Holland House: The Dutch or West Garden, by Jessie Macgregor (1847-1919). 1911 or 1912 (see preface). Watercolour drawing. Source: Macgregor, facing p. 218.

Macgregor recalls the "brilliant summer day when I first beheld the 'Dutch Garden.' I prefer to call it that, though it scarcely bore out its name at the time, being ablaze, not with such flowers as have come to us from Holland, but with scarlet geraniums. These were astonishing; never shall I forget the impression they made on me when I turned the corner of the iiouse from the north side, and came upon them suddenly.... My drawing is taken looking east, in order to introduce the fine old house itself as a background. The parterre is intersected by the little, lozenge-shaped beds, known as "knots." These are separated from each other by very narrow walks, edged with high box ... but in this larger area the dividing borders are lost sight of, and the effect in sunshine, is of a lake of scarlet flame. [224-25]

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Bibliography

MacGregor, Jessie. Gardens of Celebrities and celebrated gardens in and around London. London: Hutchinson, 1918. Internet Archive. Contributed by the University of British Columbia Library. Web. 20 March 2022.


Created 20 March 2022