Old-Time Gardens, Newly Set ForthEarle, Alice Morse
History
Old-Time Gardens, Newly Set Forth
Earle, Alice Morse
Gardens; Landscape gardening
The parterre succeeded the knot, and has been used in gardens till the
present day. Parterres were of different combinations, "well-contriv'd
and ingenious." The "parterre of cut-work" was a Box-bordered formal
flower garden, of which the garden at Hampton, Maryland (pages 57, 60,
and 95), is a striking and perfect example; also the present garden at
Mount Vernon (opposite page 12), wherein carefully designed flower beds,
edged with Box, are planted with variety of flowers, and separated by
paths. Sometimes, of old, fine white sand was carefully strewn on the
earth under the flowers. The "parterre a l'Anglaise" had an elaborate
design of vari-shaped beds edged with Box, but enclosing grass instead
of flowers. In the "parterre de broderie" the Box-edged beds were filled
with vari-colored earths and sands. Black earth could be made of iron
filings; red earth of pounded tiles. This last-named parterre differed
from a knot solely in having the paths among the beds. The _Retir'd
Gard'ner_ gives patterns for ten parterres.
The main walks which formed the basis of the garden design had in
ancient days a singular name--forthrights; these were ever to be
"spacious and fair," and neatly spread with colored sands or gravel.
Parkinson says, "The fairer and larger your allies and walks be the more
grace your garden should have, the lesse harm the herbes and flowers
shall receive, and the better shall your weeders cleanse both the bed
and the allies." "Covert-walks," or "shade-alleys," had trees meeting in
an arch over them.
A curious term, found in references to old American flower beds and
garden designs, as well as English ones, is the "goose-foot." A
"goose-foot" consisted of three flower beds or three avenues radiating
rather closely together from a small semicircle; and in some places and
under some conditions it is still a charming and striking design, as you
stand at the heel of the design and glance down the three avenues.
[Illustration: Parterre and Clipped Box at Hampton.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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