martinhouseclr

212 DARWIN D. MARTIN HOUSE // CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT should be compatible in some way with the habit, form, color, texture, bloom, fruit, fragrance, scale, or context of the historic vegetation being replaced. Though sufficient documentation may not exist for restoration in these cases, it is highly recommended that plant selection for new compatible designs are founded on documentary evidence when possible. This recommendation does not propose that new compatible designs must use these sources in selecting plant material, but rather that they should utilize available records to base appropriate selections from and adapt those selections as needed. The preferred order of documentation should consist of the following: 1. Genus / species of plants identifiable (within specific garden feature) from photographs of the landscape during the Period of Significance, or; 2. Genus / species of plants identified from written sources (within specific garden feature) such as Martin/Wright/Griffin correspondence or the Martin daily diaries, or; 3. Genus / species of plants identified (within specific garden feature) from the February 1905 ‘Plan of Plantings,’ the c. February 1906 Floricycle Plan (‘Plan of Floral Arrangement’), or the October 1910 Griffin Shrub Border (‘Grounds of Dwelling:’ ‘Plantings’). An important caveat should be noted regarding the use of the documentary sources noted above. While the planting plan does represent an accurate record of the overall visual and spatial relationships created and defined by vegetation, and a majority of the genus and species noted in the plans were used within the landscape in some location, the planting plans do not consistently reflect the exact locations of plant material as installed. [Fig. 194, 195] Thus, any planting arrangements known to have existed only temporarily or are known to have been modified at installation should not be actively “restored” in order to not provide a false sense of history. However, it is believed that the documented collection of identified species within the Period of Significance Planting Palette lists do reflect the known plants in those landscape units and garden spaces and should serve to guide treatment selections. Other Selection Criteria Selection criteria should not be limited to the above decision making guides for plant substitutions. There are additional factors that should be considered, including: • Selection Criteria per Garden Space: Consider that each garden within the historic landscape had a design purpose and a distinct style – the historic landscape or individual gardens were not wholly Fig. 194 This period photograph includes plants that can be identified (honeysuckle), but does not indicate the location within the designed landscape. Fig. 195 Alternatively, this photograph (ca. 1906) of the rear fountain wall includes vegetative material that appears to be one plant (Aristolochia) but original design documents specify another similar plant (Celastrus).