WILD WATER MARGINS 59 



is it necessary to employ those from other countries. 

 Lack of harmony among the larger plants will produce 

 a feeling of dissatisfaction and unrest as we view our 

 garden in after )'ears. 



Of the Poplars none are more beautiful than the 

 Lombardy. It is a variety which looks especially well 

 near water, and either in straggling lines or in sentinel- 

 like isolation, possesses true artistic value. A group of 

 Aspen Poplars will amply reward the planter, if the soil 

 happens to be a warm limestone ; in such favoured spots 

 the foliage of the Aspen assumes an exquisite colouring 

 in autumn. There are many plants and trees I should 

 like to see more freely used in English gardens and 

 fields, but none more than the Poplars. The sight of a 

 French valley in spring, when these graceful trees are 

 putting forth a brown mist of leaves, is an object 

 lesson in the value of tree form to a landscape. 



The Willows offer a variety of subjects, good in form 

 and colour. Salix alba develops into a stately tree, and 

 is a noble ornament to the stream side. To those who 

 desire colour, there is the scarlet-barked or Cardinal 

 Willow, and the golden-yellow kind, also good. In 

 winter, the bundles of brightly coloured rods form a 

 cheerful note on a dull day. The various forms of 

 Weeping Willow are much less suited to English 

 gardens, and yet they are extensively planted. Some 

 are not quite hardy, and except for large pieces of 

 water they are apt to look over-heavy and dense. Many 

 growers of Willows urge the practice of cutting down 

 yearly, arguing that the vivid colouring of the young 

 shoots is a decided advantage. To this I cannot agree, 

 as the sacrifice of form is so great that we lose more 

 than we gain. If the rods are needed for tying, a few 

 can be cut for the purpose, or, better still, a small patch 

 grown for yielding a supply. 



According to the character of the water, we may 



