NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
There is little doubt but that the 
present popularity of garden pottery 
is due in a large degree to. the wide- 
spread introduction of formal gar- 
dens in this country. The Italian and 
English types, which are so fre- 
quently found in the magnificent es- 
tates of our modern millionaires, de- 
pend for their success quite as much 
upon the proper selection and loca- 
tion of the conventional garden ac- 
cessories as upon the shrubs and 
flowers with which they are laid out. 
(Jiite naturally, therefore, pottery 
has come to be looked upon as a valu- 
able, as well as fashionable, adjunct 
to the garden. 
On the ground-of usefulness alone, 
most articies of garden pottery 
could be heartily recommended. But 
it is in their simple grace and dig- 
nity that their greatest charm les. 
Carefully chosen with an eye to their 
surroundings, and placed to the best 
advantage, such accessories can 
searcely fail to add not a little to the 
picturesqueness of a garden, par- 
ticularly if it be the formal or semi- 
formal type. 
_ The range of possibilities for the 
the use of pottery in laying out a 
garden is a wide one. The variety of 
styles in which the different acces- 
-sories are offered is still greater, and 
it 1s not always an easy matter to 
make a wise selection, even after a 
careful study of the garden which 
the articles are intended to grace. 
Materials, too, differ widely, for 
by no means all the so-called garden 
‘“‘nottery’’ is pottery, in the hteral 
sense of the word. Limestone, terra 
cotta, granite and sometimes marble 
are used for fashioning garden orna- 
ments, while: during late years ce- 
ment has been found to be admirably 
adapted for such purposes. 
‘Now and then a bit of genuine pot- 
tery, modeled from coarse clay and 
showing fhe potter’s skillful touch, 
finds its way into a garden. Some of 
the most beautiful pieces are finished 
in. soft, dull tones of green or 
weather-beaten grey, which blend 
harmoniously with the more vivid 
colorings of the garden. Others are 
given a ¢harming tone and irregu- 
larity of surface. by mixing finely 
crumbled brick with the clay from 
which they are formed:. But all pot- 
tery of this deséription possesses an 
air of individuality and dignified 
simplicity which makes it most at- 
tractive for garden purposes. 
Of all the various articles of pot- 
Garden Pottery 
By MARY H. NORTHEND 
tery, the one which is most common- 
ly used is the ornamental vase or urn. 
In formal gardens, where ornaments 
of some sort are absolutely essential, 
nothing lends itself more readily to 
the landscape gardener’s purposes 
than the vase. One of the chief uses 
to which it is put is to emphasize the 
angles of the design in which a gar- 
den is laid out. To accomphsh this 
end, a vase is placed at each corner 
of the various squares and rectan- 
gles, either on the stone curbing or, 
in case the flower-beds are surround- 
ed by grass borders, on low pedestals 
designed for that purpose. 
A splended setting for garden 
vases is offered by the broad stone 
steps which lead from one terrace to 
another. Here they may be seen to 
the best advantage, while at the 
same time they serve to relieve any 
semblance of severity which might 
otherwise be apparent in the struc- 
ture of the stairway. The question 
of filling such ornamental jars with 
growing plants, depends entirely up- 
on owner’s personal tastes. No hard 
and fast rule can be laid down in re- 
gard to this matter. As.a. general 
rule, however, planting is done only 
in jars of simple design, since the 
more elaborate urns are considered 
sufficiently decorative in themselves. 
In Italian gardens nothing is more 
suitable for carrying out the ideas 
already suggested than the quaint 
old oil jars which once did service 
in the olive groves of sunny Italy. 
Dignity and grace are combined in 
these simple, well proportioned 
vases, and their ready adaptability 
to a variety of uses has made them 
widely popular as garden ornaments. 
So great has been the demand for 
such jars in this country that several 
of the most artistic shapes have been 
reproduced in various materials. 
These have been used with quite as 
satisfactory results, from an artistic 
point of view as the antique and ecost- 
ly originals. 
Still another opportunity for the 
effective use of jars, or. more elabor- 
ate urns, is afforded by the low balus- 
trades, which constitute so conspicu- 
ous a feature of the terraced garden. 
However ornamental a wall or rail- 
ing may be, it usually requires some 
finishing touches to properly empha- 
size it, and herein lies the mission of 
the vase. Filled with bright flowers 
and trailing vines, and placed at in- 
tervals along. the top of the balus- 
trade, a series of jars provides just 
‘ » anaes Soi Soe ieee. 
the additional touch that is neces- 
sary. 7 
The success of such an arrangemeény 
is conditional in one respect, however, 
According to the rules laid down by 
expert landscape gardeners there 
must be some visible reason for 
every piece of pottery occupying the 
particular spot which it does. In 
other words, in order to be entirely 
effective, a vase must always be- 
placed above a corner post or pillas- 
ter which will suggest the idea of ad- 
ditional strength to support the bur- 
den placed upon it. 
Occasionally a garden is. found 
where the usual jars are replaced by 
low cement boxes, either square or 
rectangular in shape. These are 
usually decorated with designs in re- 
lief and make attractive ornaments 
for gateways and steps, as well .as 
for terrace balustrades. Tubs, both 
round and square, are similarly made 
and are used extensively in many 
strictly formal gardens for holding 
bay trees and other small shrubs.e 
Novelties in the line of garden pot- 
tery. are few, but of those which 
are in existence perhaps the most in- 
teresting are the miniature baths- 
and fountains designed to meet the 
needs of the garden owner’s little 
feathered friends. Sometimes these 
diminutive pools are built into a gar- 
den wall; again they are hollowed 
out of huge stones or made of ce 
ment; but they must always be easy 
of access and kept constantly filled 
with fresh, clean water. That they 
are appreciated by the little guests 
for whom they are provided, there 
can be no doubt. Without a basin of i 
this sort no bird lover’s garden can | 
be called truiy complete. 
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