martinhouseclr

84 DARWIN D. MARTIN HOUSE // CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT the landscape, and the visual spaces outdoor rooms, and relationships that were created and defined by the designed landscape’s arrangement. Editing & Maintaining the Landscape The Martins’ 1910-era edits to the landscape were accompanied and followed by a series of similar additions and substations to the landscape, although none quite as substantial as the Griffin-designed shrub border along Summit Avenue. The modifications, as far as the historic record shows, lacked any evidence of outside consult beyond the gardener or magazines of the period. They were seemingly completed in the spirit of interested and horticulturally adept owners, who continually informed themselves of happenings in the world of landscape design. There was also a sense of unsightliness expressed for some features, specifically the gravel walk leading from the rear of the main house, through the courtyard garden, towards the garage. On 21 April 1911, Martin leaves a hand written note for the gardener of the time (Thomas Skinner), reading: Cudgel your brain to increase the summer (and winter) attractiveness of this place. Read this magazine. The path west of pergola isn’t very attractive, somehow wonder if a tapestry of brick pavement (see page dcxix [or cxix]) would improve it? 198 199 Martin includes a second note to Skinner, presumably attached with the other or as a second thought, as it is dated the same day. It reads: Thomas Saw around Boston, Harvard College & elsewhere English ivy in full foliage and the N.E. winters are harder than ours. Why can’t we raise it? Eyuonymous radicans [syn. fortunei] is fine around Boston also. We must [a graphic arrow is drawn to attune attention to the word ‘must] do things to make this place more attractive to Mrs Martin, in winter and summer. It depends on you! M 4/21 200 In the margins of the note Martin adds “see page 40 for Dahlia article” and, seemingly referring to the Boston Ivy troubles, adds in the top left 198 DDM-T.Skinner, 21 April 1911, Trans. Zakery Steele 2014, WMP-UB 199 In a search for the magazine referenced, it was noted that page “119” of House and Garden, Volume 19, February 1911, includes the latter half of an article about brick work, however the article is exclusively referring to wall patterns and is most likely a coincidence. No additional sources could be found indicating brick paving on page 119 or 619 of popular and accessible garden and home magazines of the year 1911. 200 DDM-T.Skinner, 21 April 1911, Trans. Zakery Steele 2014, WMP-UB of the note, “Have you used nitrate of soda?” Regarding the specific plant troubles noted to Skinner, the creeping eyuonymous referred to is a plant specified in multiple areas of the grounds by Wright/Griffin in February 1905. The Boston Ivy, however, was a desired addition noted first in the confirmation of plant material ordered for the Barton House in 1904. Martin wrote to Wright/Griffin at the time, at the bottom of the completed order list, “we add 4 Ampelopsis Veitchii,” a synonym of the Ivy now scientifically referred to as Parthenocissus tricuspidata . Martin seems to have lit a fire under his gardener, as by 1912 Boston Ivy is clearly visible in photos along the Jewett Avenue façade. The ivy is even more pronounced and substantial in photos taken circa 1915. [Fig. 59, 60, 61] Regarding the general character of the grounds, and Martin’s noted request to improve it for Mrs Martin, very little seems to have been done to the overall design scheme. No records indicate that gravel was ever replaced with bricks during the Martins’ tenure, nor are there clear signs of manipulation or alteration of the landscape’s overall structure as designed. Likely, whatever was done to “make the place more attractive in winter and summer” seems to have been generally confined to perennial borders – which changes are much harder to distinguish in period photos, and nevertheless, would have been continually altered through normal maintenance, dividing and horticultural whims.