CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



materials. By the adoption of this plan, with fre- 

 quent prunings, climbers may be made to clothe a 

 trellis not more than a few feet high, and so 

 requiring no larger space than a small shrub, 

 flowering profusely. Climbers are usually not of 

 difficult culture, for we have seen a cottager's 

 window shaded within by a screen-work of leaves 

 and blossoms, more effectually than it could have 

 been by the costliest Venetians. 



ROCK-WORK AND AQUARIUMS. 



If space and means permit, a flower-garden may 

 be much improved by introducing a piece of 

 artificial rock-work and a small pond ; because, in 

 connection with these, certain highly interesting 

 plants may be reared, which would not answer on 

 a plain surface. In order to increase the effect, 

 the pond should be at the base of the rock-work, 

 and receive from it the trickling of water which 

 has been conveyed to the summit in pipes. Let 

 the rock-work have a natural appearance, with 

 rugged sides, and perhaps be ten or twelve feet 

 high. Rocks of the same kind and colour should 

 be placed together. A dark cave, penetrating into 

 the thickest part of the erection, is not very diffi- 

 cult to construct ; and when encircled with ivy, it 

 will form an interesting object Rock-plants of 

 every description should be profusely stuck around, 

 and in twelve months the whole scene will exhibit 

 an impress of antiquity far beyond anticipation. 

 The undertaking, when completed, will present a 

 field of varied and interesting study, and more 

 than compensate for all the attention and outlay 

 bestowed upon it. The aquatic and rock plants, 

 which formerly were ' far to seek and ill to find,' 

 will thus be brought within the range of everyday 

 observation. If the situation is secluded and in 

 the country, the wagtail, oxeye, and stonechatter 

 may be attracted to the spot, not perhaps because 

 they are lovers of the picturesque, but because they 

 find everything here suited to their nature ; and 

 colonies of the wild-bee will soon be seen and 

 heard around the interstices of the rocks. A 

 weeping-willow adjoining one or two mountain- 

 ashes, and some of the hardy varieties of fuchsias 

 mirrored in the lake, will add materially to the 

 beauty of the scene ; and if the spot be airy, there 

 might, with advantage, be planted, on the top of an 

 eminence, the Scottish thistle. 



Among the plants suitable for growing from the 

 crevices of the rocks may be mentioned various 

 heaths and mosses, many kinds of sedums, house- 

 leeks, and saxifrages, rock-roses, ferns, and nume- 

 rous 'alpine' plants. Of plants suitable for the 

 marshy borders of the pond, may be named the 

 mountain pride, grassy Parnassus, American 

 pitcher-plant, flowery rush, butterwort, Acorus, 

 Littorella, Lychnis floscuculi, Primula farinosa. 

 While in the water, places should be given to 

 various kinds of water-lilies those lovely Naiads 

 that adorn the lakes and rivers with their ample 

 foliage, and, raising their gorgeous flowers with 

 the morning sun, recline them 'in graceful attitudes 

 to rest,' as the god of day sinks in the western hori- 

 zon. The use of these plants in outdoor landscape- 

 gardening especially in lake-scenery, for which 

 their expansive foliage and showy flowers render 

 them so well adapted has arisen chiefly from the 

 attention recently attracted by the gigantic Vic- 

 toria regia. the Royal Water-lily of South America. 



574 



This magnificent plant, with its gigantic leaves, 

 eighteen feet or more in circumference, and 

 delicate rose-coloured flowers thirty-six inches 

 round, is represented in the frontispiece. Being 

 an aquatic of such huge proportions, it requires 

 for its successful cultivation a special structure, 

 with a large central tank of water ; but this may 

 be made available for the culture of other aquatics, 

 and the Victoria regia has thus led to the extended 

 culture of exotic aquatic plants. Many new kinds 

 of these have been recently introduced, especially 

 species of Nymphaa, among which there is indeed 

 great variety of colour and form, from the little 

 Nymphcea pumila to the huge N. gigantea. 



Some beautiful designs have been published 

 shewing the applicability of aquatic gardening 

 to the imitation under glass of tropical scenery ; 

 but we prefer representing here a simple diagram 



Fig. 7- 



i, Outer wall of the building ; 2, Foot-path ; 3, Outer wall of the 

 tank ; 4, Bank of soil ; 5, Inner wall of the tank ; 6, Water ; 7, 

 Mound of soil in which the plants are rooted. 



(vertical section) of a tank for exotic or hardy 

 aquatics, believing that any one can readily adapt 

 it to the size and circumstances of his garden, 

 and render it picturesque according to the means 

 at disposal. 



THE PARLOUR AQUARIUM. 



The parlour aquarium or vivarium forms an 

 interesting companion to the Ward's Case. It 

 may, in fact, be described as a combination of 

 that and the gold-fish globe ; one object being, in 

 addition to the cultivation of plants, the illustra- 

 tion of the mutual dependence of animal and 

 vegetable life. The parlour aquarium consists 

 usually of a water-tight box with glass sides, which 

 may be of various forms, and of size corresponding 



Fig. 8. Vallisneria spiralis : 

 a, female plant ; b, male plant. 



with the object of the cultivator. The bottom of 

 the box is lined with soil and picturesque frag- 

 ments of rock, amid which are planted various 

 aquatics, such as Vallisneria spiralis (fig. 8), 

 Anacharis Alsinastrum, species of Callitriche, 

 bladderworts, and other neat aquatic plants. 



