THE WATER-GARDEN 271 
again, you will contrive a second, lower, false wall, form- 
ing a trench whose surface shall be covered by six inches 
of water or so. Here you will have many pretty and 
interesting things to grow, which would not enjoy the 
greater depths that suit the robust Nymphaeas, and, at 
the same time, want more abundant wet than they could 
get in the marsh. Among these the Arrowroots stand 
high, though personally I have never cared for any of 
them. They are very free and vigorous, about a foot or 
eighteen inches, with abundance of arrow-headed, glossy 
leaves, and spikes of large, three-petalled white flowers, 
whose general effect, despite their size, is dull and cold, 
owing to the rather repellent shade of their white. They 
have double forms, too, and at least one rare species, 
montevidéensis, With much more brilliant flowers, but un- 
fortunately of rather doubtful hardiness. Sagittaria 
japonica is the best ordinary one, better than our own 
native Sagittaria palustris. ‘Then come the Alismas, of 
which our common native, Alisma plantago, is a most 
decorative plant, with big handsome leaves, like a horse- 
radish, and tall, very graceful loose spires and showers of 
innumerable tiny white flowers. This, unfortunately, is 
a dreadful weed, and sows itself everywhere. On the 
other hand, it does not spread or run, and is always easy 
to uproot. <Alisma natans is a very elfin little dainty 
water plant, absolutely aquatic, and a great rarity, occur- 
ring here and there in our mountain lakes of Ireland 
and the West. The stems of this are so fine as to be 
invisible. Over the water lie little round leaves of 
glossy green, and big white flowers, three-petalled, that 
seem to float detached, loose jewels on the surface. 
Similar is Hydrocharis Morsus-Ranac, but commoner, 
larger in growth, and altogether less brilliant. Rare in 
the marshes of East Anglia is the water-Aloe, Stratiotes 
aloeides, exactly like a thorny, submerged aloe, with 
