File:American homes and gardens (1910) (18127489016).jpg

Title: American homes and gardens
Identifier: americanhomesgar71910newy (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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controlled by the po- sition of the basin. When a fountain is the center from which radiate shady paths and sun- flecked vistas, their charm is doubled and their excuse for being is multi- plied a hundred fold. One of the most charming of all of the possibilities of a water-garden, is demonstrated in the one devised by Mr. Charles Frederick Eaton, on his place at Montecito, as shown in Fig. 3. On a small arti- ficial lake he has built a pavillion boat. This is an exquisite little Boating tea-room over which vines and blossoms clamber. It is manipulated by means of a secret cable under the water which sends it ghd- ing among the water lilies in any given direction; nere the hostess of Riso Rivo ("Laughing Rivulet") sits en- throned beside her tea-table while her guests occupy the scarlet cushioned seats by the rail: and with music and tea- drinking they are wafted as by a gentle breeze about the lake. The real excuse for this miniature lake is, that from the prominent place on the hill-top that it occupies, an ap- parently illimitable view of the ocean is obtained, with the Santa Barbara Isles in the foreground. When seen from the protecting shade of enormous live-oak trees, their twisted branches interlacing over- head, and over the tops of groves, of palms, olives, and other semi-tropical growth, the blue Pacific sparkling in the sunlight is en- trancingly bewitch- ing. From the earth- filled boxes that are about the base of the pavillion, spring vines that flower and foliate at all seasons of the year, and in the wistaria season, from its rooi of yellow thatch hang white •and purple clusters of blossoms so thickly as to clothe Fig. 7—The terrace and pool in Mr. Gillespie's Persian garden
Text Appearing After Image:
Fig. 8—The patio in Mr. Borden's villa at Alhambra, California it with a wonderful beauty. Papyrus, and all kinds of Egyptian water grasses flour- ish on this lake, to- gether with the huge leaved lotus of the Nile (Fig. 5) ; bril- liant birds are often attracted to it in their passage through this por- tion of the world, and the pathway of the little pleasure boat among the flowers and floating plants is one of en- chantment. In Mr. Borden's vdla at Alhambra, the owner has se- cured this enchant- ment within doors, for his house is built in Pompeian style about an open inner court, as shown in Fig. 8. The space enclosed by the fluted columns which up- hold the roof is given over completely to a luxuriant garden of water plants, and it can be readily imag- ined that the domestic life which is carried on about this lovely central garden spot would be tinctured by its unique charm. The sunken garden of the modern Italian villa de- pends for it chief interest on the method of using the waters for embellishments and beautihcation. A marble tank in the open sunshine may not possess quite the charm of the sequestered pool surrounded by bending trees, where shy wild creatures stop to drink, but without it the most elaborately planned garden would ap- pear lifeless. No gar- den is complete with- out the water feature —in fountain, in run- ning stream, in cas- cade or still pool; birds and butterflies, fountains and rivu- lets, are in a garden the needed touches of life, and no mat- ter how beautiful the picture, it is dead without them; dead without that contrast which ani- mation gives to the quiet and placidity of the pool.

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