Colonial Homes and Their FurnishingsNorthend, Mary Harrod
History
Colonial Homes and Their Furnishings
Northend, Mary Harrod
Architecture, Colonial; Furniture -- United States
He also tells us of the gardens with "their pleasant, familiar flowers,
lavender, hollyhocks, and satin." "We call this herbe in Norfolke
sattin," says Gerard, "and among our women, it is called honestie and
gillyflowers, which meant pinks as well, and dear English roses and
eglantine."
The evolution of the garden commenced at this time, and from then until
fifty years ago the old-fashioned garden was in vogue. There was much
sameness to this kind of garden; each one had its central path of
varying width, generally with a box border on either side, while inside
were sweet-smelling flowers, such as mignonette, heliotrope, and sweet
alyssum. Vine-covered arbors were the central feature, and at the end of
the walk stood a summer-house of simple proportions, sometimes so
covered with trailing vines as to be almost unseen.
It was here on summer afternoons that our grandmothers loved to come for
a social cup of tea, knitting while breathing in the sweet-scented air,
permeated with the fragrance of single and double peonies, phlox, roses,
and bushes of syringa. Tall hollyhocks swayed in the breeze, holding
their stately cups stiff and upright, and there were tiger lilies, as
well as the dielytra, with its row of hanging pink and white blossoms,
from which the children made boats, rabbits, and other fantastic
figures.
In some of the old-time gardens, the small, thorny Scotch roses
intermingled with the red and white roses of York and Lancaster. Little
wonder that the perfume of their blooms was wafted through the air,
although they were hidden among the taller roses, and there was no
visible trace of their presence.
One walked along the broad sidewalks of the old-time cities, expecting
to find at every turn a garden of flowers. Not even a glimpse did they
obtain, for the gardens of those days were not in view, but hidden away
behind high board fences which have now in many cases been changed for
iron ones, thus giving to the public glimpses of the central arbor and
the long line of path with brilliant bloom on either side.
One reason that the gardens in the olden days were hidden from view was
that the houses, more especially the Salem ones, were built close to the
sidewalk, and there was no chance for flowers in front or at either
side.
[Illustration: PLATE X.--Whittier Garden, Danvers, Mass.]
[Illustration: PLATE XI.--Peabody Garden, Danvers, Mass.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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