Publisher's Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1914 edition. Excerpt: ... XXXIII ATTRACTIVE GARDEN STAIRWAYS CLEVER DESIGNS FOR CLIMBING TERRACES AND FOR SECURING PICTORIAL VIEWPOINTS IN OUTDOOR LIVING ROOMS Did you ever stop to think that the principal charm of sunken gardens, which are rapidly gaining popularity, lies in our ability to study the flowers and garden furnishings from an unusual view-point? Looking down, over, and into the garden discloses varied beauties and fascinations that are seldom visible when the garden is studied from its usual flat levels. The famous terraces of the old Roman and Alban hill gardens are supposed to have been cut and graded chiefly for the purpose of preventing washouts on the steep slopes; but a closer study into the work of the old masters in garden building, who constructed these terraces, discloses the fact that their utilitarian purposes were not the only reason for their careful construction. The numerous broad, level terraces were ingeniously continued to form pictorial features of the gardens. Looking up from the lower levels into the overhanging beauty of flowers and trailers on the succession of terraces, or looking down over a broad expanse, to gaze into the upturned faces of flowers and into fountains and pools, or studying different levels from the stairs leading from one terrace to another, will soon convince the owner of a large estate that he has achieved one of the principal fascinations of the old gardens of the Renaissance when he has introduced into his domains the poetry of changing view-points. The changing levels necessitate steps and balustrades and quaint winding stairways. The most important feature in building rustic stairways is their suitability. Their construction should be conscientiously kept in harmony with their surroundings. It would be...
