THE GARDEN STEPS

[Ill.u.s.tration: STONE STEPS ATTRACTIVELY PLANNED]

CHAPTER IV

THE GARDEN STEPS

The air was laden with the sweet fragrance of flowers. They wafted a delightful welcome to the hardy explorers, who, worn with the long voyage, viewed for the first time the rocky sh.o.r.es of New England. Their soothing influence brought heart to the wearied men, as they revelled in the spicy odors that brought in their train pleasant thoughts of the wonderful gardens they had left behind them. From the sandy coast of Florida to the bleak New England sh.o.r.es they felt its enticing power. So pungent was the perfume, that it touched the heart of Barlow, one of the commanders of Raleigh's expedition who wrote on landing on the newly discovered sh.o.r.e, "We smelt so sweet and strong a smell, as if we had been in the midst of some delicate garden. The woods were not such as we find in Europe, barren and fruitless, but the highest and reddest cedars, pines, cypresses, and many others of excellent quality. Of grapes we found a plenty climbing over every shrub and tree down to the waters very edge. I think in all the world there is not the like in abundance."

Among the earliest settlers, came a colony of Spaniards choosing for their home the sunny sh.o.r.es of Florida. Here in the heart of the woodland they made clearings, laying out extensive grounds that followed no set plan, but with semblance of the old-world garden. Here they planted for coolness and shade, vines and trees, laid out their grounds with walks, paved like mosaic with vari-colored stones. In these gardens no semi-tropical plants, such as abounded on every side, were planted.

It has always been man's way when warring with the wilderness that lay beyond his door, to gather into the enclosure flowers and plants that had been dear to his heart in his far-away native land, to re-establish the atmosphere of his old home in new surroundings.

The colonists who settled on the southern sh.o.r.es of Virginia, were men of rank, wealthy men, who had left stately homes to settle in this unknown land. In the lay-out of their gardens they introduced the Elizabethean style of floriculture, following the fashion of the English gardens of that day. These old gardens showed terraces, steps, leading from walk to walk, paths laid at right angles, through which one walked to view the s.p.a.ces intricately designed with "knotted" beds and mazes, each one of which conformed to details in the buildings of their stately homes.

There were the first steps laid out in gardens in America, a novel feature that has been evolved into elaborate designs with the pa.s.sing of the years. To-day no garden is complete that does not show some form of steps or terrace.

Rockeries have come into vogue not only in large, elaborate garden plots but in simple little home grounds. They are approached by steps of stone that correspond with the rough, rural aspect of this feature of garden culture. Shy wild flowers peep timidly out from their homes between the crevices of the rock. Here in the early spring we find the cup-shaped crocus with its yellow tongue nestled contentedly in among the brown furred fern fronds, that soon will unfurl in dainty loveliness. Leading from the steps are gra.s.s banks and low walks, surrounding the rockery and affording pleasant promenades, from which to view the garden in its entirety.

Like every other plan contrived by man, the garden step should be fashioned to fit into its proper place, adding and not detracting from the general picturesqueness. It depends upon the personality of the creator as to its success, for steps while seemingly a minor detail, can add or detract from a garden's beauty materially.

One should never swerve from the thought that practicability should be the motive in planning stepping stones to connect different levels of your garden. They should not be added just for appearance sake, any more than one should wear a showy gown to attract attention. They should carry out some well-thought-out plan.

It would be bad taste to introduce rustic steps into a formal garden, as much so as it would to place delicately wrought slabs of marble in the heart of a thicket. One should, that is if they wish to excel other creators in the introduction of original ideas, think out each individual part of the ground a.s.signed for garden purposes and determine where each feature can make the best showing. It is then and then only that we come to a realizing sense not only of the kind of material that should be used but the shape and the setting.

There should be a definite purpose in the use of this particular feature and the most important one is that it should be so arranged that one can reach different levels easily. There should be no precipitous pitch that makes one feel while ascending that they are performing tiresome gymnastic feats. This necessitates that they should be constructed on a gradual incline, thus making the ascent so easy that one is hardly conscious they are walking always upward until they have reached the top, and stand on level ground. This is often not enough considered and yet is most important.

In laying the stepping stones, there should be definite proportions thought out between the risers, breadth of the treads and the height between. Any variation would produce awkward results. Great care should be taken in choosing slabs either of stone or marble that are of the same size.

If the steps connect different parts of the garden scheme or lead to a rock garden, they should be cunningly introduced into the side of the ascent, placed so that they will add to the picturesqueness of the effect. They should break the hillside pleasingly, so that when completed they will form a pleasant picture, delightful for the eye to gaze upon. More than this, there should be planting, not only between the risers but on either side, and this requires careful thought, for a stately hollyhock rearing its gorgeous stock of rich coloring would be entirely out of place while delicate ferns or humble rock plants emphasize the desired effect.

