SHADED GARDENS 225 



inner line of a pergola, or parts of a formal gar- 

 den, would seem to make conventionality desirable. 

 Shaded gardens, as a rule, ought to be naturalistic. 



For early spring, when branches are still leafless 

 or nearly so, there is nothing more beautiful than 

 several forms of the hardy primrose (Primula). 

 The loveliest is the English primrose (P. vulgaris) 

 which has been slow making its way here, consid- 

 ering the fact that it is one of England's commonest 

 wildflowers and that with a proper degree of mois- 

 ture and summer shade it is quite hardy here. The 

 cowslip (P. veris), the oxlip (P. elatior), any yel- 

 low polyanthus (P. polyantha) and the Japanese 

 primrose (P. japonica) are easier of culture and 

 also are in every way desirable for massing on any 

 scale. The pink P. cortusoides Sieboldii and P. 

 farinosa, the lilac P. denticulata, the violet P. cap- 

 itata and the (type) P. auricula are finely suited 

 for shaded gardens but require more care. 



Of the spring bulbs there are the snowdrop, Si- 

 berian squill, glory-of-the-snow, grape hyacinth, 

 wood hyacinth, common hyacinth, crocus, tulip, 

 crown imperial, daffodil and guinea-hen flower 

 that may be planted where shade comes later. Any 

 of them will grow in the thin grass under the trees 

 of an old orchard and all are the better for a 

 ground cover. This need not be grass and as a 

 rule would better not be, though daffodils look par- 

 ticularly well in it. Snowdrops, for example, will 

 come up through a carpet of periwinkle or bishop's 

 weed, Siberian squill and lily-of-the-valley may be 



