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To the south of the house
we have access from the living porch to the promenade fountain terrace. A
wide grass panel, in which the playing jet of a tall fountain forms the center
of interest, is flanked on either side with planting beds edged with a
low barberry hedge. Myriads of peonies and flowering plants fill the
formal beds, and to the west or woodland side, and the east or lake side,
are huge green tubs filled with clipped bay trees. In line with the
bronze fountain, far to the south, down a long elm-lined vista, has been
placed a tea house, lighted at night by a huge chandelier, and accented
in its height and contrasting red tile roof by the forest trees.
The logia and
promenade terrace.
To the right of the
promenade terrace we may wander down a gravel walk to the hemlock
hedge-enclosed lily pool garden. Because of the rise in grade at the
south of this garden we feel as though the entire area were sunken. The
early days of June bring a profusion of color in the many varieties of
irises then in bloom. Here, also, all the planting areas are trimly lined
with low barberry hedges. A pink marble basin, about one hundred feet in
length, is presided over at either end by a group of three bronze
dolphins, which with the pedestal send sheets of water over the lily pool
below. The water lilies in June are in their prime, and when the fountain
is playing on a bright day, the garden is a riot of color. Six formal
marble herms have been effectively set along either side of the garden,
where they make a most effective sculptural group against the high
evergreen hedge, suggesting the Roman gardens of long ago. Above this
charming garden, reached by two short flights of marble steps, lies the bowling green,
enclosed by a balustrade and wall of stone. Stone seats,
from which the games may be watched, flanked at either side by bronze lighting
fixtures make the enclosure walls most interesting from an architectural
and decorative point of view. The south lawn, many acres in extent, is
reached from the bowling green.
As we walk toward the east we traverse the allee that leads to the tea-house pavilion.
The lily pool,
or sunken garden, with its marble basin, bronze fountains and classic
sculpture, is a veritable Italian picture.
A corner of
the sunken garden, showing the rare hemlock hedge, which forms the
background for the pillared busts or herms.
A stone
balustrade bounds the bowling green
above the sunken garden.
From the sun-room
to the South, there is a charming view of the fountain terrace and the
teahouse pavilion.
The service buildings are
built about a paved courtyard, in the center of which are set rubbed
oleanders and terra cotta pots filled with ivy and annual flowers. In
this group and enclosure is staged the lovely displays of garden flowers
brought each year to "Villa Turicum"
by the members of the Lake Forest Garden Club.
The portal in the wall of the service garden leads to the
woodland roads of the residential area.
The courtyard
of the service buildings
Beyond the carriage house to the east lie the
vegetable and cut flower gardens, terminated by a garden house at the
lower end. The area is enclosed by a high stucco wall, framed by towering
oaks. A mighty oak monarch, two hundred and fifty years of age, graces
the center of the circular cut flower garden. A circular stone seat hugs
the trunk, and beyond the wide encircling walk a mass of roses of all
varieties bloom throughout the June days, as though to pay homage to the
mighty oak. Many varieties of peonies, as well as countless beds of
annual flowers, vie with the roses in furnishing blooms for the house.
That marvel, a weed-less vegetable garden, lies west and up the slope to
the service group. In the early spring the walls are brightened by
hawthorns and apple blossoms.
The cut flower
garden in the wall-enclosed expanse east of the service group. The mighty
oak in the center stands guard over the luxuriant blooms.
The winding drives from the service court
reach the main highway approach, and swing through the woodland to the
mall and to the service wing.
"Villa Turicum"
is indeed both charming and magnificent. The ideals envisioned by the
artist and his client have found full expression in the gardens, the
walks, the waters, the vistas and panoramas. The photographs convey a
measure of the beauty which really beggars description.
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