Stranica 472 [472]
TÉR VES DNSÜON B “SECTION
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its roof, " lies the way to the garden which extended all along the
east side of the lawn.
At the time that the west wing was added, the two ofhices—
Patrick Henry’s from the shady seclusion of the back yard, and
William Wirt Henry’s from the sunshiny front yard—were moved
into the spacious garden-and placed together to form a cottage.
Since the house was burned in February, 1919, this cottage has
served as the residence.
Along the fence, between yard and garden, jonquils are planted,
and to the right of the garden gate once stood a handsome pecan
tree which has long since blown down.
A bit to the east is the old garden where box-hedges separate
colors and varieties of flowers and shrubs, some of which were
brought originally from Mount Vernon. ‘The situation and treat¬
ment of the garden which leads its well-clipped hedges down the
slope of the hill in terrace form, were selected by Mistress Elvira
Henry and prove her to have been an artist in this line. And the
pride of her garden was a Martha Washington rose.
At the entrance of the garden, on-either side of the walk, stand
four large box-trees that meet at the top and form a leafy, green
bower. An unique feature of this arbor is a yellow jessamine that
blooms unseen in the tops of the box-trees and gives forth a delight¬
ful fragrance whose source is difficult to locate. There is a row
of fig bushes to the left of the garden gate and a bed of white
violets on the right. All along the garden walk, which leads to
the graveyard, and the one bisecting it are planted tea and hardy
roses, calycanthus, spiraea, snowballs and other old-fashioned
flowering shrubs. ‘The remainder of the ample garden is given
over to vegetables.
The graveyard, at the extreme east side of the garden, is en¬
closed by a boxwood hedge. The ground around the tombs of
Patrick Henry and his wife, Dorothea Dandridge, is covered with
an ever green carpet of periwinkle, which in the spring is dotted
with hundreds of little blue blossoms.
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