If the height of your step should be low, then risers, six inches in height would be in good form, and the treads in order to correspond must be twelve and a half inches in width. Should, however, five inches be the height needed, then an additional inch and a half should be added to the treads. This point is such an important one that garden owners and landscape architects should see that it is properly carried out, if they wish to get the right results.

[Ill.u.s.tration: A FOUNTAIN THAT SERVES AS A BACKGROUND FOR A LILY POND]

Ramping steps, if successfully developed, brings about an additional ease in mounting. This can be accomplished by placing the tread so that it shall imperceptibly slope downward. This is not an easy matter to accomplish successfully. It requires much care, so that the steps shall not slope too noticeably and yet enough to add to the comfort of the garden lover who walks from path to path using the steps to aid him in reaching the upper level of the ground. This idea of ramping is not original, for it has been carried out in the old Italian gardens for centuries, but it is only within recent years that it has been successfully developed by landscape gardeners in our country.

Two important things connected with these stairways are ease and comfort. There is no doubt but within the last few years, marvels have been accomplished by introducing them into steep hillsides. In this way they connect the lower level and the terrace, making it practical to develop unused land for flower purposes.

The placing of steps cannot be determined by cast-iron rules, rather should good taste predominate. Nothing can give such an awkward look to your garden or terrace as a series of narrow, cramped stairs. If, however, you should in the same place introduce a flight ample in proportion, then even if it is a small s.p.a.ce there will be imparted to it an agreeable air of breadth.

Be sure that each step should extend farther to the side than the one above it. They should be rectangular so that the outline of the stair ma.s.s is pyramidal or circular in formation. If stone is used, a very good result is brought about through the use of carefully selected field stone or cobble. There are sheltering crevices in which to plant tiny roots which when grown add much to the general appearance of the whole.

If the garden is a formal one, a design in which architectural features play an important part, one should take great care in the arrangement of this flight. There is nothing that gives such a delightful atmosphere as a well-planned stairway. It conveys a much better picture than does a vista of successive flights of steps that ascend to higher grounds.

The princ.i.p.al use for a feature such as this, is found to be in informal or unpretentious lay-outs, yet, fashioned in marble it is shown in the most elaborate Italian gardens found in this country. It takes on such a variety of forms and is available for so many purposes that it is fascinating to study where it will give best effects. Sometimes it helps out in the making of a garden pool. Here it is specially alluring, forming as it does, a step from one little world into another.

If you wish originality in your work, do not attempt to copy from the plans of others. Surely there is no lack of material from which to draw and there is no reason why steps cannot be placed in any sort of a garden nook. The material depends on the style of garden, but wooden steps are not generally advisable on account of their rotting, which makes them need constant repair. It is far better to use stone, slabs of granite, concrete or marble, for each one of these has the lasting qualities that make them durable.

Measure the s.p.a.ce carefully before the work is commenced. You should make allowances for crevices between each step so that suitable planting may be carried out. It is a very good idea to have the wide spreading plants placed near the bottom, graduating to those of more moderate growth at the top. Careful consideration should also be given to the right planting on either side. Low plants should border the step with a background of taller ones. They may, if you like, be used to express the idea of bal.u.s.ters on either side and are much more picturesque than real ones.

Do not forget that rich soil should be employed, for the plants need it to grow successfully. They require sustenance just as we need meat to feed our bodies. In many cases it can be rich loam taken from the woods, in other instances rotted manure can be used for a foundation with a heavy soil covering. Great care should be taken to make proper planting, for delicate growth near hardy is disastrous, the stronger plants absorbing the strength of the weaker ones and doing permanent harm. Do not flatter yourself that once planted nature will do the rest. This part of the ground demands continual care, for weeds--plants'

enemies--will intrude and must be carefully removed lest they feed upon the soil, taking away the richness and starving the plants. Water is a necessity, for plants like human beings grow thirsty all the more when exposed to the dry heat of the summer season. For best effects a sprinkler should be used and it should be borne in mind that the plants should be thoroughly soaked and not given merely a surface treatment.

The importance of this cannot be over-estimated, or through lack of proper drink the plants will be in no condition to put out their full strength during their season of blossoming. Better results will be obtained if each fall before the winter sets in, they should be given a heavy top dressing of grit. There is nothing that plants enjoy as much as this and it provides them with strength during the next year's growth.

Concrete may not find favor with many garden lovers. It covers the surface so thoroughly that there is no place to introduce growth, but a little ingenuity and common sense removes this difficulty. Holes can be bored through the cement, and these should be large enough to allow the plants full scope to grow.

Many people for step planting prefer a succession of blossoming plants while others care for growth only. If the former plan is worked out, a charming early bloomer is the Alpine Anemone. Of these the Pulsatilla, or "Pasque Flower," is effective. It shows rich purple blossoms, which rising above the green leaves with their downy, feathery collarette of green, develop into handsome seed heads, which are decorative. They nestle into the crevices of the rocks, sending forth their exquisite blossoms nine inches in diameter during the months of April and May.

