File:American homes and gardens (1908) (17966896519).jpg

Title: American homes and gardens
Identifier: americanhomesgar51908newy (find matches)
Year: 1905 (1900s)
Authors:
Subjects: Architecture, Domestic; Landscape gardening
Publisher: New York : Munn and Co
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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February, 1908 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 49 trees without the terrace, while by no means crowded, are still sufficient to relieve the immediate proximity of the house from all sense of barrenness. The scheme is fine, for it gives a house park immediately around the dwelling, emphasizes and beautifies it, and adorns it in a very gracious and refined manner. At the back, and overlooking all the lands below the terrace, is a spacious porch, furnished as an outdoor living-room. Its roof serves as a balcony for the second story, where the hot summer sun is screened by an awning that can be removed in winter or rolled up on dull days. In the immediate foreground, below finite variety in leafage and in bloom. This scheme has been carried out with fine success, and one wanders across rich lawns to richer foliage and flower borders that line the property in every direction. But even this was not sufficient. Every possible advantage has been taken of the natural configuration of the land. Where it sloped, the paths go down; a grotto is built be- neath a hillside, built of stones, with a fountain below and many growing plants, begonias and other damp-loving plants, depending even from the roof. Further on a flight of rough stone steps, almost overgrown with the vines that throng it
Text Appearing After Image:
The Porch on the^Terrace Is Completely Furnished as An Outdoor Living-room the terrace, is a great bed of cannas, salvias, abutilons and low-growing plants. Of the beauty of the general planting scheme is it possible to be too enthusiastic? Mr. Schmidt's place has been under cultivation for a number of years, and it is, therefore, in a fine state of maturity. The lawns, which meet the eye in every direction, are of beautiful spaciousness and have an ampleness that is quite as unusual as the richness of their verdure. The general idea has been to keep the house as free as may be from great old trees; to keep it, in short, in the midst of splendid fields of grass, and then to plant and decorate the borders in such a way that the inclosing growth is like a festal garland, stretched around great sheets of green, a planting alive with color and with beauty, affording an in- on either side, lead to the summit, where a pergola is abloom with clematis, and a summer house is almost hidden in the thicket. Still further down, the trees which have always grown here hide a mimic brook. Beyond a rustic bridge this has been swollen into a lily pond, with gaily flowered borders and rich hedges of ornamental plants. A tree fern grows in the shadow of the forest, and the plump-plump of frogs warns the visitor he is not alone. At another spot one reaches a broad path called the center walk. It is lined.on either side with standard catalpas and evergreens. At the end, just where it dips downward, is an arch; and here is the vegetable garden, gaily surrounded with flowers, as interesting and as beautiful as any part of the grounds. A beautiful weeping willow closes the vista.

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