¬ 
fusion with the per¬ 
ennial plants. All 
of the flow'ers in the 
upper garden are 
planted in single 
effects for contrast 
wdth the mixed her¬ 
baceous borders be¬ 
low- them, and their 
simple colors make 
a lovel}- foreground 
for the richer inter¬ 
mingled tones as one 
looks dow-n through 
the two levels. 
The Wall Treatment 
The w-all w-liich 
divides the two parts 
of the garden is plain, save for the wide- 
bonded brick coping along its top and the 
abutments of the steps. It is planted, how¬ 
ever, with various kinds of vines and climbing 
plants, including wistaria. Silver Moon roses, 
buddleia and evonymus. These are arranged 
at the top of tlie wall, so that they may trail 
freely over it as they develop. Already they 
are making a worth-while display, and before 
long w'ill practically cover its surface. 
Looking clowm the garden one cannot but 
think of it as a great floral carpet spread in 
front of the jDergola. At the 
far end, in the shelter's curve, 
lies a little jwol bordered 
with forget-me-nots. . Evony¬ 
mus radicans trails over the 
coping and droops to the sur¬ 
face w here small - leaved 
water-lilies are grow-ing. One 
comes upon it with a sense of 
delightful surprise, for it is 
hidden by the flower beds 
until one actually reaches it. 
The garden in its entirety 
is an admirable example of 
studied planting in a situa¬ 
tion which would not respond 
to ordinary treatment. It is 
the work of Frederic C. 
Hoth, landscape architect, 
and Elsa Rehman, associate. 
.4 wall with twin stairs 
unitmg in the center forms 
the boundary between the 
two levels. It will soon 
be covered with vines 
