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De Wolfe, Elsie, 1865-1950 / The house in good taste
(1914)

XIX: Villa Trianon,   pp. 284-299


Page 298

THE HOUSE IN GOOD TASTE
it was done to please me. Painted a soft green, with
ivy growing over it, and a fountain flanked by white
marbles outlined against it, this trellis represents (to
me, at least) my best work.
The tapis vert occupies the greater part of the gar-
den, and it is bordered by gravel walks bordered in
turn with white flowerbeds. Between the walks and
the walls there are the groups of trees, the statues with
green spaces about them, the masses of evergreen trees,
and finally the great trees that follow the lines of the
wall. Indeed, the tapis vert is like the arena of an
ample theater, with the ascending flowers and shrubs
and trees representing the ascending tiers of seats.
One feels that all the trees and flowers look down
upon the central stretch of greensward, and perhaps
there is a fairy ring here where plays take place by
night. Nothing is impossible in this garden. Cer-
tainly the fairies play in the enchanted ring of the
trees of the salle de verdure. We are convinced of
that.
So formal is the tapis vert, with its blossoming bor-
ders of larkspur and daisies and its tall standard roses,
you are surprised to find that that part of the garden
outside this prim rectangle has mysteries. There are
winding paths that terminate in marble seats. There
is the pavilion, a little house built for outdoor music-
ales, with electric connections that make breakfast and
tea possible here. There is the guest house, and the
motor house-quite as interesting as any other part
298


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