III CHOICE OF POSITION, SOIL, AND CULTURE 21 
to their nests. It is not easy to suggest any remedy for this 
nuisance. 
From the landscape gardener’s point of view it seems 
almost unnecessary to say that a good background is of the 
first importance to show off the beauty of the Bamboo. A 
bay in a clump of Hollies or Evergreens will afford the most 
appropriate setting. The tall culms waving their dainty 
green foliage against such a backing, under the influence of 
a gentle summer breeze, are the embodiment of all that is 
graceful, while the tender leaves look like a flight of the most 
delicate green butterflies hovering in the air. A group 
planted on a lawn may be very effective, but Bamboos are 
seen at their best when their gracefully bending culms are 
shown in contrast against stiffer and darker foliage. If such 
a position can be found on the banks of running water, with 
here and there a rugged moss-grown rock cropping out of 
the hillside, there you have the ideal composition dear to the 
Japanese landscape painter. Great care must be taken to 
assign to those sorts which are rampant at the roots (such 
as Arundinaria Métaké, Arundinaria Simoni, and some others) 
isolated positions where they may run riot as they please. 
Failing this precaution, there will in a very short time be 
endless work and trouble in checking their invasions. Above 
all let the groups be as big as may be suitable, but do not 
mix the species. Let each variety stand out by itself. As 
Mr. Bean says, “If this is not attended to, and the spreading 
rhizomes kept within certain bounds, the different kinds run 
into each other, and the whole eventually becomes a hopeless 
jungle.” 
Messrs. Riviere and M. Marliac both recommend that 
