HousesGarden 
V o 1 . II APRIL, 1902 No. 4 
AN ARCHITECT’S GARDEN 
AND THE MAKING OF IT. 
O N first going to live in the country—a 
word which in our case was merely a 
euphemism for the suburbs—we had to face 
the common problem of making tolerable, 
the bit of ground that fell to our share. 
The house was rather more attractive than 
are those usually built 
near Philadelphia to 
be rented to “ home- 
seekers.” It had the 
advantage of large 
trees about it and a 
vacant lot beside it. 
Stimulated by a desire 
to have a garden, and 
having chanced on an 
owner willing to have 
his land used for 
one, it was arranged 
that the vacant lot 
should be covered by 
the lease. Altogether 
we had just an acre. 
It was autumn when 
we moved into the 
house. T h e great 
trees were no longer 
green, and though 
evidently oaks their 
exact sort was not 
easily made out. A 
few clinging leaves 
and fallen acorns gave 
the clue by which we 
found them to be black oaks —Quercus velu- 
tina. As there were just seven of them, all in 
their prime, what was more obvious than that 
the place, since it lacked a name and even a 
number, should be called “ Sevenoaks.” 
T he winter evenings were spent in making 
sketches for a garden. The place for it was a 
roughish hillside with a southerly exposure. 
It had a fall ot twenty feet from its upper 
limit to the street. At the back there was 
a fence covered with honeysuckle ; in front, 
were the oak trees, and some sweet-gums, 
a cherry and a dogwood. To the eastward 
there had once been 
a fence-row, and in 
its place stood a line 
of old red cedars. 
Curiously enough,— 
and this was the key 
to the plan of the 
garden,—on looking 
directly out of the 
central window of 
the dining-room, the 
largest ot these cedar 
trees stood in the line 
of vision. A mere 
accident, to be sure, 
but if the house had 
been placed with the 
sole end of putting 
this fine old tree 
exactly upon the axis, 
it could not have been 
done with greater pre¬ 
cision. Obviously, 
the right thing to do 
was to lead a straight 
path along the hill¬ 
side from the window 
to the tree. 
Since the shadows of the oaks and gum 
trees would reach, even in midsummer, quite 
up to the path, it was evident that the flower 
garden should be above it. This was 
fortunate, for there the hillside was less steep 
than lower down under the trees. Even 
abdve the path there was but scant choice 
THE FAUN WITH THE WINE-SKIN 
127 
