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Two plans for The Morton Arboretum, Sterling Morton Library Reading Garden (3.24603)
Date: 1962Creator: Watts, May Theilgaard
Type: Drawing
Description:Two sketched horseshoe-shaped plans for the Sterling Morton Library Reading Garden, including suggestions for planting, furniture, exposures, layout and features.
Center text between the two sketches: An impractical plan for an an outdoor reading room adjoining the new library - no scale - M.T. Watts fecit
Bottom right corner text below Plan #2: Any exposure - M.T. Watts suggestor demeritus
Plan #1 suggestions:
- Grass throughout
- Along south side of garden:
- Library
- Eye of the librarian watching over entire garden
- Seat in the sun and for a cold day on both sides of the glass doors
- Circular platform with 2 steps going into garden so that there can be a lecture platform
- Espaliered Pears for the walls on both sides of the glass doors
- Along east side of garden
- Book tree - expendable, paper-bound books for free browsing
- Some tall things to make long shadows in the afternoon
- Table for small group
- Along west side of garden
- White pine to say "Sh..." for the librarian
- Sweetbrier rose to make smell of applesauce
- Wall with perhaps some niches, and /or some good tiles
- Seats connected by small tables but no togetherness
- Book tree - expendable, paper-bound books for free browsing
- Along north side of garden
- Thorny things
- Wall fountain dribbling quietly
- Mossy north wall with ferns at its base
Text at top of plan: I like this better (one can read in the rain)
- Wall lining entire garden
- Cloister - walk along wall lining entire garden - paved old brick? (detailed sketch of interior below garden sketch, including books for browsers and vine)
- Along south side of garden:
- Wall fountain in the shape of a lion's head drooling contentedly
- Doors to Library on both sides of the wall fountain
- Along east side of garden:
- Ground covers
- Vine
- Along west side of garden
- Ground covers
- Vine
- 1 step up
- Along north side of garden
- Steps on both sides to make raised platform for book talks
- Beech tree because books are all named for it
- Ferns under beech tree
Extent: 1 sheet
Plan for The Morton Arboretum, Sterling Morton Library Reading Garden-north end (3.24634)
Date: 1962Creator: Watts, May Theilgaard
Type: Drawing
Description:Sketches of plans for the north-facing end of the Sterling Morton Library Reading Garden showing a wall, tables and chairs, book tree and pool. Also includes suggestions for planting.
Sketches divided into 3 sections:
Section 1: Sketch of sitting area with roof along north-end garden wall
Notations written:
- Above left side of roof: An inconspicuous prism to throw a rainbow into the garden occasionally
- Above chair: gray painted aluminum
- Next to pole for roof support: iron
- Next to right side of roof: The white pine outside the wall has wind chimes somewhere in its branches
- Above side view of roof sketch: slate (or tin) wall
- Below sketch of sitting area: The north-facing end of the Reading Garden??
Notations written:
- Far left of the book tree sketch: The sunny wall at the other end could have a wall fountain, and a mobile hung from a tree to make interesting moving shadows, - or espaliered pears
- Just below book shelves on the left: sectional to allow for tree growth
- To the right of top portion of tree (above shelving): Not a honey locust Not a pin oak [crossed out]
- Next to top right of shelving: concealed shades for rain
- Next to bottom right of shelving: hooks for shades
Notations written:
- Far top left corner: pine
- Top left next to bench and table: ferns
- Far bottom left corner: sweetbrier roses to send the smell of new summer applesauce into the garden
- Next to bottom middle planting area across from pool: Poison Ivy [crossed out] Euonymus planting to keep people away from the opening, and for fall color
- Above top right corner: Plantsmen tile strip all around wall
Extent: 1 sheet
Suggestion for The Morton Arboretum, Sterling Morton Library Reading Garden wall (3.24635)
Date: 1962Creator: Watts, May Theilgaard
Type: Drawing
Description:Sketch of proposed Sterling Morton Library Reading Garden wall with tiles near the top featuring the names of prominent botanical figures alternating with tiles featuring different plants.
Text written in bottom left corner:
A suggestion for a row of tiles as a part of the wall of the Reading Garden. Probably they should be soft tan with the picture tiles in black and the name in a red-brown?
Five names on tiles alongside plant tiles toward top of wall:
Carolus Linnaeus
Andre Michaux
Pierre Joseph Redouté
Le Notre
Kristian Konrad Sprengel
Extent: 1 sheet
Sketch for the Layout of the May T. Watts Reading Garden (3.44171)
Date: 1960Creator: Moulton, Mary K.
Type: Drawing
Description:This is the original sketch for the layout of the May T. Watts Reading Garden by Mary C. Moulton , first librarian of the institution and a landscape architect by training. She designed this in consultation with May T. Watts, naturalist and master teacher at the Arboretum from 1939 to 1961.