Variety is always delightful. For this decorative purpose why not use crocuses, "The Heralds of Spring." They thrive in any soil or situation, but in order to obtain the best growth, they should be planted in rich, deep, sandy loam. One of the choicest kinds is the Baron von Brunow. It is free flowering, putting forth large blossoms, dark blue in coloring.

These can be mingled with a stripe variety such as La Majestueuse, which shows large, violet markings, exquisite in shading. The Giants, of which the Mont Blanc is a favorite, put out large, snow-white blossoms, forming an effective foil for the dark blue flowers of the other a.s.sortments.

In planting your steps do not forget to have plenty of bulbs introduced among the other plants. The graceful dwarf anemone seemingly fit into this early scheme, their delicate blossoms giving a touch of daintiness.

For the best results these should be planted in the fall six inches apart and three inches in depth. Few bulbs exceed in loveliness the Blanda-Blue, Winter Wind Flower. This is matchless in coloring, originating in the hills of Greece, and has been naturalized in this country, where it takes kindly to the soil and produces flowers of charming hue. A feature of this special plant is that it blossoms during the winter months as well as the early spring. You make no mistake if you place it in every development of steps in your garden. It naturalizes best in gra.s.sy places in warm soil, and it can be distinguished by its round, bulb-like roots. Should you, however, wish to have more than one variety, why not try the Bride, that puts forth a single white flower, or the single Fugens, "Irish Anemone," which is semi-double, found in shades of scarlet, blue and purple.

[Ill.u.s.tration: MARBLE STEPS LEADING TO THE WATER IN A FORMAL GARDEN]

Anyone can carry out their own idea as there are so many plants to draw from, each one of which is permissible for decorative effects. In our choosing let us not forget the Lily of the Valley. It is surely one of the most useful of our many spring flowers, pure white in coloring and delicately scented. For best development it should be planted in open ground, where it quickly spreads so that unless you wish ma.s.ses of it, it will have to be separated almost every year. The Dutch Valley is an excellent kind to choose, as it sends forth so many flowering pits. This dainty little plant is a general favorite with everyone. Its sprays of drooping, white, wax-like, fragrant bells give a bit of color that is picturesque.

If you are looking for evening bloom there is the aenothera or evening Primrose; this has the advantage of blooming all through the summer months. There are so many kinds, each one so beautiful that it is a difficult matter to pick out the most decorative. Of these the Arendsii is very popular, showing, as it does, a profusion of lovely rose-colored flowers, and it is to be preferred to the Speciosa. Then there is the Pilgrimi with its glorious golden cl.u.s.ters that seem to light the garden during the twilight hour.

In your planting do not forget the Acre, or golden moss. This is a creeping variety and especially suitable for rock work. Its delicate growth makes it particularly appropriate for this use. The Vinca Minor can be mixed with this. This is evergreen, and excellent for covering or rockery, and can be combined with the Moss Pink, sometimes known as creeping phlox. This latter is in bloom in May or June. It shows broad sheets of rosy pink, white or lavender flowers, and an evergreen foliage. As it grows either in sun or shade, it is a very decorative plant to be used for step treatment.

For the border can be used as a setting low, old-fashioned, hardy perennials, which are particularly adapted for grouping. In their planting use good soil, let them be placed where there is a reasonable amount of sunshine, keep them free from weeds and give them an occasional surface cultivation.

It is better to set these out in the fall, so that some of them will blossom during April and May. The late blossomers, however, can be saved until early spring, like Asters, and Heleniums. In making the selection, consideration should be given to those that grow in certain settings, as while some will flourish luxuriantly in ordinary garden loam, others are not dependable unless very rich soil is given to them.

For the outer border why not use hardy Candytuft (Iberis Sempervirens), which sends forth a profusion of white flowers in April or May, showing a spreading foliage that is evergreen and very attractive. With this can be grown the Rock Cress or Arabis Albida, which from April to June sends out sheets of pure white, fragrant flowers. Back of this one can plant the Fleur-de-lis. They should be given a sunny position in any kind of soil. As they come in all sorts of colors, there is no trouble in getting them to carry out the scheme that you have in hand. The Silver King, which is a silvery white with lavender shading, can be placed with the Florantina, which is light lavender, and the Pallida Dalmatica, which is lavender bloom. If you wish to carry out this color scheme further, why not try the Purpurea, which with its rich, royal purple, will make during the season one of the handsomest displays possible for a setting to the low growth decoratively used in steps.

ENTRANCES

[Ill.u.s.tration: AN OLD-FASHIONED GARDEN IS OFTEN ENTERED UNDER AN ARCH OF LATTICEWORK]

CHAPTER V

ENTRANCES