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Deep In The Gardens
October though it was, the garden was still very sweet with dear, old-fashioned unworldly flowers and
shrubs - sweet may, southern-wood, lemons, verbana, alyssum, petunias, marigolds, and chrysanthemums.
~Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of the Island
Take a leisurely stroll through the gardens of a Victorian home.
Note the tidy boxwood hedges, the kitchen gardens brimming with savory herbs and vegetables
ready to be popped into a hearty vegetable soup, the perennial flower borders that surround the house and bring
new surprises with each new passing season, the orchards with trees laden with peaches and cherries, perfectly ripe
and juicy. Wander the stepping-stone path through the flower beds, some geometrically shaped with plants precisedly
placed, others carefree and wild in a cheerful commotion of colors and varieties.
Spend time alone in a private corner of the garden, deep in comtemplation. Or mingle with other well-dressed guests
at the social event of the summer - the garden party. Welcome to the Victorian woman's garden, the outdoor rooms of her
house, carpetted in green velvet and furnished with floral finery.
The wide carpet of turf that covered the level hilltop seemed but the extension of a luxurious interior. The great still
oaks and beeches flung down a shade as dense as that of velvet curtains; and the place was furnished like a room, with cushioned seats,
with rich colored rugs, with the books and papers that lay on the grass. ~ Henry James - The Portrait of a Lady
The first flowers of the season, the tiny crocuses dressed in their cheery lilac and lemon-yellow best, nudge up through the snow, opening
their petals tentatively. Soon they are joined by delicate white snowdrops, bright yellow jonquils, jewel-colored tulips, and fragrant pastel
hyacinths. When these flowers come calling, the Victorian lady welcomes them into her garden as if they were princesses, attending to
their every need and offering them places of honor in her home.
As spring turns to summer, the brilliant show in her borders, beds, and window boxes continues, with the new display featuring
lively geraniums and fuchsias along with soft-spoken primroses, violas, and forget-me-nots. Bowers of roses, climbing clematis, and towering sunflowers
help anchor the old-fashioned favories - hollyhocks, sweet peas, foxglove, delphinium, phlox, and canterbury bells.
The autumn palette reflects the bronze, orange and golden hues of the fallen leaves and setting sun - marigolds, chrysanthemums, and late summer sunflowers.
....the branches of purple and white lilac - the floating golden tressed laburnum boughs. Besides these, there were stately white lilies, sacred to the virgin - hollyhocks,
fraxinella, monk's-hood, pansies, primroses; every flower which blooms profusely in charming, old-fashioned country gardens was there... ~Elizabeth Gaskell - Ruth
Other areas of the garden are pleasing to eye and palate alike. The Victorian lady plants her kitchen garden with great care, making sure it is conveniently located near the back door
and filling it to overflowing with her favorite vegetables - tomatoes, beans, carrots and peppers - and herbs - lemon, thyme, lavender, rosemary, sage, dill and chives. She'll have to walk
deeper into the garden to reach the orchards, but the crisp apples and flavorful peaches will be well worth her walk. And along the path back to the house, she takes a moment to fill her basket with
strawberries, currants and gooseberries.
Like the Victorian house, no Victorian garden would be quite complete without the imaginative details that transform an ordinary space into a haven that renews spirit and soul. Besides residing
in the usual beds and borders, flowers, herbs and vegetables find themselves quite content in window boxes, clay and ceremic pots and vases, and wire hanging baskets. The Victorian lady
furnishes her outdoor rooms with sundials, cast-iron garden seats, and wooden benches that compliment the home's verandas, trellises, and porches.
When the weather is fine - and sometimes she ventures outdoors even when it's not, especially if she has a sturdy umbrella - the lady of the house will linger in her outdoor rooms, exploring the hidden corners
and arranging them to her liking, drawing peace from the serene creations.
The old lime-tree walk was like green cloisters, the very shadows of the cherry trees and apple trees were heavy with fruit, the gooseberry bushes were so laden that their branches arched and rested on the earth, the strawberries and raspberries
grew in like profusion, and the peaches basked by the hurdred on the wall. ~Charles Dickens - Blear House
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The warm-blue breathings of a hidden hearth broke from a bower of vine and honeysuckle.
~ Alfred Lord Tennyson
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From The Victorian Lady - Her Customs, Her passions, Her Life by Janna C. Walkup
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Graphics and contents © Southern Elegance 2001 unless otherwise specified.
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