Group items tagged

It was a concept in gardening brought over by the colonial Pennsylvania Germans in 1683, but originally was designed by residents of Swiss cloisters and monasteries. The gardens were laid out in multiples of eleven feet with the most common size being fifty-five or sixty-six feet. This was because the length of an eighteenth century fence panel was eleven feet. The surrounding fence in a foursquare garden was composed of two posts, two rails, and pickets which were fifty-two to sixty inches high. The twelve foot rails were made of chestnut which fit into chestnut or locust posts. The flat side of the rail was placed on the outside of the garden. The pickets were of white oak, pine, chestnut, and rarely black walnut split or sawn wood which was nailed at intervals of no more than one and one-half inches.