Oldal 76 [76]
OCR
\Ovm9 EPREPBGAMES RIVER: PLANTATION: {BELT Eo ee ene = = = a = ——— glory and a joy to her generation, and it is as she maintained it that I shall try to describe it now. If not, strictly speaking, a colonial garden, it at least preserves an old-world air—a sense of rest and permanence pervades its scented walks, in spite of present neglect and almost abandonment. The house stands in a large yard—hardly a lawn—where magnificent trees have within the last few years gone down before successive storms. A large box circle, four or five feet high, occupied the center. Formal beds of tulips were dotted here and there, while a border of peonies lined the fence. A walk passed the front porch and led to the rose arbour which sheltered the garden gate, and four box-trees guarded this walk—only one of which survives. The garden covered a large area, some of which was later taken into the orchard, leaving about an acre and a half in flowers, vegetables and small fruits. A plan accompanies this description. Center, a magnolia tree. Around this, a circular box-hedge, and in the space between, lilies of the valley. Intersecting walks—wide enough for a cart to drive along—that fertilizers might the better be handled and spread—passed through the garden, with flower borders on either hand. ‘These borders also ran along walks following the line of fence. In the center of each square were vegetables, strawberries or ornamental fruit and nut-trees. Trellises held grapes, and there were two rose-covered arbours. At intervals rosebushes stood, and still stand, for that matter, seven and eight feet tall, a riot of bloom in May and early June. In the autumn they bloom again with surpassing beauty. Huge syringas stand at the angles, with spiraea and calycanthus. The borders were edged with violets and spice-pinks. Back of these are remembered among other plants snowdrops, tulips, butterand-eggs, hyacinths, night shade, lavender, bay, Poet’s laurel, Madonna lilies, yellow day lilies, citronella, star-jessamine and peonies. Behind these, lilacs, pyrus japonica, golden honeysuckle, flowering almond and, always, roses, and again—roses. Formal scarlet geraniums came out of their cold-frames at [45]
