martinhouseclr

60 DARWIN D. MARTIN HOUSE // CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT Dear Sir:-- FLORICYCLE. What are the 18 plants 7B in circles 8 and 9, not listed in the list. *D PHLOX D CUSSATA. On the plan, circles 6 and 7, you show the names of six different species of 8D Phlox. How many of each species? 11C. You have two items of 80 each listed. On the plan in the 9 th circle you locate only 5 plants, which still make 60 in all instead of 160. 7G MALVA MOSCHATA. We do not think much of it, if at all like the weed cheeses. Flowers are rose or white. Do you care which the nursery furnishes. 6E DIGITALIS GLOXINOIDES. This is a biennial, which never blooms the year planted, so we would get flowers every second year, if we replanted it every two years. 6H LUPINUS. Ours is a little lime soil. Bailey says Lupinus won’t grow on it. 7A LYSIMACHIA. This planted in the edge of first and second circles will effectually prevent cultivation. It is a weed, is it not? day of the year as the title block date of the most significant complete property planting plan: 15 February 1906 vs. 15 February 1905. Compounding this confusion is that the difference between the hemi-cycle and the Floricycle is hardly discernible with the extent of photo records for the hemi-cycle showing only one season of growth, wherein it has not taken on the character of the plant material. 11A CHRSYANTHEMUM. November bloomers being rare we may have to stand for it, but Mrs. Martin objects to its foliage, but this may not be serious crowded in, as it is, with so much else. Yours very truly, 151 The Floricycle plan itself, known properly as the “Plan of Floral Arrangement,” [Fig. 40] is a detailed planting diagram for the proposed arc of plantings located off the Martin House verandah. It is essentially a complete proposal to replace the hemi-cycle planted in May of 1905. The plan consists of one unit of a detailed planting arrangement, an overall semicircle layout plan showing the repetition of 11 planting units and 2 half-units on each end (12 total units), a plant schedule and key showing quantities of total plant material, and written instructions for laying out the total arrangement in the field. The plan is undated and is signed “Frank Lloyd Wright Architect.” There are two blueprint copies of this plan located within Archives at the University at Buffalo. One copy is in very good condition without any folds or stains, the other copy is heavily creased and includes water staining. The stained and creased copy includes a hand written notation on the back of the plan reading: “Wright Planting”. The staining and wear of one copy suggests it was used in the field during plant installation and/or was kept by the gardener 151 DDM-FLW, 15 February 1906, Trans. Zakery Steele 2014, WMP-UB. for reference and maintenance purposes. The Floricycle plan includes shrubs (one of which generally takes on the habit of a small tree), perennials, biennials, and bulbs. The planting schedule numbering system is devised to indicate the month of flower (or other featured plant characteristic, such as fall color) for the individual plant species, ranging from March (3) to November (11). A transcription of the plant schedule has been annotated with contemporary common names. The number to the right indicates the proposed total quantity designated on the plan across all repeated units. [Fig. 41] A hand-written note exists alongside the copy of correspondence with the University at Buffalo Archives which confirms Martin’s efforts to systematically replace the hemi-cycle with the Floricycle. 152 The upper half of the note appears to be notes directly relating to Martin’s questions to Wright in the 15 February 1906 letter. However, the note also calls into question the precise planting selection for installation of the Floricycle, which may have been slightly altered to accommodate plants already in Martin’s possession. The lower half of the note lists a selection of plants in two columns: the left representing shrubs specified in the Floricycle plan with required quantities; and the right representing notes on availability of those shrubs already in the Martin House landscape or otherwise already in Martin’s possession. The right column includes indication of the selection 152 DDM-FLW, 15 February 1906, WMP-UB.