At Blois one still sees the remains
of a fine trellis covering the walls of the kitchen gardens. Wonderful
and elaborate trellis _pavillons_, each containing a statue, often
formed the centers of very old gardens. These garden houses were called
gazebos in England, and _Temples d'Amour_ (Temples of Love) in France,
and the statue most often seen was the god of Love. In the Trianon
gardens at Versailles there is a charming _Temple d'Amour_ standing on a
tiny island, with four small canals leading to it.
A knowledge of the history of trelliage and an appreciation of its
practical application to modern needs is a conjurer's wand--you can wave
it and create all sorts of ephemeral constructions that will last your
time and pleasure. You may give your trellis any poetic shape your
vision may take. You may dream and realize enchanting gardens, with
clipped hedges and trellis walls. You may transform a commonplace porch
into a gay garden room, with a few screens of trellis and many flower
boxes of shrubs and vines. Here indeed is a delightful medium for your
fancy!
Trelliage and lattice work are often used as interchangeable terms, but
mistakenly, for any carpenter who has the gift of precision can build a
good lattice, but a trellis must have architectural character. Trellis
work is not necessarily flimsy construction; the light chestnut laths
that were used by the old Frenchmen and still remain to us prove that.
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